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Is Mayo ready for an All Ireland win? In fact is the world ready for a Mayo All Ireland win? God Bless us all, seeing Mayo captain lift Sam on Sunday evening could have seismic implications worldwide.
It is a county that has suffered particularly from the curse of emigration. Almost every Irish community worldwide has a few Mayo men and women. ‘He’s from Mayo’ they’d say. These people go about their business like everyone else, but when the football team get near the business end of things they become withdrawn, agitated, as if there is a great weight upon their mind. And to be fair there is. The Gaels of Mayo are fed up with people harking back to 1951 and talk of curses. Time to march on. These are the people that go up the Reek in their bare feet for God’s sake!
If they win the cliché’s will come bursting from the West. There won’t be a reek climbed, shore caressed, ocean kissed, sheep sheared, cow milked, salmon caught, seaweed bath filled, Quiet Man scene filmed, Session played in Molloys. In fact it could be months before anything is done over there at all.
If they win, Sam will turn up everywhere. On Croagh Patrick. At Knock. On Achill. In Cong. In Matt Molloy's Pub. Sailing up Killary Harbour. At the Doolough Famine walk. At Westport House. At Ashford Castle. At Michael Davitt’s House. On Clare Island. At the Ceide Fields. In Mary Robinson’s Living Room. With Enda Kenny. And speaking of Enda…
If they win Enda will surely be overcome with emotion. You can’t imagine Angela Merkel in tears at a German World Cup win, it’s what’s expected, and successive British PMs have been too busy keep the stiff upper lip to contemplate any outpouring of emotion at a national sporting event. But Enda Kenny is different gravy we reckon. Now posting inspirational videos, his latest better than Al Pacino’s in Any Given Sunday. The Taoiseach’s often spotted supported the Red and Green, sporting his O’Neills Mayo jacket. Enda was born in 1951 curiously enough the last time Mayo GAA won Sam. What a year for the county that was. We reckon if they do it Enda will have no choice but to shed a tear or two. Get on it at the bookies.
If they win the players will take the places of those who went before but were unlucky enough not to win and All Ireland. Kieran McDonald was surely one of the greatest passers of the ball of modern football. He had a left peg to die for, corn rows to die for and an unassuming demeanour to die for. The Lionel Messi of the West, I reckon he should be named in every Mayo All Ireland squad just to makes sure he gets a medal. Other legends? Conor Mortimer, Willie Joe, Liam McHale, Kevin McStay, John Maughan. But will the county remember them or will the class of 2016 assume the mantle of legends? We’re sure many of the lads would give up their place on the mantelpiece if Mayo brought Sam back one more time.
If they win they’ll have support from all over Ireland but one county in particular has a soft spot for Mayo. Yes, Mayo may have put Tyrone’s lights out in spectacular style earlier this summer. Mickey Harte’s young Turks were tipped to do serious damage (a prediction that owed more to hype and overbearing optimism than any realistic assessment of the pedigree or form lines it has to be said) but they were out thought and outscored by Mayo. No matter what happens, Tyrone people never forget that Mayo were the first county they played after the tragic passing of Cormac McAnallen and the hospitality, kindness and support offered to the visiting Tyrone team and players when they travelled west that Sunday in March 2004 won’t be easily wiped by any on pitch defeat. So if Mayo do it, I’d say a few Tyrone men and women will jump in the car.
And if Mayo win the All Ireland they will have done it the hardest way possible because Dublin GAA are one of the slickest, most skilful and well organised outfits of the modern era. If Mayo can overcome the Dubs, they can enjoy all of the above.
All the best to both teams on Sunday from O’Neills. The Choice of Champions.