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22nd September 2017
08:43am BST
Why am I feeling the anguish of my Mayo cousins? I’m a lifelong Dublin fan who toiled as I waited to witness my first Sam Maguire win in 1995, suffering the dreaded royal rush of the late 80’s and early 90’s, including that mesmeric four game saga and setbacks against Donegal, Down and Derry. I’ve since moved to live in Louth, setting up home with my beautiful Erris wife and am the proud father of two young boys who love the game of Gaelic football. We headed up the M1 on Sunday morning, three of us in red & green, and me the solo blue boy, to meet with family and friends for the wonderful occasion that is All-Ireland Sunday. As we enjoyed the craic and banter with the throngs inside and outside Fagan’s, thoughts turned to the battle ahead on the hallowed turf. I was one of those many Dublin fans who wanted their team to win the three in a row, but did it have to be at Mayo’s expense…..yet again? You see having experienced final success in 2011, 13, 15 & 16, the beating of Mayo is just not the same as beating the Kerrymen, or Ulster foes of Tyrone, Donegal and the like. I knew that victory for Dublin on Sunday would not come with unbridled joy or the ecstasy of the promised land, but this deep nagging feeling that my team would ‘stick the knife’ into the hearts of the incredible Mayo fans throughout the land beyond. So why am I feeling the anguish of my Mayo cousins? Is it that for twenty years I've felt such a part of my wife's family? Is it the wonderful warm mayo welcome I always receive in Geesala, Doohoma and Belmullet? Is it the simplicity of the way of life and my deepening love for the ‘soft and craggy boglands’, the beauty of its landscape and its people? Is it the desire for the happiness that comes from winning Sam to be spread farther and wider? Is it that the bulk of the 80,000 in Croker on Sunday feel cheated from missing out on experiencing that pent up outpouring of pure emotion that would surely have followed a Mayo victory as described by Jim McGuinness: "I could feel it as I was watching it in Beijing. You could tell by the atmosphere in the stadium and the faces in the crowd. There was a kind of realisation – a dawning – that they were witnessing history in the making. I got the same feeling. I had the goose bumps for them. I believed it was going to happen." Is it because I thought that mayo were the better team on the day? Is it because my boys were denied the road trip to McHale Park on Monday (and the day off school to boot)? Is it knowing that the sport is better for all when Mayo are the peak of their powers? Is it fearing for the future of the game by the current dominance of my formidable Dublin team? Is it because of the incredible journey they brought my family on from a limp league defeat in Croker in February, to the escape from the Gaelic Grounds in July, to four stirring encounters against the Rossies and the Kerrymen? Is it knowing as an outsider that the connection between Mayo and their fans is unmatched across the land? Is it knowing that unlike anywhere else (except perhaps the Kingdom) Gaelic Football is the religion of choice throughout Mayo? Is it knowing that Moran, Boyle, Erris’s Barrett, Higgins, Clarke, the O’Connor’s, the O’Shea’s and the rest of the Mayo team have shown us they deserve their place as All-Ireland medallists? Is it knowing that I want my wife, sons, my brothers in law (4), sisters in law (6), nieces and nephews and the wonderful people of Doohoma to experience the unbridled joy of victory? Is it because of Mayo’s 2017 odyssey eloquently put by Malachy Clerkin (Irish Times): “They made the championship, simple as that. June brought the summer's first major upset against Galway, July brought epic Saturday nights against Derry and Cork, August two draws and two statement replays, September another deathless All-Ireland final. No storyline was more gripping, the more so given the ultimate outcome.” Is it because of the emotion and desolation in the voice of Martin Carney on Midwest Radio’s match commentary? Is it because of the despairing tears of the Mayo fans all around me in the Upper Cusack and those back in Fagan’s of my two heartbroken sons? Is it because of the way the Mayo team have carried themselves since defeat on Sunday, so clearly demonstrated by the fine words at the toughest times from Stephen Rochford and Cillian O’Connor? As I still recount and try to process what was an incredible contest by two phenomenal teams, I’m struck by the power of sport to fulfil us all. In particular, here in Ireland we are blessed to have the GAA every Summer to bring our communities together in friendly rivalry in football and hurliing. This Summer, Dublin proved the masters again, but Mayo brought the hearts and minds of the whole country with them to Croke Park on Sunday. The immediate atmosphere following the final whistle was flatter than normal All-Ireland victories, many Dublin fans not exuberant out of exhaustion from what we had just witnessed, respect and admiration for the Mayo team and their fans, but also that nagging feeling that perhaps we had robbed our Mayo friends of the promised land. My family have had a wonderful Summer travelling to Dublin and Mayo matches. Thank you to the players who made it happen. I sincerely hope that this incredible Mayo Team push on in 2018 – they’ve never been closer. The Sawdoctors have been playing over in my mind – not necessarily ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ – but would any of us be unhappy to have the Mayo team ‘To win just once!’ So why am I feeling the anguish of my Mayo cousins….quite simply all of the above.
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