MAYO:KEEP THE paracetamol on prescription. The pain in Mayo continues.
Quiet optimism locally that Mayo and the Sam Maguire Cup might be reunited after more than six decades of separation was shattered yesterday by Donegal.
The reaction on Mayo’s home turf, where thousands of stay-at-home fans watched the big game on large plasma screens at various venues around the county, was one of stoic disappointment.
“Yes, I’m gutted,” said Eamon Chambers from Newport as he left the special screening at the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar. “But by tomorrow I’ll be fine. Sure we’ve been down the road of All-Ireland final defeats a number of times in the past 20 years. Always the bridesmaid but never the bride as the sports journalists like to write.”
“The best team won,” said Mary O’Connor outside the TF following the live broadcast. “Donegal were better-organised. They seemed to be spread out like a chessboard across the field. They kept possession better than us and only once did we threaten to get the goal we needed to get back into it.”
Pubs and hotels all across Mayo had one of their best Sundays in terms of alcohol sales for years. The difficulties and expense involved in getting tickets meant many supporters decided to watch the game in the comfort of their “local” rather than travelling to Croker.
Sporty foodies at the annual Westport Food Fair watched the game on a plasma screen which had been specially erected at The Quay.
At their home in Castlebar, Seanie and Teresa Kilcoyne, who were in Croke Park the last time Mayo won the All-Ireland in 195I, were quietly celebrating their 53rd wedding anniversary. “After ’5I we were sure we’d win again the following year,” Seanie confided. “Little did we think we’d have to wait years and years for another title. We’re still waiting.”
In Coady’s Pub, Castlebar, much of the talk centred on a local pensioner who had travelled from England for the game but had fallen on Friday, cut his head, and had to be hospitalised. However, in his determination not to miss the action, he discharged himself from Mayo General Hospital on Saturday and travelled by bus to Croke Park.
Publicans in Mayo’s larger towns were predicting a bonanza week for alcohol sales if Mayo had won. With huge crowds expected to turn out this evening when the team returns home they are still expected to benefit handsomely.
Looking on the bright side, however, one publican suggested an All-Ireland victory for Mayo would have come at a high price for some. “All the spare money would have been sucked out of the economy. It might have meant a very bleak Christmas for some families in these parts.”