The All-Ireland Football Final may have won few plaudits for the quality of its football, but it was memorable nonetheless on several counts.
It was the first final contested by two teams from the same province; and, in spite of some dire and groundless predictions, the supporters of Tyrone and Armagh behaved with exemplary neighbourliness and good humour, mingling companionably before and after the game and joining in a "Mexican wave" at half-time.
It was the day when Tyrone's long and unrequited search for an All-Ireland title reached a joyful consummation. For many years, Tyrone was regarded as the pre-eminent footballing county never to have won the championship and that painful distinction has now been gladly shed.
It was also the day when Peter Canavan, widely regarded as the outstanding footballer of the past decade, finally seized the prize that his talent and determination have so richly deserved. In 1995 he scored 11 points in the final against Dublin, only to see his team lose by the narrowest margin. Now, after his very appearance in Sunday's game was threatened by injury, he stands at the summit of footballing achievement as captain of the All-Ireland, Ulster and National League champions. Within his native county he is virtually worshipped as a sporting god; and in the rest of Ireland too, many football followers hoped to see Tyrone triumph for Canavan's sake.
In his victory speech, Canavan evoked some of the personal and local overtones of Tyrone's win. He spoke of his father, a lifelong lover of football, who died during the summer; of Paul McGirr, a team-mate of many of the Tyrone players, and the fatal victim of a freak injury six years ago. He praised the squad's shrewd and meticulous manager, Mickey Harte, architect of the current success, but also the former managers who helped to lay the foundations. And, he said, the Sam Maguire trophy was "for every Tyrone team I have played on, for the 1986 team [beaten in the final by Kerry\], and for every player who played on teams without success".
So, in the moment of triumph, he gave due credit to those who seemed to have failed, but whose efforts can now be seen as stepping stones to ultimate achievement.
These were fitting words from a man steeped in the tradition of Gaelic games; and, as a wave of rejoicing and relief engulfs Tyrone, they contain a message of hope for other counties hoping to emulate this year's champions, as they emulated Armagh.
Today, Tyrone; tomorrow, Laois, Sligo, Westmeath. . ?