McGovern Park hosts a day of football, fun and celebration

THE Green and Red of Mayo boomed out of one of the many marquees dotted around McGovern Park as thousands of happy revelers swayed to the well-known beat. Mayo's championship campaign was off and running and all was good with the world.

Ruislip is an interesting place. Along the roads outside the famed GAA ground hung Union-Jack banners celebrating the 85^th anniversary of The Battle of Britain and nearby stood a monument remembering Polish fighter-pilots, while McGovern Park rocked to a beat uniquely Irish.

The cultural mix was sweet on an afternoon when the young men of Mayo came to London and kicked 31 points as positivity reigned supreme. Andy Moran's characteristics might be rubbing off on the Mayo public!

In truth, Mayo did what they had to do on the pitch. They weren't outstanding and weren't awful. They were a solid 7/10. Game played – game won – onto the next one.

As always the event itself was wrapped in the very culture which sets us apart – togetherness, celebration, music, football, rekindled friendships, family ties and stories, lots and lots of stories.

Take for example, the saga of the plane that was late departing Knock on Saturday morning. Word quickly spread through the crowds in McGovern Park that the plane carrying a number of supporters, Lee Keegan (who was on radio duty), and two Mayo non-playing squad members, Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne, had experienced a fault and the passengers had to wait for a replacement to arrive before they could take off.

Keegan's progress was being closely monitored by the radio lads and it soon became apparent that he wouldn't be in the ground until nearly half-time. An elderly London supporter was more interested in whether she's get to set eyes on young McDonald. “I love his name,” she explained. “I'm not sure there was ever a Saint Kobe, but it's a grand name.”

Another tale doing the rounds centred on a knight of the whistle and his support staff who were in Knock on Friday in oodles of time for their London flight but somehow missed it. They ended up flying in to Liverpool instead on Friday evening and were in Ruislip in good time for throw-in on Saturday.

As the afternoon and evening progressed the revelry in McGovern Park gathered pace and one can only imagine the stories waiting to emerge when the weekend draws to a close.