Call for supporters to get behind ‘Maigh Eo’ battle cry

Anton McNulty

WITH the Mayo supporters heading to Croke Park for the All-Ireland semi-final likely to be well outnumbered by the Dubs, a group from Achill are determined to lead the battle-cry ahead of and during the game.
Last April, the Irish language song ‘Maigh Eo’ was launched in Achill for the inaugural Mayo Day with the lyrics designed to be a battlecry for the county especially in the quest for All-Ireland glory.
Since the launch of the song, it has been played on Mid West Radio and local community stations and momentum has grown to get the Mayo fans to chant the word ‘Maigh Eo’ during games instead of the anglicised version, Mayo.
During the quarter-final against Donegal the first attempts to start the cry of ‘Maigh Eo’ began in Croke Park but because of the way supporters were seated, it did not take off on a large scale.
However, those behind the campaign to use the Irish version of Mayo are happy with the response of the Mayo supporters and it will take off next Sunday.

Up for it
“I approached Mayo people around Quinns pub in Drumcondra about shouting Maigh Eo instead of Mayo and they were up for it,” explained John ‘Twin’ McNamara who wrote the lyrics to the song.
“They had heard it on Mid West radio and the other community radio stations and were happy to shout Maigh Eo. I met a woman from Belmullet at the Fleadh in Sligo and was talking about it. She said she noticed that the call sounded different but did not know the reason at the time. Hopefully with more Mayo supporters in the ground it will generate more of a sound. We feel it will make for a better sound around the stadium and I’m sure it will be the first time the Irish name of the county has been used by the supporters in the history of the GAA,” he said. A group of supporters from Achill had intended to bring bodhrans and drums into the stadium to raise the noise levels but were informed by Croke Park that they would be confiscated. Not to be deterred they have plans to bring a big drum used by the pipe bands to Dublin and beat it outside the ground to generate an atmosphere as the fans go to the game.
John explained when chanting, there should be less of an emphasis on the ‘Maigh’ with more of an urgency on chanting the ‘Eo’ part. He said this creates a greater sound especially when it echoes around a stadium like Croke Park.
“Maigh Eo generates a greater broader sound compared to Mayo and will create a better atmosphere to get behind the team. When the Dubs are on Hill 16 and are all singing together it generates a great atmosphere to get behind the team and that is what we will have to also do.
“I remember reading an interview with James Horan after the loss to Dublin in 2013. He was asked what did he remember most about the final and he said the awful silence ten minutes before the end of the game. That is the time supporters need to get behind the team, when things are not going right, not just when the goals are going in. I think people will pick up on the Maigh Eo battlecry very fast and hopefully it will be the encouragement to get the players over the line,” he said.