THE West of Ireland – long shunted to the sidelines of history threw off the shackles on Saturday and showed the world what a vibrant, exceptional place we inhabit.

The Test in the West, which saw Connacht Rugby host Munster in a packed Hastings Insurance MacHale Park was one of the greatest sporting occasions ever experienced in the province and it will be recalled for generations to come.

The fact that the home side were beaten on the scoreboard will fade into insignificance with the passage of time.

WATCH: Incredible scenes as Connacht Rugby team enters MacHale Park pitch

Saturday was about this wonderful part of the planet and the bustling brilliance we can produce when given the opportunity. No longer should we accept the crumbs from the table – as Connacht Rugby have been forced to do for so long.

The manner in which the western province hosted the event in Castlebar shows how dynamic and forward-thinking the organisation can be when given the opportunity

READY TO ROCK

PREPARATIONS had been ongoing for months and when the team arrived on Friday afternoon it was obvious that the stage was set for a memorable occasion. The old stadium was decked out in all its glory and looked resplendent. “It's like we were having the stations,” one local explained with a glint in his eye.

The GAA goalposts had been removed and the place was the ideal stage on which to take on the men of Munster 24 hours later. Former Mayo and Castlebar Mitchels footballer Henry Gavin was on hand to cast his eye across the ground he knows so well, while local man and Connacht Rugby President, Jimmy Staunton beamed with pride.

Ballina's Willie Ruane was equally enthused. The Connacht CEO has transformed the sport in the province over the past decade and bringing Saturday’s game to Castlebar was another step in that progression.

SUPER SATURDAY

AS soon as dawn broke on Saturday the county town was hopping. The first flag-seller was setting up near the stadium before the day's ninth hour had arrived. By that stage the stadium was crawling with workers putting the final touches in place.

A swarm of local volunteers were lined up to acquire their passes and there was great banter in the group when a long-time Castlebar Mitchels member, and proud Limerick woman arrived. “Oh Jaysus, the first of the Munster crew is here,” a friend exclaimed with a smile.

Of course, the weather was a huge topic of conversation as morning mist shrouded the stadium. “Heavy showers predicted all day,” stated a well-known GAA man - “The rain will be gone in time for the match,” a rugby enthusiast predicted.

All across Mayo and farther afield thousands of green-clad supporters of all ages were on their way. In Ballina they were piling onto buses at the local rugby club, in Westport friends were gathering for refreshments before making the trip out the new road.

In the social media sphere there was no other show in town. A proud picture of the late Willie Mellett from Swinford and his cap for playing for Connacht in 1932-33 popped up on my phone.

Likewise a touching video message from Dara Caleary TD remembering his father Sean and all who had fought the Connacht fight over the years was setting the tone for a special occasion.

As noon arrived it was time to move towards the stadium and the town was throbbing. Supporters of both sides made a colourful backdrop in downtown Castlebar and the stream of bodies flowing towards MacHale Park was a joy to behold.

“It's like the crowd walking towards Knock to see the Pope in 1979,” an Erris man explained as he joined the march through the mist.

Then, as if by divine intervention, the sun emerged and the clouds moved away from the western sea. The man who earlier predicted good weather for the big game had been proven correct.

PACKED HOUSE

THE improving weather situation was greeted with great delight by the huge crowd packing into the stadium.

There were thousands of people as far as the eye could see and the sense of excitement was palpable. “I haven’t seen anything like this here since the ‘good days’ with Mayo,” an experienced steward stated.

It was a special day for sport in Mayo, and a day beyond reckoning for many who had played and promoted rugby in the county on occasions when it wasn’t as widely celebrated as Saturday. Johnny McCormack from Castlebar was a proud man as he made his way through the swarms at the back of the stand, while mighty men from Ballinrobe and Westport shook his hand.

“Gerry O'Donnell would have loved this,” a long-time rugby follower explained as she remembered the late Ballinrobe native who became a legendary figure with Ballina RFC and was President of Connacht Rugby when they won the Pro-12 in 2016.

In a quiet corner of the stadium, if that was possible, members of the Heffernan family congregated. The clan have been immersed in West of Ireland sport for generations, proudly wearing the green of Connacht, Ballina RFC and Ireland, and the green and red of Mayo and Ballina Stephenites.

On Saturday, Dave Heffernan would fulfil a life-long dream to play in MacHale Park and tick another box on a career that has inspired so many.

THE MAIN EVENT

ON the pitch the teams were warming up and a man who played there in the green and red of Mayo before embarking on a wonderful rugby career was being interviewed.

Gavin Duffy's voice boomed around the stadium and the Ballina man was bullish. His pride in Mayo and Connacht was clearly evident in his words and the huge crowd loved it.

The West was awake and ready to show the world what a vibrant, exciting place we live in.

Then, it was time for war. The teams emerged into a sea of noise, colour and fire-crackers and the 27,570 souls fortunate enough to be in the stadium lapped it up.

The game itself was a cracker. Connacht threw all they had at their guests, but made mistakes at critical moments. Munster played smart rugby with Tom Farrell to the fore.

The fact that his mother, Anne (nee Collins), is a proud Islandeady woman was highly-appropriate. Connacht were always in the game, but they just couldn't catch the southern invaders who took an early lead and never lost it.

Of course, it was disappointing to lose. Winning would have been the icing on a very sweet cake and set the stadium on fire, but Saturday was much more than a game of rugby.

It was a moment in time when the West of Ireland showed everyone what we can do when the opportunity is grasped. On Saturday, a voice like thunder roared that the West's awake, the West's awake.

READ: Rugby star with Mayo mother is central to Munster's win in Castlebar