Andy Moran: 'Let's keep dreaming and let's get a tiny bit greedy now'

Ballaghaderreen turned out in force this week to welcome home its own after Mayo's historic All-Ireland triumph — the county's first title in 75 years. Andy Moran, David McBrien, Kuba Callaghan, Barry Solan, Barry McGuire, Michael Regan and David Drake were given a homecoming fit for heroes, with the small club's outsized contribution to the win the talk of the town.

For David McBrien, the homecoming was as much about the people behind the scenes as the players on the pitch. "Seeing all the people who helped me get here means so much," he told the hundreds of clubmates, family and friends gathered on Main Street.

"Thank you very much to my current teammates, past teammates and mentors. Anytime I put on the white jersey of Ballagha, it's a huge honour. We looked pretty good there on Sunday in the white jerseys."

Top scorer in the club championship, Kuba Callaghan, admitted the scale of the achievement hadn't fully sunk in. "I think it will take a while because it is such an incredible achievement," he said. "We're a proud club. We have had many representatives of Mayo in the past. To be associated with those people and this club is a privilege."

Manager Andy Moran, spoke of the emotional journey — from his own playing days as county captain since 2003, through the near-misses, to finally getting over the line. "We dreamt of this moment for so long," he said, recalling a promise made years ago to keep the faith. "Now we're All-Ireland champions."

Moran was quick to turn the spotlight on his home club's remarkable production line of county footballers. "We're tiny. The club is tiny, but we keep producing county footballers, and I think it's something we need to be really proud of," he said, name-checking past greats like Dermot Flanagan, Noel Durkin and Kevin Cahill alongside the current generation.

He praised McBrien's championship debut point and Callaghan's scoring form, urging local coaches to "keep pushing the standards" and "keep being proud to produce Mayo county players."

Speaking of the next generation, Moran's young son Ollie produced the performance of the night as he sang “The Green and Red of Mayo” to the joyous Ballagha crowd.

Looking ahead, Moran struck a note of hunger rather than satisfaction: "Let's keep dreaming, let's harness the feeling, and let's get a tiny bit greedy now — let's go back after it again in a couple of months."

Former Mayo captain and Ballaghaderreen legend Dermot Flanagan offered a lighter take on the town's role in the win, coining what he called the "Ballagha factor" — tracing the club's influence through generations, from his own father's era through John O'Mahony's near-miss finals to Moran's playing career and now this year's title.

"The Ballaghaderreen factor is infused in the success," he laughed.

For a club this size, the pride on display was unmistakable — and, if Moran has his way, there's more still to come.