'It's been insane' - Mayo players bring Sam Maguire to their home club
The Sam Maguire homecoming continues today as Mayo GAA footballers Rory Brickenden and Conal Dawson paid a visit to their local club Westport to the delight of a big crowd.
It was obvious to everyone, when Mayo captain Jack Coyne lifted the Sam Maguire trophy into the air in Croke Park after their famous win over Kerry.
After the big homecoming to MacHale Park Castlebar on Monday evening, St Patrick’s Park in Westport was next on the list.
As local heroes Rory Brickenden and Conal Dawson emerged on the pitch, carrying the famous trophy, the crowd went mad.
“It’s mad, unbelievable,” Brickenden said: “We never really thought we would be bringing Sam Maguire back to Westport, absolutely unbelievable. It’s been a special time, I’ve lost all concept of time. it’s been insane. Thank you and enjoy the celebrations.”
Conal Dawson said “Thanks a million to everyone for ocming out, and being on Bridge Street last night, unbelievable. Enjoy the next couple of days, thanks for all the support.”
After a quick photo op, the players and the Sam Maguire Cup were swarmed. Brickenden and Dawson were hugged, shook dozens of hands, wrote plenty of autographs.
Some shouted “we only have nine minutes.” A tight timeline and needless to say, it took the two longer than nine minutes to move on to the next stop on the homecoming tour.
It was heart warming to see little kids on their mum’s shoulders, reaching out and gently touching the sacred trophy. There were emotional scenes, and some tears in the eyes of old men, who finally got to see Sam Maguire arriving here in Mayo, in Westport, on a pitch they played on.
It’s a new generation of footballers, boys and girls alike, who moved in to get to touch the trophy.
These young ones will take inspiration from the likes of Brickenden, Dawson, local heroes, and of course from Kobe McDonald, Ryan O’Donoghue, Jordan Flynn or Jack Coyne, we could name the whole team.
“It’s slowly, slowly starting to settle in,” said Keira Keogh, TD for Mayo from Westport, speaking to The Mayo News.
“We’ve been waiting for this for years, and wondering, dreaming, what it would be like. And now, the joy that it’s bringing, I was in the streets of Westport last night. When the players made their way up, they were up on shoulders, everybody singing their names.”
Also, Brendan Mulroy, Cathaoirleach Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, was there to greet the players: “It’s absolutely amazing, look at the crowd, I soldiered a long time myself on this pitch without ever achieving anything really. The amount of people coming down here, and we have two lads on the county team, it’s beyond belief. It’s great to celebrate Mayo.”
Former TD Michael Ring said: “It’s the best day in my life. Reek Sunday was last Sunday, Saint Patrick spent 40 days and forty nights on Croagh Patrick, we had to wait 75 years. It was a long time to wait for the All-Ireland. Great for the county, I thought I’d never see the day.”
Next up on the Sam Maguire homecoming tour is Ballyhaunis this afternoon, when the cup arrives at the home of Mayo captain Jack Coyne and member of the management team and former county star Keith Higgins.