Sam Maguire’s homecoming tour of Mayo sparks spending spree
Bank of Ireland have said the week-long celebrations across Mayo highlight the positive societal impact of sporting occasions on communities and businesses
The Bank of Ireland Spending Pulse analysing debit and credit card spending reveals that Mayo’s All-Ireland Football final victory led to significant spending across Mayo from Sunday, July 26 to Sunday, August 2.
Over the past week, Mayo footballers and supporters continued with homecoming celebrations, travelling through towns and villages throughout the county. As previously reported, spending in Castlebar pubs surged by more than 1,000 percent on the All-Ireland final weekend itself, while new Spending Pulse data examining the wider period from July26 to August 2 shows pub spending was more than two-and-a-half times higher in Castlebar (+168 percent) and more than double in Westport (+120 percent) compared to the same period last year.
Restaurants fed the hungry supporters with spending increases in Castlebar (+59 percent) and Westport (+34 percent) across July 26 to August 2 comparative to the same week last year.
The celebrations also boosted spending in supermarkets, with transactions across Mayo up 90 percent compared to the same period last year.
Owen Clifford, Head of Retail Sector, Bank of Ireland said: “The week-long celebrations across Mayo highlight the positive societal impact of sporting occasions on communities and businesses. The Spending Pulse data demonstrates the real time impact on the hospitality and retail sector. From July 26 to August 2, as supporters came out to greet Sam Maguire on his tour of Mayo, the spending trends balanced out across the county, with smaller towns and villages benefiting from these unique celebrations.”