The mythical Mayo journey is complete - cheering from across the Atlantic

Everything their hearts desired. They have reached The Promised Land. This young Mayo team has given us everything we have ever wanted and more. It will stay surreal for a long time, especially for us away from home.

As if you need to touch and feel it in front of you. Like many, disbelief is still the main emotion. But believe it, it happened.

It feels minuscule now but the week leading to the game the discussion amongst us turned to where to watch the game.

In Toronto, there’s a few options in the Downtown area - we immediately ruled out the venue we watched the 2021 final on the basis of history. Jacko isn’t the only one to believe in piseogs. Eventually we plugged for McVeigh’s where we took in the victorious Dublin semi-final of five years ago.

The pub itself is probably the oldest Irish bar in Toronto, owned by Jimmy McVeigh from Fermanagh and is most famous for featuring in the movie the Boondock Saints and the TV show Suits.

Many weary Irishmen over 60 years have sat on the high-stools of this bar with nothing, and walked out with a job offer in their back pocket.

MINDING EMOTIONS

Every morsel of the buildup was taken in this past week. Podcasts, newspapers, videos - whatever to get the fix and see if we were any closer to figuring out if we would win the ultimate prize.

Every so often catching yourself to make sure you don’t let emotions take over, every so often reminding yourself that Kerry are likely to be too strong on the day. But just maybe, it might be our time.

Due to the lack of a J1 type visa here in Canada, Toronto doesn’t tend to enjoy the same influx of Irish youngsters in the summer time as New York or Boston.

And with the new restrictions making it tougher to get Permanent Residency, gradually more and more of our generation are drifting back towards home. As a result the population of Mayo fans based in Toronto isn’t what it once was.

We hoped as much as anything that we’d have strength in numbers for the game and were happy on arrival to come across more of our clan.

Time difference tends to work in our favour for most events, but tackling the first drink of the day at 10am following a late-ending party the night before - is not one such occasion.

Medicine for the nerves we tell ourselves. Sure, t’would be the same if we were in Dublin for the weekend.

MAYO'S THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

All week we had been hit with thunder and lightning storms as is usual for this time of year after a spell of fine hot weather. On Tuesday in particular a 6am explosion rattled the windows of the apartment. It was that seismic.

On the field we settled in hoping Mayo’s version of thunder (Beirne) and lightning (Kobe) would wreak havoc on the Kerry backline. If Mayo were to win, the early morning explosion would be nothing compared to the noise from this corner of Ontario.

Unfortunately as someone said during the week - finals are where Kerry are at their least compassionate. It didn't matter. We were ruthless and overwhelming in how we dealt with them. The only worrying period of the game was after we secured the goal.

We started to think. Instead of being the free flowing and audacious outfit that got us to this point, we took on efforts that didn't suit. In the end, that's all forgotten. Because all that will be remembered is O’Donoghue the man mountain from Belmullet’s insatiable work rate.

Or Kobe’s relentless running. Or the clamp that Eoin McGreal had on Paudie. Or the defensive stand with three minutes remaining that kept the Kerry attack at bay. Every tiny bit added to something monstrous.

Inch by inch we got closer and closer to the finish line. About 20 mins left in the game I remarked to our Mayo contingent if we got to 1-19 we would win it. It didn't feel like it would ever come. But that final whistle was the sweetest sound we've ever heard.

FOR US ALL

The heart has never pulled as hard back to the homeland as it did watching Jack Coyne roar down the Croke Park microphone. Heroes one and all. But speaking for everyone. From everyone. It wasn't just a trophy for the panel and the 80,000 in attendance.

It was for Nallen, Brady, Heaney, McDonald, Padden, Keegan. For the lads in the mines around Perth and the boys on site in New York. It'll reverberate around the globe for a long time. As Coyne said - the chest and the crest will be out for a long long time here.

A few years back, we debated among friends whether we would have swapped winning an All Ireland in 2012 and never gotten back, or experienced the journey we went on thereafter. To a man, we all took the scenic option.

That’s what Mayo is. It’s the almost mythical journey that you follow to and from the ends of the earth.

That journey now is over. And we’ll still follow them wherever and whenever.