Young Mayo supporters 'won the respect' of the county with their celebrations
West Mayo councillors praise the way Mayo supporters celebrated the team's All-Ireland win without causing trouble
Young Mayo supporters were praised for the way they celebrated Mayo's All-Ireland victory over Kerry last Sunday and that they had 'won the respect' of the county.
Towns and villages across Mayo celebrated Andy Moran's men bringing Sam Maguire back to the county for the first time in 75 years with homecomings taking place in a number of towns throughout the week.
Some streets in Westport and Castlebar were forced to close with the crowds of people who came to celebrate the win with people travelling from all over the country to Mayo to join the celebrations.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Westport-based councillor Brendan Mulroy said he witnessed the celebrations in Westport and was fulsome in his praise of the young people.
“The amount of people who I saw in my town of Westport and the way they behaved and treated fellow party goers was fantastic to see. I know the youth get a lot of criticism but I have to compliment the youth of Westport and the surrounding areas of Aughagower and Kilmeena and all the areas that came into Westport. It was fantastic and a joy to behold and credit where credit is due the young people of this area won the respect of everyone in this area. I want to place it on record my thanks to the youth and I saw it first hand on Sunday and it was a joy to behold," he said.
His sentiments were echoed by the other councillors who praised the way the people celebrated the win but also praised the council staff for ensuring towns were tidied up after each night of celebration.
Cllr Peter Flynn said the victory had transformed the county while Cllr John O'Malley said that it showed that people can drink and celebrate without any trouble being caused.
Cllr O'Malley also told the meeting that his brother who works as a taxi-driver in Westport told him that he met two women last Sunday who travelled from Monaghan after the game to join in the celebrations.
“They said they never enjoyed anything like it. It tells you what Mayo winning did for everyone,” he said.
Louisburgh-based councillor Chris Maxwell said he watched the game in a pub in Louisburgh and described seeing old men cry and 'on a total high' after the final whistle.
Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara, who played in an All-Ireland U-21 Final for Mayo in 1994 said that the win was a victory for everyone who wore the green and red and supported the team through good times and bad. He also praised the thousands of Mayo people who had to leave the county since 1951 and remained 'so loyal and never forget where they are from'.
Belmullet-based councillor Seán Carey also praised the Belmullet GAA Club for organising the homecoming to Erris last Wednesday and said he had never seen so many people in Belmullet.
“Belmullet itself was heaving and I never saw as many people around as that evening. There were thousands of young people out on the streets enjoying themselves and it was a pleasure to be there. There was no hassle and everyone was so happy and so nice to see so many in the town and stay until the early hours,” he said.
Fellow Erris-based councillor Gerry Coyle who was still wearing his Mayo jersey at the meeting recalled how he would often see Mayo footballer Ryan O'Donoghue running early in the morning as a ten-year-old because he wanted to be a winner. He praised the Mayo team describing them as great ambassadors for the county and hoped that they would be looked after.