Mayo's band of brothers help Éire Óg win Vancouver title
Cup named after Breaffy footballer won by big Mayo contingent in Vancouver
THE Green and Red was flying high in Vancouver on Sunday when Éire Óg won the city championship after a thrilling senior final with St Finnian's. The win was hugely significant as the men in black and white recorded the first league and chanpionship double in their history. It was also only the second senior championship title won by Éire Óg and was celebrated accordingly.
It was highly appropriate that it was Mayo man Mikey Higgins from Claremorris who accepted the David Gavin Cup after the final whistle. The cup is named after the Breaffy full-back who sadly passed away in 2017 when on his way to a match for his adopted club Vancouver ISCC.
Higgins was proud to hoist the cup into the sky after a great summer of football in the city on Canada’s west coast. The men in black and white won the decider on a 1-15 to 1-7 scoreline with seven Mayo men on the pitch and JP McLoughlin from Swinford managing their fortunes from the sideline.
Team captain, Higgins, kicked seven points in the final, including one crucial two-pointer. The well-known sharp-shooter ended the season as top-scorer with a huge 3-42 to his name, including ten two-pointers.
This was the culmination of a season that started for Vancouver Éire Óg in Claremorris on New Year’s Day in a charity game against the home side for the Mayo Roscommon Hospice. Sunday's win marks the end of a perfect summer of football for the big Mayo contingent in Éire Óg, following the Green and Red's capture of Sam Maguire a month earlier.
For anyone moving to Vancouver please feel free to reach out to Vancouver Éire Óg on Instagram @eireogvancouver.