Longford Leader journalist celebrates historic All Ireland as Mayo 'Keep the faith'
Mayo fan and Leader journalist privileged to witness his dream and the dream of his late father, Richard, realised.
As a lifelong supporter, being in Croke Park to see Mayo finally winning the 2026 All Ireland was a lifelong dream realised and fulfilled and the dream of my late father Richard that I felt so privileged to witness.
It was a pleasure to speak to a thrilled Michael Fitzmaurice (83), from Centenary Square in Longford town, who was in Croke Park to witness Mayo's unforgettable All Ireland glory with his son Paul and grandson Cillian Dennigan 75 years after he attended Mayo's previous 1951 All Ireland win.
While there was massive joy, ecstasy and emotion at the final whistle, my own thoughts quickly turned to my late father Richard who was a devoted and fanatical supporter and who was one of those sorely missed.
He had a deep passion and affection for the Mayo Gaelic football team during that rubbed off on me and my three siblings during my formative years.
From the age of six or seven I regularly attended matches in the late-1980s, watching stars such as Liam McHale, TJ Kilgallon and Dermot Flanagan.
Growing up just a few hundred yards from the Mayo-Roscommon border (thankfully on the right side) made things much more tribal and interesting than they otherwise would have been.
Our townland Cragagh in Carracastle between the towns of Charlestown in County Mayo and Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon, has four houses and my dad and our late neighbour Tommy Joe Horkan were among the most passionate supporters in Mayo.
I remember on many occasions in the run-up to Connacht finals the white lines on the main road passing the cul-de-sac road into our houses would be painted primrose and blue and I recall fertiliser bags painted primrose and blue stuck to telephone poles in the area.
The practice by our neighbouring Rossies was an attempt to wind up ourselves and the Horkans and while it was good-natured banter it certainly worked.
My dad Richard had a huge interest and passion for Gaelic football and as one of six boys he grew up playing football with his brothers and our neighbours.
He was a building contractor who drove a Toyota HiAce van and I was the eldest of four children and we all had plenty of friends who regularly gathered in our front field for our own football matches.
We had some friends who would not regularly have been brought to Mayo GAA matches and from the early-90s after requests from myself and my siblings my dad would fill his work van and transport about 10 of us and our friends across Mayo, Connacht and further afield travelling to Mayo championship and league matches.
My dad would usually be accompanied by my grand uncle Michael Kelly and his friend Jimmy Tarpey in the front seats while we excitedly and very often loudly entertained ourselves in the back.
My dad was such a loyal and big Mayo supporter his usual line to my mother Nuala when he was jovial after a few pints in the local pub on his way home was 'Lets go home and stick on the 1989 All Ireland final'.
It was the first appearance in 38 years, which brought a strong sense of pride, but unfortunately a losing one and the first of the 11 All Ireland final defeats.
In the early-to mid-90s, before any stringent health and safety requirements our seats in the back of the van were milk crates, tins of paint and sometimes buckets or jackets, it was a case of you sit on whatever you can grab that eases the pressure on your posterior.
I remember my first time in Croke Park in 1996 watching Mayo play Kerry under John Maughan as huge underdogs.
However, a brilliant display by the team and young forward John Casey, from local town Charlestown, propelled us to a surprising but well-deserved victory.
The celebrations were incredible and the excitement of going to Croke Park for a final with my dad, mam Nuala and uncles was amazing, but unfortunately Mayo suffered heartbreak in the final against Meath after a replay.
Mayo returned to the showpiece in 1997 but an inspired and majestic performance from the great Maurice Fitzgerald was the difference as myself, my dad, mother and siblings watched from home while he battled a serious illness before passing away weeks later.
His coffin was draped in Green and Red and myself and my siblings were kindly gifted a signed Mayo jersey by John Casey.
At his packed funeral the priest, friends and relatives spoke in deep admiration (and some surprise) about his enthusiasm for bringing a van load of ourselves and our friends and neighbours to Mayo matches across the province and further afield.
My dad was described by many as being kind and having ‘the patience of a saint’, but he loved sharing the experience of a Mayo match.
My dad's lifelong passion for Mayo football was proudly carried on by us and thankfully we are now starting to pass that down to our own children.
The All Ireland final this year was my ninth All Ireland final to attend in person and I witnessed seven defeats and a draw previously.
Despite Mayo's relentless nature and the way they pushed the great Dublin five-in-a-row team, arguably the greatest Gaelic football team of all time, harder than any other team with stalwarts such as Andy Moran, Lee Keegan and Colm Boyle to the fore we lost out by point to the Metropolitans on three occasions and we drew another.
There were some plaudits for the quality of the matches and the intense rivalry that was developed, but all too often GAA people around the country -and some Dublin-based friends and media -looked on Mayo with sympathy, pity and the team were the butt of jokes.
I felt for many years that narrative was very unfair and the release of emotions when the hooter sounded last Sunday week was truly incredible. It felt like redemption at last!
There was overwhelming happiness, disbelief, pride, tears of joy and a huge sense of relief that the jokes about Mayo footballers being the nearly men was finally being put to bed.
The talk of the nonexistent and mythical curse and the disrespectful tone and comments such as 'How many more of that 1951 team are still alive?' could be consigned to history as well and what a relief that is.
I was a year ahead of Andy Moran and we both attended secondary school in St Nathy's College in Ballaghaderreen.
Andy previously played for Longford Town FC and he was the winner of a National U-21 Enda McGuill Cup medal back in 2003 and he previously revealed that he ‘loved’ his time with Longford.
The 42 year-old’s magnificent management and coaching transformed Mayo from one of the worst two-point-scoring teams in the country last year into the most prolific two-point scorers bar none this year.
There was a carnival atmosphere in Ballaghaderreen on Thursday night as Andy brought the Sam Maguire back to his hometown club alongside local Ballagh' players David McBrien and Kuba Callaghan.
I am happy for mother, my aunt Anne who I watched the match with in Croke Park, and my uncles Joe and Chris who were beaming in Ballagh’ on Thursday night and were young boys in 1951.
Longford manager Mike Solan's brother Barry was Strength and Conditioning Coach, while David Drake, a brother-in-law of Andy and a cousin of Aiden Drake, was also part of the backroom team as was my own neighbour from Carracastle Michael Regan.
The first time both myself, Andy Moran and half the school in St Nathy’s saw and touched the Sam Maguire was when the late great John O'Mahony brought the cup into school after Galway's 1998 All Ireland win.
I thought Andy paid a beautiful tribute to his mentor Johnno when he referred to his famous phrase 'Keep the Faith' which he used as a rallying cry for Mayo in 1989.
Andy said passionately to raucous cheers in Ballaghaderreen that John's wife Geraldine had marked the triumph and honoured her late husband by putting up a sign on her door saying 'John, We Kept the Faith'.
All the pent-up frustration and disappointment of previous final defeats was superseded by incredible happiness and joy as the final whistle sounded.
Like Andy, I said a prayer in the closing stages to my dad for divine intervention from above.
It feels as though all of the prayers said to the dearly departed Aiden Drake, Johnno and my late dad Richard helped to get Mayo over the line and no doubt they are smiling down from above.