All this ‘poor Mayo deserve an All-Ireland’ shite would give you a pain in your face.
First off, if you deserve an All-Ireland then you invariably win it. That is the beauty of competitive sport – he who dares wins and he who wins deserves it. If we started talking about ‘deserves’ we may as well pack up the whole tent and go home.
Secondly, ‘poor Mayo’?
‘Poor Mayo’ who up until this year spent the early part of nearly every summer this decade brutalising the rest of Connacht. ‘Poor Mayo’ who have reached SIX All-Ireland semi-finals in a row. ‘Poor Mayo’ who are this Sunday contesting their fifth final since 2004. ‘Poor Mayo’, indeed.
This crap doesn’t come from Mayo fans. If you want to piss off a Mayo fan talk to them about that nonsensical 65-year-old curse, which was unheard of until about 15 years ago. If you really want to piss them off tell them how sorry you feel for them losing all those semi-finals and finals.
You haven't breathed in real passion, says @ConanDoherty, until you've witnessed @MayoGAA fans at MacHale Park https://t.co/j6qaQSWCeO
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) July 16, 2016
There are fans of about 30 other counties who would kill to have a team with half the consistency and brilliance of the current Mayo team.
But if you think the viral phenomenon of ‘Mayo 4 Sam’ or the insane demand that has seen one of the county’s most talented players without a ticket is born out of some Johnny-come-lately, bandwagoning out west then check out the video below.
Before the great team of the mid-nineties that went so close in 1996 and 1997, and before the current crop of supreme footballers, Mayo suffered something of a fallow period. In fact, between their last All-Ireland win in 1951 and 1989 they won just six Connacht titles and failed to reach an All-Ireland final.
Imagine, back-to-back winners in 1950-51 and then you fail to make the big show for almost 50 years.
That might dampen enthusiasm for football a bit, you would imagine.
Well, judging by the crowd that turned out at Knock Airport in 1989 after Mayo lost their first All-Ireland final since 1951, the westerners were still 100% stone mad for football.
They were beaten 0-17 to 1-11 by a great Cork team, yet an estimated 10,000 showed up to welcome their heroes home. Anthony Finnerty’s spectacularly 1980s hair and dance combo in the arrivals hall would have been worth the entrance fee alone.
Does make you wonder what apocalyptic, orgiastic, cataclysmic outpouring of joy will erupt should they feckin’ beat Dublin on Sunday. We are curious to find out. To the bunker!
Thanks to Bill Healy and Lynda Browne for sending this our way, independent of each other. If you have any pieces of content you’d like to share with us, hit us up on Facebook or Twitter or send us an email at editorial@SportsJOE.ie.
The GAA Hour took their show on the road to Castlebar to preview the All-Ireland final with Colm Parkinson, James Horan and some very special guests.Â
