John Duggan writes that as Mayo go into their 10th final since 1989, their supporters need to feel the belief that this is their time...
Robert Shaw, the Hollywood star who made such an impact in the blockbuster movies 'Jaws' and 'The Sting', lived in Tourmakeady, County Mayo.
He was one of my favourite actors. There is a small stone memorial dedicated to Shaw in the village and I drove through there earlier this year on the way back from Connemara. What I noticed was that for such a small village, the GAA facility was excellent; a fine pitch and clubhouse. It's part of the Gaeltacht community and there have been successful Comórtas tournaments staged there.
It struck me on my way out of Tourmakeady that the GAA has left a beautiful mark around the country; for many in rural Ireland, it's the lifeblood of community.
So there's a sense of ownership about that - a sense of democracy - that this amateur Association belongs to the people, the volunteers, the coaches at underage level, the players. That one day they dream of being greeted by the Sam Maguire Cup or the Liam McCarthy Cup at their clubhouse.
For Limerick GAA people, this was probably an expectation far from their minds for years. However, from time to time, there would always be a chance of glory which could inject belief into a person, their identity glowing with their own individual mark on the Association through their support. Their own story, their conversations, their nerves. For Limerick hurling people, 1980, 1994, 1996 and 2007 were such years, albeit not winning ones.
I walked out of Croke Park in 1994 as a teenage neutral, dazed and confused. It was the most bizarre denouement to an All Ireland hurling final; as Offaly turned a five-point deficit into a six-point win over Limerick in the closing stages. For the Limerick people there, it was devastating. The journey home would be of silence, but also anguish about the All Ireland title that was in their grasp and then slipped away.
So it's wonderful to see a once in a generation Limerick team scale the summit twice in three years, unquestionably the best in the land, giving their folk old enough to remember the dark days a feeling of deep internal satisfaction.
I am from Dublin, and when I am not working, I want Dublin to win Gaelic Football matches. But I wouldn't begrudge Mayo an All Ireland senior title this Saturday one iota. It would be great for the game and it would be great for the nation to see Mayo seize the holy grail for the first time since 1951. In a way, we all could do with a Mayo victory. That's not treason, but it's written by a Dublin native who has been completely sated by the five-in-a-row.
I loved Kevin McStay's piece in the Irish Times during the week, as he described what it was like to be a Mayo GAA person. McStay was a top player in this day; and he wrote about how deep the green and red is in the blood of the people out West. 'Addiction' was the word he used and that addiction generates new hope, time after time, despite all of the disappointments, that Mayo will get there eventually and win the All Ireland again.
In 2017, I was fortunate enough to be at Croke Park for the best All Ireland final I have seen. Dublin won by 1-17 to Mayo's 1-16, with Dean Rock kicking the winning score in injury time. It was one of countless battles between these counties in recent memory; 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019 all come to mind.
On this day though, it genuinely felt like it was Mayo's time. Lee Keegan crashed the ball into the net for a goal in the 54th minute and Mayo were ahead. Dublin needed to be flawless to win, and they were.
There were a lot of Mayo people around me in the Cusack Stand and two of them were directly in front. One could feel the aura of tremendous hope that this was going to be Mayo's day from the people in the nearby seats. Once the final whistle went, Mayo supporters went solemnly for the exits, shattered. I remembered an elderly man wearing the county colours walking slowly past and I subsequently wondered about his day; how far he had to travel; what stories were told; what the match-day rituals were with his friends or family. Heartbreak again.
One of the two chaps in front of me was weeping at the end, the other in a state of shock. That's what it means.
For an Association that is deep-rooted and democratic and conjures legends in Mayo such as Sean Flanagan and Pádraig Carney from the 1950 and 1951 teams, the fan base has to believe there will be new victories and heroes in the future. It can agree to the devil's bargain of defeat, sometimes very painful defeat. As long as the hope doesn't diminish, it's a bargain they can make.
That's why I think this debate about Dublin's dominance is so raw for Gaels. I don't believe that ordinary GAA people in any way begrudge Dublin's footballers for their success; I am fervent in my view they admire a great team, perhaps the best team to have played the game. It's got to the stage now though where Dublin's hegemony is worrying football fans of all hues across Ireland. What happens when there is a lack of competition and the outcome is expected? People lose interest and it becomes boring. The hope dies. Not winning is okay, but the journey must have hope to be fulfilling.
Last year, watching the drawn game and the replay against Kerry, hope was coursing through my nervous system at Croke Park. History was on the line. I loved the drawn game; the way it made me feel completely on edge throughout; especially after Jonny Cooper was sent off. The emotion at the end was relief.
On the second day, I went with my nephew and I remember jostling with him in excitement as Dublin took points. There was that moment a couple of minutes before the end when Dublin fans on Hill 16 and around the stadium just knew the match was won. Those are the moments you treasure, part of the tapestry of your memories.
I really do subscribe to the theory that there are periods of time, such as the Kerry football era (7 All Ireland titles in 9 years from 1978-1986) and the Kilkenny hurling era (8 All Ireland titles in 10 years from 2006-2015) in which a county is very dominant. The result of that is pressure on full houses, on maximum attendances for the GAA. That's a problem for HQ if Dublin keep winning, especially if becoming a monster is a result of central support for the game in the capital. Yet, this is still an amateur sport and Dublin didn't win any of their five-in-a-row games by more than six points. They will lose.
This week, it's not an issue for Croke Park, because the stadium will be empty on Saturday due to the pandemic. And if fans were allowed, it would be full. It's still competitive, at All Ireland final level anyway. Where will inter-county football be in five years' time? Who knows? Hopefully with a better structure and more equitable battles between teams across divisions.
So I hope Dublin people enjoy watching this brilliant team of integrity which has carried itself so well in recent years. And I hope those Mayo people who were sitting by me three years ago are still watching and bringing the belief. It's that belief which gives us life.
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