‘The dream is realised’ for Mayo as fans gear up for historic homecoming

By Claudia Savage, David Young and Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

“The dream is realised” for Mayo fans as they prepare for a homecoming 75 years in the making, celebrating the county’s history-making Gaelic footballers.

Rain in Castlebar did not stop hundreds of fans donning red and green apparel of every variety from entering the MacHale Park stadium hours before the team was expected to arrive with the Sam Maguire cup.

The team’s dramatic triumph against Kerry in the men’s senior football final at Dublin’s Croke Park on Sunday finally ended one of sport’s most famous and long-running curses, sparking scenes of mass jubilation in Mayo.

Denise McMahon, from Ballina, one of the eager first cohort of fans, said they have been “waiting on Sam 75 years”.

“The panic is over now,” she said.

“We’ve done it, and we’re here, and we cannot wait for the bus to pull up and see the lads bring the Sam McGuire rightly back to Castlebar and Mayo.”

Repeated all-Ireland final losses down the years have seen the hopeful rallying cry of “Mayo for Sam” become part of the popular lexicon across Ireland – it was even chanted by former US president Joe Biden during a visit to his ancestral home county in 2023.

The myth of the curse ensured Sunday’s victory transcended Gaelic games and sent reverberations well beyond the island of Ireland.

Before Sunday’s remarkable scenes inside Croke Park, Mayo had not won the all-Ireland title in 75 years despite reaching the final 11 times since 1989.

The losses were put down to a myth that the 1951 winning team had not shown respect to a funeral they passed on their homecoming route.

It is said a relative of the dead person placed a curse on Mayo that the county would not win the Sam Maguire until every member of the 1951 team had died.

It was reported that the last surviving member of the 1951 team died in 2021.

Mary and Tommy, who watched Sunday’s match in Croke Park, said it was “lovely” to see Mayo captain Jack Coyne lift the cup in Dublin.

“We’ve came to see the dream realised for Mayo after a 75-year curse,” Mary said.

“It’s supposed to be a curse, but I don’t believe it, of course.”

Tommy said the defeated Kerry fans “stood by us, beside us until the cup was presented”.

Des Walsh, who also attended the match, said he “took it all it in” as much as he could.

“I was prepared for it a little bit because I was thinking how I would react, but there is no answer at all because you don’t know until on the day,” he said.

“So it was just phenomenal to be there and to witness it.

“I’ve been at 11 all-Ireland finals, and this is of course the best of them. I’ve seen two draws, and my family was lucky enough, my wife and two kids were there as well, and we couldn’t miss this homecoming for the world.”

Walsh also brought a printout of his “Mayo tractor” emblazoned with the county’s red and green colours.

Asked if Mayo would be able to repeat their feat now the “curse” was overcome, he said: “We have that behind us, and we can, we’re hungry for more. Of course, we can.

“The wheels keep on turning like this tractor here.”

Friends Sophie, Caitlin, Lauren and Kayla, who were some of the first lined up in the stadium to get a front row view of the stage on the pitch, said their favourite player was Kobe McDonald, the standout forward who scored three points in his first All-Ireland appearance.

Asked how she found the match, lifelong Mayo fan Clare Chambers said “It was fantastic. Best day of my life.

“I was nervous as hell, but thankfully when the hooter went, it was fantastic.”

She added: “Just absolutely incredible, and even more so for my dad. You know, I hoped he’d see it and he did.”

Team members brought the Sam Maguire on a visit to children in Dublin’s Temple Street Hospital on Monday morning ahead of taking the train across to Mayo in the afternoon.

The homecoming at McHale Park in Castlebar is due to begin at 6pm.