It has been the week of all weeks in Mayo.
From Ballyhaunis to Belmullet and Ballaghaderreen to Ballina, before making their way to Ballinrobe and Breaffy, the newly crowned All-Ireland champions have been welcomed by extraordinary scenes across a county that is simply floating.
We promise that Mayo does, in fact, have places that do not begin with the letter B.
After waiting 75 years to bring Sam Maguire home, nobody could begrudge the Mayo players or supporters a lengthy celebration. The scenes across the county have demonstrated the scale of what Andy Moran and his team achieved by defeating Kerry at Croke Park.
Mayo recovered from a difficult opening to win the final 1-20 to 1-17, with Ryan O’Donoghue producing a Man of the Match performance and Tommy Conroy landing the insurance score to spark scenes which we will likely never see again.
While the victory ended decades of hurt for Mayo, Kerry great Pat Spillane saw parallels with another famous All-Ireland breakthrough.
Pat Spillane Explains What Andy Moran Shares With Legendary Kerry Manager
Writing in his Irish Independent column, Pat Spillane compared the belief Andy Moran instilled in Mayo with the influence Mick O’Dwyer had on Kerry’s 1975 All-Ireland champions.
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O’Dwyer took charge of a young Kerry team that year and convinced them they could overcome a formidable Dublin side which had won the previous season’s All-Ireland.
Spillane was part of that emerging Kerry team and believes the confidence generated by their manager was the crucial ingredient. More than 50 years later, he sees the same quality in Moran.
The common denominator was belief.
Both teams were guided by managers who radiated positivity and confidence. Micko had it in abundance. Andy Moran seems cut from the same cloth.
Moran took charge of his native county after previous managerial spells with Leitrim and a coaching job with Monaghan.
Having played in six All-Ireland finals with Mayo without lifting Sam, he understood better than most the burden the county’s players had carried into previous deciders.
Rather than allowing the team to become consumed by this, Moran repeatedly attempted to make the campaign about the current group and what they could achieve together.
That approach was reflected during the final.
They never appeared overwhelmed by the situation, with David McBrien, Jack Carney, Darragh Beirne and Ryan O’Donoghue producing telling contributions when Mayo needed them most.
Spillane said the testimony of those who have played under Moran speaks volumes about his ability to inspire a group.
Every player who has worked with Moran speaks about him in glowing terms. They describe a manager who makes players believe anything is possible. That is how we felt about Micko.
We would have run through a brick wall for him because he convinced us the impossible could be achieved. I have no doubt Mayo’s players felt exactly the same.
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