Nenagh man sees beloved Mayo finally elusive win All-Ireland

Letter to the Sports Editor

Dear Sir,

My dad, Tom Healy, Belmont, Nenagh, turned 82 years of age last month, July.

He has been an ardent, lifelong Mayo Football supporter.

Tom was born near Crossboyne, outside Claremorris, Co. Mayo, in July 1944.

From a young age he developed a love of football and was involved in his local club, Garrymore. His younger brother, Brian, captained Garrymore to 3 Mayo Senior County titles in the late 70's, reaching an All-Ireland Club Final in 1982, in which they were defeated by Nemo Rangers, in Ennis.

My dad joined the Gardaí in the late sixties and was first stationed in Limerick City and a few years later, in Nenagh, as a Garda Sergeant, until his retirement in 2001. He worked until 2009, with the Probation Service in Nenagh, until he fully retired that year.

He met his wife, Anne (nee Treacy from Nenagh) and they married in 1971. They built a house in Belmont, around 1975 and have resided there since.

Dad was 7-years old when Mayo last won the Sam Maguire, back in 1951. He remembers listening to the final on a wireless radio at home in the kitchen in Crossboyne, with his mam and brothers. His dad, Bernie, attended that final in 1951 in Croke Park.

Dad and I both attended Mayo's next final appearance against Cork in 1989. Alas, it was a gallant defeat but gave Mayo supporters hope for the future. Little did dad know that he would be facing into a 37-year football purgatory, with 11 All Ireland defeats and 2 draw for good measure. Dad attended 10 of those 11 final defeats and only missed the Covid final in December 2020, due to it being played behind closed doors.

He lamented the painful journeys back down the M7 to Nenagh after all those final defeats, three of them agonising one point defeats.

In recent years, dad's health has been failing, and he has a heart pacemaker, and suffers with COPD following lung cancer.

Having just turned 82 last month, he was determined to attend the final in Croke Park against Kerry.

I got him a ticket in the Cusack Stand Premium Level beside me, so that he could use the escalator as he has difficulty climbing stairs. I also applied for and received a Disabled/Elderly Parking Pass from Croke Park. I was able to park my car in the parking are behind the Cusack Stand. He then only had to walk approximately 100 yards from the car, through the turnstile, and then up the escalator to the Premium Level. Only for receiving the Parking Permit, he would not have been able to physically attend the final.

As you can imagine, it was a hugely emotional day for both of us. He has spoken for the last 40 years of it being his lifelong ambition to see Mayo win an All-Ireland. He used often use the Mayo expression 'To Win Just Once', and if he didn't think about it 10,000 times, he ran over it 20,000 times in his head, what it would be like at the final whistle...and Mayo finally crowned All Ireland champions. Well, thank God, his lifelong dream came through.

I looked at him when the hooter went and he was in a daze. Shortly afterwards he became emotional and cried. He spoke of 75 years of pain, hurt and longing. He spoke emotionally about his own dad being at the 51' final. Of wondering if he would go to his grave without ever seeing Mayo win the final, of relatives that have passed and didn't get to see this day. He mentioned Mayo people who he worked with and was friendly with in Nenagh over years gone by, who sadly never got to see this day. To mention some - Seamus Malone, former County Engineer, and Jimmy Moran, former UDC Councillor, to name but a few.

He felt hugely privileged to be in Croke Park for the Mayo victory, a day he never thought that he would see and experience.

Moreover, two players from his club, Garrymore in South Mayo, Enda Hession and Eoin McGreal lined out in the full back and half back line, to which he was immensely proud of, for a small rural club.

There is a contentment with my dad now, as the summit has now been finally reached, after 75 long years, and he was present to experience it, at 82 years of age.

Yours sincerely,

David Healy

Cooleen, Birdhill