‘When you support a team your whole life, you kind of wrap your life around it’: Dublin celebrates All-Ireland win

Even the sky turned from grey to blue for the Dublin team as they celebrated their first All-Ireland win since completing six in a row in 2020.

Large crowds gathered as the capital celebrated a win “even better than six in a row” in Smithfield Square in Dublin 7. One man on the Luas said he could hear them as far away as O’Connell Street.

Music was followed by Marty Morrissey singing praises of the team, before the Lord Mayor of Dublin took to the stage and sang a rendition of The Rare Auld Times, first recorded by the Dublin City Ramblers.

Travelling on a lively Dublin Bus, the team arrived to celebrate what Daithi de Róiste described as two wins, since the team couldn’t celebrate with the county and city in 2020 because of the pandemic.

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He hailed the team as fantastic ambassadors for the city and county.

Happy Birthday was sung to half-forward Brian Howard, who turned 26 on Saturday – and has five All-Ireland medals to his name. Lee Gannon and Seán Bugler then took the microphone to sing Come on you Boys in Blue.

Ciarán Priestly attended the All-Ireland Final on Sunday with his five-year-old son Liam. He said that since then his son has talked about the different plays made by his favourite player, Brian Fenton, throughout those all-important 70 minutes.

“I think he likes him because he’s so tall, he can catch the ball from up high, but he picked a good player,” the father of two said.

“It’s very exciting having followed the team for so long because I’m with my two children who are four and five and I suppose when you support a team your whole life, you kind of wrap your life around it,” Mr Priestly added.

“These kids weren’t here when it started so its lovely for us. I’ve nieces and nephews who were born in these years as well so, for our family, this team will always be attached to those years. We’re very grateful to the team for giving us that.”

Harry Mannering attended his first All-Ireland final in 1955, when Kerry beat Dublin by three points, and said that the win on Sunday was “very important, we might not see it again for a long time”.

Feeling elated, Mr Mannering said that the 2023 win was better than when the team won six in a row “because we weren’t expected to win it”, as most people had backed Kerry.

“I knew in my heart and soul that they wanted to win this because there was so much involved in it.”

Earlier in the day, the champions made the traditional visits to Temple Street Children’s Hospital and Crumlin Children’s Hospital to share their success and the Sam Maguire with young patients, their families and staff.

Meanwhile in Kerry, a “horrendous” evening of wind and pouring rain matched the mood in Killarney where people turned out in numbers to welcome their disappointed heroes home.

In a low but determined voice captain David Clifford thanked the supporters for turning out for the team all year.

“Ye followed us through thick and thin. Ye’re out here again tonight in the wind and the rain”, he said.

The sun came out just as he finished to loud cheers.

Manager Jack O’Connor referred to the literary motif of the pathetic fallacy, explaining that the sombre mood in Kerry was matched by the weather in Killarney.

Chairman of the county board Patrick O’Sullivan said it was “a hard place” to be on Monday night. “The players are suffering,” O’Sullivan said.

Mayor of Killarney Brendan Cronin said it had been vitally important to show the players such support on what was a “horrendous” and “horrible” evening weather wise.

“It’s up and on for 2024,” the mayor said.