Corduff Piece

 

‘I couldn’t sleep this morning’ – Sam Maguire brings a little piece of Mayo to Corduff

“I couldn’t sleep this morning.”

Those were the words of Fr John Regan, the Corduff priest originally from Kilmeena, as he waited for the moment he would finally get his hands on Sam Maguire.

And judging by the crowds that gathered at St Patrick’s Church, he certainly wasn’t the only one awake early with thoughts of Mayo’s historic All-Ireland success.

More than a thousand people packed into the church for an early morning Mass, as Sam Maguire arrived in this little Mayo corner of Dublin.

It was a remarkable sight — green and red everywhere, familiar Mayo faces among the congregation and a palpable sense of excitement as the county’s long-awaited prize took centre stage.

Bringing Sam to Corduff were two men with strong links to the local community — teacher Jack Carney, who remains teaching in the local school  and Enda Hession, the former teacher who spent a year working there before returning to his native Mayo.

For Fr Regan, the connection between Corduff and Mayo runs particularly deep.

“We have seven Mayo teachers working in the school,” he explained after Mass, Left to right John Ryan,Kilmeena, Tara Needham Louisbough, Maria Mulderrig Kilmane Fr John, Lauren Fitzgibbon Charlestown,Laura O’Donnell Belmullet,Aoife O’Hanlon Breaffy.

It is a remarkable Mayo presence in a school so far from the county, and it helps explain why the celebrations have been so warmly embraced by the local community.

Hession may now be back teaching in Mayo, but his year in Corduff clearly left a lasting impression.

“It’s great,” he said as he looked around the packed church.

“I walked into the church and it was full of green and red again. Everyone’s in good humour. Everyone’s really excited to see Sam Maguire. So, yeah, it’s been brilliant.”

There remains a strong Mayo clientele in the school, he explained, making his return with Sam all the more special.

“There’s a lot of Mayo people in the school. There’s a strong Mayo clientele up here.”

He was delighted to meet the staff and pupils again.

“It’s great to come back to the school, meet the staff again, meet all the children and stuff like that. It was class, so yeah, it’s been brilliant.”

Hession and Carney have  been part of an extraordinary few weeks since Mayo’s All-Ireland triumph, travelling with Sam Maguire and witnessing first-hand what the victory means to people across the county and beyond.

“There’s been so many, to be honest. Every day has been amazing. We’ve gone to so many different places that’s been special.”

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Also sharing in the Corduff celebrations was Fr Joe Coyne of Ballina, who now serves in the neighbouring parish.

A self-confessed long-suffering Mayo supporter, Fr Joe knows only too well the heartbreak that preceded this success.

“I’m one of the long-suffering fans,” he said. “I’ve seen so many finals, tears coming out of my eyes, long journeys everywhere.”

This time, though, the unbelievable finally happened.

And while he was not well enough to attend the All-Ireland final, he said the celebrations that followed brought enormous joy.

“I just thought it was as if the whole world was in love with Mayo. I suppose suffering led to that. We've suffered so much.”

As Sam Maguire was brought into the church, Fr Joe captured the emotion of the moment perfectly.

“The heart was up,” he said.

“It was like Croagh Patrick rising up in front of you. It was all marvellous.”

In Corduff that morning, the cup represented more than a football trophy.

It was a symbol of years of waiting, shared heartbreak and, finally, shared joy — bringing together Mayo people, Dublin neighbours and a community with a remarkable connection to the county.

As Fr Joe simply put it: “Joy, oh joy.”