‘The only wheelbarrow in Mayo being used today’: Ballyhaunis welcomes Mayo champions

“I’m 23,000 days waiting on this train,” a man in red and green said on platform four at Heuston station. It is a decent estimate, but shy of the total. In fact, 27,335 days passed between Mayo’s All-Ireland victory of 1951 and last Sunday, when the county lifted the Sam Maguire for the fourth time. Like the rest of his carriage, the man was headed for Ballyhaunis, where Main Street was closed on Tuesday to facilitate a hulking, temporary stage for the second stop on the football team’s homecoming tour. Signs extended welcomes to two of its favourite sons – the long-serving Keith Higgins and the man of the hour, Mayo captain Jack Coyne.“It was really emotional,” said David Nestor, one of those lining the streets to greet the team. “It was a relief and just a sense of great satisfaction for everybody. Mayo supporters, they say we’re all mad, and there is a sense of madness to it. We die together, we live together. We go through the good and the bad times together. It was just one of those magic moments in life.” READ MORENestor understands the significance better than most, having played for Mayo through the 1990s and 2000s. His first year on the panel was 1996, when the county lost a replayed final to Meath. As it turned out, Sunday was the first All-Ireland he missed; it clashed with the U-25 World Eventing Championships in Cork, at which his son Tom was competing. “We watched it in the horse lorry, my daughters and myself, afterwards on the side of the road,” he said. “It’s not the way you picture seeing Mayo win after so many years. It was a surreal moment. For me, everything went into slow motion [in the last few minutes].” It was impossible for the younger cohort in Ballyhaunis to appreciate the significance of the day’s events, but armed with airhorns and Mayo-coloured vuvuzelas, they provided the soundtrack for the afternoon. In recent days, Nestor has found himself thinking of those from the town that left their mark on Mayo football down the years. Former Mayo player David Nestor with his daughters Sarah (far left) and Claire (far right), and Cllr Alma Gallagher in Ballyhaunis on Tuesday. Photograph: Cian O'Connell “Lord have mercy on my best friend Jason Morley, who passed away,” he said. “One of the finest footballers here in Ballyhaunis. His brother Tony played for Mayo. We’d have great lads that played for Mayo over the years. Keith [Higgins] obviously, coming from here. The icing on the cake for all of us is Jack [Coyne] going up to collect it. It’s beyond everyone’s wildest dreams.”Alongside Nestor, local councillor Alma Gallagher recalled her trips to Croke Park. “I’ve been up that road so many times, coming down crying with kids,” she said. “You get to the toll bridge with tears in your eyes.“The fact that we have our captain from Ballyhaunis … It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement. We are so proud of Jack and so proud of Keith Higgins, who has invested so much of his life.”[ Darragh Ó Sé: Why were we all so wrong with our Mayo predictions? I think there are a few reasonsOpens in new window ]Further back in the crowd, Shane Conlon and Robert Lilly were presiding over “the only wheelbarrow in Mayo being used today” – a bright yellow container filled with ice and cans. They wisely anticipated difficulties queuing for any of the town’s bars. “We were watching it in our local pub, in Gareth Delaney’s,” said Conlon. “It was just unbelievable. It’s still hard to take it in. We’ve done plenty of partying and celebrating since, but it’s hard to take it in, after all the heartache we’ve had. An amazing experience.“One of our friends’ fathers passed away there at 67. In his generation, he never saw an All-Ireland. There’s the counties that win all the time. Now we get to experience what that feeling is like.”Sisters Eibhlin and Mairéad Murphy watched the game at home with family. In the panic of the final stages, the latter made the mistake of forecasting injury time as the hooter blew, causing a temporary row with her son as she tried to temper his celebrations.Mairéad and Eibhlin Murphy at the All-Ireland winning Mayo football team's homecoming celebrations in Ballyhaunis on Tuesday. Photograph: Cian O'Connell “My mother was only a year old the last time [Mayo won],” Eibhlin said. “She wouldn’t be very emotional, but she was absolutely bawling crying. I think we all were. It’s just unbelievable.” “Even our dad actually shed a tear. I was kind of shocked,” Mairéad said, before gesturing to the packed streets around her. “You know what’s brilliant as well? Every nationality that lives in Ballyhaunis is out today. That’s part of our town. Inclusivity and everybody connected together. If you look around, you’ll see faces from every country, and it’s brilliant.”Drizzling rain did nothing to dampen the atmosphere as the Mayo panel made its way to the stage shortly after 6pm. The microphone was immediately passed to Coyne, who was serenaded by his people. It should come as no surprise to anyone that witnessed his speech on Sunday that the Mayo captain was hoarse, but not enough to prevent him from belting out a rendition of Joxer Goes to Stuttgart. A banner proclaiming Mayo as All-Ireland Champions 2026 flies over the homecoming celebrations in Ballyhaunis. Photograph: Cian O'Connell “I want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Coyne told the crowd. “Thank you Ballyhaunis. Thank you everyone for turning up for us today.”Many of those present quoted the line that Coyne’s Croke Park speech will long be remembered for: “Stick your chest out and be proud to be from Mayo.” Connor Freeley, a local teacher that plays football and has taught with him in Ballyhaunis Community School, said that’s “just Jack”. “What you see is what you get,” Freeley said. “The speech was unbelievable. He encapsulated everything.”Above the chaos on Main Street, a sign looms auspiciously, stretched and tied to gutters on opposite sides of the road. It hangs against the sky like a message from the heavens: “Mayo All-Ireland Champions 2026.” Bearing witness to a fresh trophy lift for every footballer onstage, nobody needs reminding.