He 1-7 kicked in Sunday’s Connacht football final and yet Cillian O’Connor was but a footnote in Mayo’s annexation of a fifth consecutive provincial crown.

Over 200km and a chasm in competitiveness separated Mayo’s defeat of Mayo and Donegal’s destruction of Armagh last Sunday afternoon but in the performances of Aidan O’Shea and Michael Murphy, there was at least one common thread.

Mayo’s chances of Connacht Championship success this summer received a big boost yesterday when All Star forward Cillian O’Connor made his first competitive appearance for 11 weeks.