In first-half injury time, with Mayo having pushed their advantage over a spluttering Donegal from two points down to six up, Fionn McDonagh hit Donegal’s Jamie Brennan with a ferocious, fair shoulder to win possession right in front of a heaving Gerry McDonald stand.

Imagine trying to convince somebody that, after 68 years of trial and epic failure, the prize they crave so badly will never be theirs, always beyond them.

“Relieved, but not surprised,” was Keith Ricken’s summation of his team’s astonishing first-half comeback.

Andy Moran kicked two injury-time points to ensure his Mayo side sealed a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals as they withheld any notions of Donegal comeback.

Talk of Dublin’s drive of five, or Kerry somehow bringing a halt to it will grow inescapably deafening in the next few days.

Victorious Tipperary manager Liam Cahill hailed his team, especially their lighting start that included four goals inside the first 10 minutes.

Clonakilty are through to the last eight in the Cork SFC thanks to 1-point victory over West Cork rivals O’Donovan Rossa in Castlehaven this afternoon.

“So what do you make of VAR?” the guy behind the counter in my local garage asked the customer in front of me in the queue.

St Catherine’s survived a strong finish from Castlemartyr in the third round of the Cork IHC at Lisgoold this evening.

From watching Arsenal in Clonmel on Saturday morning through the third lap of homecoming celebrations on Wednesday night in Liam Sheedy’s Portroe, Seamus Kennedy’s All-Ireland diary takes us inside an exhilarating and emotional week in Tipperary.

This is not a column about VAR. I promise. Well, not really. It’s about hurling, and how it appears to be intent on destroying itself. By bringing in VAR. Wait, wait, don’t run away!

It seems an unnecessary message to have to impart to an inter-county team, but Tipperary U20 hurling manager Liam Cahill is blue in the face telling his players to fight and graft all the way to the last whistle.

Dublin’s double goal-scoring hero in the 2018 TG4 All-Ireland senior final, Carla Rowe, is hoping to repeat her ‘dream come true’ performance when the champions face Cork in Croke Park on Sunday.

The few weeks leading up to an All-Ireland football final tends to provide the ideal conditions for conspiracy theorists to flourish.

Moments after Kilkenny had accounted for a gallant but tiring Tipperary with a last-quarter score rush, Ann Downey was enjoying the luxury of looking forward to watching the second Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final between Cork and Galway.

One county is ecstatic this morning and one despairing, as is always the case after an All-Ireland final.

A look back at the magical moments from this year.

Moments after Kilkenny had accounted for a gallant but tiring Tipperary with a late rush of scores, Ann Downey was enjoying the luxury of looking forward to watching the second Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship semi-final between Cork and Galway.

The Claret Jug has been renamed the Clara Jug in Shane Lowry's native Offaly.

Shortly after the final whistle, the two teams mingled, swapped jerseys, and smiled in the middle of the field. Level 15 times and never more than two points difference between them, it was all they could do.