Glory days back for Kingdom

Ecstatic Kerry fans flooded on the Croke Park pitch today after their team’s emphatic All Ireland final victory.

Kerry beat Mayo by eight points to put the disappointments of past defeats at Croke Park behind them.

It was the county’s 33rd All Ireland final victory, after a gap of four years.

GAA president Sean Kelly said: “For the Kingdom of Kerry, the glory days are back.”

He presented the Sam Maguire Cup to Kerry captain Dara O’Cinneide, who made the victory speech in his native Irish.

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor said his team had done exceptionally well. “We played as a team. That’s the key. There’s no superstars out there, fellows trying to make All Stars out of themselves.”

But several Kerry players are certain to win All-Star awards for their superlative displays, in particular corner Colin Cooper, who gave a man of the match performance.

The GAA made €4.1m in gate receipts from the 79,000 people who attended the All Ireland final.

But many of the disappointed Mayo fans streamed out of Croke Park before the match had even finished. It was their county’s fourth All Ireland final defeat and extended the gap without an All Ireland victory to 54 years.

Mayo manager John Maughan said the “annihilation” was very disappointing.

“We were beaten by a much superior team. Kerry showed a range of skills that we can only dream of.”

The Kerry players will celebrate at a banquet in Burlington’s hotel before bringing the Sam Maguire Cup back to Kerry tomorrow night.