Liam Horan: In Mayo, our mood swings would baffle the cleverest of psychotherapists

In Mayo, we are hopeless romantics. All the best romantics are, of course, hopeless: when you cross the line, you can’t hedge your bets

The strange times we live in hasn’t dampened Mayo’s enthusiasm ahead of another All-Ireland final against Dublin. Picture: Paul Mealey

In 1995, when Clare hurlers won the All-Ireland for the first time in 81 years, I was one of a small group (as small as two, I’m pretty sure) of journalists who joined the team on their Monday flight from Dublin to Shannon, and the riotous celebrations that lay ahead on the streets of Ennis, a town that needs no second bidding when called to party.

Somewhere during that short hop across the country, my colleague and I were struck by the conversations all around us: instead of reliving the glories of the previous day, their talk was primarily of the inevitable torrent of club games that lay in wait for them over the coming weeks — and their enthusiasm was unmistakeable.