Biden, Carney and Oasis: How the world is celebrating Mayo's All-Ireland win

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Mayo’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship victory has prompted celebrations well beyond the west of Ireland, after the county ended a 75-year wait for its fourth Sam Maguire Cup. Mayo beat defending champions Kerry in Sunday’s Gaelic Athletic Association final at Croke Park in Dublin, with BBC saying Tommy Conroy’s late score secured the win before a sold-out crowd of 82,300.

The result carries unusual emotional weight in Irish sport because Mayo had not won the title since 1951 despite reaching 11 finals in the decades that followed. BBC noted the long-running local story of a “curse” linked to the 1951 team’s celebrations allegedly interrupting a funeral in Foxford. The last surviving member of that panel, Dr Mick Loftus, died in April 2023.

The BBC article focused on the global reaction from public figures with Mayo links. Former US president Joe Biden, who visited Ballina in 2023 and has often highlighted his Irish ancestry, posted congratulations and repeated the slogan “Mayo for Sam.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also referred to his County Mayo roots. Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, whose mother’s family is from Mayo, celebrated online, while Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Lowry and former Republic of Ireland footballer Kevin Kilbane also reacted.

BBC also highlighted the team’s family connections, including half-brothers Jordan Flynn and 18-year-old Kobe McDonald lifting the cup. McDonald, son of former Mayo player Ciarán McDonald, called the moment “surreal” in comments to the GAA Social, reflecting the scale of relief for a county with a large diaspora and a long history of near misses.