Painful as the narrow defeat was, in the end, it did little evidently to dent the pride of an entire county. And the players and management thanked their fans in turn at Monday’s homecoming for what they said was the “unprecedented support” they received.
The homecoming was organised by Galway City Council and took place this evening, Monday July 29, at Pearse Stadium in Salthill, just after another event in Tuam.
Despite the loss against Armagh, a big crowd showed up to welcome the lads home and to show their support.
First to the stage was Galway City Mayor Peter Keane, who praised the team for the “remarkable journey” as he described the year as “a season to remember”.
He said: “As we gather here in Pearse Stadium I don’t just see a crowd, but a community, united in pride and gratitude for the incredible journey our team has brought us on.”
Cllr Keane added: “Though the result against Armagh was not what we had hoped for, the dedication and passion you lads displayed on the field had made us immensely proud.”
Galway manager Pádraic Joyce said he was heartbroken after yesterday’s loss, but thanked the crowd for their unwavering support.
He said: “There is nobody as heartbroken as I am. Words can’t describe how much these people mean to me. We’ve been on such a journey for five years, took us a long time to get here, and now we’ve lost two finals in three years which is heartbreaking, I get that.
“I really wanna thank everyone that showed up tonight that made the effort. It’s easy to come out when you’re winning, but when you lose it’s so hard to show up. From the bottom of my heart, I wanna thank everyone that showed up tonight, that made the effort, kids, families, parents, I really appreciate it. It means the world to me, and it means the world to the lads, so thanks a million.”
Chairperson of Galway GAA Paul Bellew also took the microphone to thank the people of Galway for their support throughout the year: “A massive, massive thank you to the support of Galway, what we saw in Tuam earlier on and what we’re seeing now here today, but mainly what we saw over the last two weeks and month, it’s been pretty unprecedented. I have never seen so much maroon in the county, so much maroon in Croke Park.
“Having the support, having a county behind you is huge. And this is the start.”
Captain Seán Kelly said: “On behalf of the team I just want to thank everyone coming out today and cheering us on all year. Obviously there’s a lot of disappointment and we’ll be feeling us for a while.
“Hopefully we can go again and keep the support. So thank you.”
