Cheering on Armagh from a faraway Brooklyn bar

I was anxious before Sunday’s All Ireland Gaelic Football final, as were all the Armagh supporters.  How many times had our hopes been dashed? How much pain had we endured? We had come so far this season, but was this to be just the latest chapter in Armagh’s heartbreak? I had heard from friends that the whole county was going mad hoping that this would be our year and that a ticket to Croke Park just couldn’t be had.

As I walked over to the Clonnard bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, words in Gaelic ran through my mind, tiocfaidh ar la, or our day will come in English. But would this Gaelic football final prove to be our day or just more misery?

 For Armagh supporters, disappointment is a familiar old friend. How many times had Tyrone dashed the Orchard County’s dreams? How many matches have we gone down in flames in penalty shootouts?  The Orchard men have lost four penalty shootouts in the last three years, including this year’s painful loss to Donegal in the Ulster final. I walked along deep in thought when suddenly I was shaken out of my contemplation by a young man jogging by me, who spotted my orange kit and bellowed out,” Up Armagh!“

I entered the Clonnard and saw a sea of maroon kits and no orange ones, so it seemed I wouldn’t even have the consolation of watching with other Armagh supporters. Walking toward the bar, I got a hearty greeting from one of my favorite bartenders, The Old Town Bar’s Conor MacNamara proudly wearing his Galway kit. Smiling, Conor kindly invited me to join him and his family. Conor graciously bought me a pint and I remembered that our mutual love of Ireland and its sport transcended our differences.

The match began with Galway grabbing possession and patiently looking for an opening in the Armagh defense. It was clear from the start that Galway were a disciplined side who could score from long range. Galway seemed the better of the two sides and Armagh always seemed to be playing catch up.

  Galway scored three of the game’s first four points inside six minutes and it looked bad for Armagh, but then the Tribesmen endured a 13-minute drought without a point. Galway seemed nervous and saw a few potential points miss the mark.  I tried to imagine the emotion and the pressure the lads on the pitch must have been feeling playing not just in front of 82,000 fans in Croke Park, but also in front of millions of people at home and around the world. It was a huge amount of pressure. Two orange-clad supporters finally arrived so I finally had someone to cheer with.

The writer, left, was happy to find two more Armagh fans.

Armagh had to feel good when the first half ended with the two teams level. Armagh had never led in the match, but that was destined to change in the 46thminute with the introduction of super sub, Stefan “Soupy “Campbell, who made an incisive run deep into the heart of the Galway defence. With Galway players swarming around him, he deftly passed the ball to the arriving full-back Aaron McKay, who palmed into the roof of the net from just in front of the goal. Momentum had just swung dramatically, and I jumped up for joy. Suddenly, the doubts that had plagued me vanished and I began to believe that Armagh could win.

Galway responded with two fast points, narrowing the gap to one. My palms were sweating, and it seemed I could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Armagh, though, were not going to let their lead slip away. Armagh attacked the right flank, and Oisín Conaty picked out the advanced Niall Grimley with a rare long ball. Grimley surviving a harsh challenge from the arriving Sean Fitzgerald, was awarded the advantage, and curled over a rallying score, the ball ricocheting off the far post and over. Oisín O’Neill then scored an elegant point in 66 minutes, bringing Armagh three points clear.

Armagh burrowed deeper and deeper in their defensive shell as they sought to hang on for a win, but Galway took advantage of Armagh’s caution and scored two quick points. The game hung in the balance, and we learned that there would be six minutes of added time. My friend from Galway Conor had predicted that the match would go into an extra period and his prediction seemed to be prescient. Four minutes into stoppage time Dylan Mchugh found enough space to launch an effort to tie the match, but his swerved shot seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before clipping the near post and bouncing away wide. Armagh regained possession as the clock ticked down in what seemed to be an eternity and finally, the match ended. I had just witnessed history, a game that will live in Armagh lore for years.  I was ecstatic and the Clonnard in honor of our victory started to play our county song, “There’s one fair county in Ireland, with memories so glorious and grand.” I sang along, but I could hardly believe that we had won! Conor graciously congratulated me telling me that the better side had won! Twenty-two long years of frustration and heartbreak seemed to melt away and I reveled in the moment. Two gentlemen from Galway bought me shots of whiskey as I waited to see Captain Aidan Forker lift the Sam Maguire.

I realized that I had to cherish this moment as I might not see Armagh win the Sam Maguire again in my lifetime, but that did not really matter now.  Our day had finally come!