From Brendan Crossan at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
‘And I never wanted anything from you / Except everything you had / And what was left after that too’ – Dog Days Are Over, by Florence and the Machine
BENEATH a beautiful evening sun in the Cathedral City, an estimated crowd of 18,000 Armagh supporters patiently awaited the arrival of their heroes to emerge from a makeshift arch of orange and white balloons at the mouth of the tunnel in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
In one corner of the pitch, hordes of photographers, television crews and journalists jockeyed for the best spot to capture the moment.
At exactly 5.37pm, stewards began to shuffle and move at a quicker pace. The new All-Ireland champions were in the house.
Once Kieran McGeeney and Aidan Forker – Armagh’s All-Ireland winning manager and captain – appeared from the tunnel carrying the Sam Maguire and began walking along the stand side of the ground, the sea of orange erupted.
It was pure bedlam as the players and backroom team followed their two leaders towards the stage at the Niall’s Crescent end of the ground – all of them dressed in smart beige polo-shirts and skinny grey cargo trousers, wide smiles painted on each of their faces.
Bringing up the rear were Press officers Claire Shields and Finbar Burns – as affable a pair the media could find.
As McGeeney and Forker turned left to make their way towards the stage, Geezer released his grip on the silverware, a mannerly gesture to allow his captain to climb the five or six steps onto the stage by himself.
For Geezer, it has always been about the players. In addressing the heaving orange masses in front of him the players were the most important people in this equation.
“They’re the ones that have to go for the blocks, they’re the ones that have to make the blocks...thanks Joey!” - a nod to Joe McElroy’s last-gasp block on Paul Conroy that prevented Galway grabbing an equaliser at the end of Sunday’s nerve-shredding All-Ireland final.
Geezer added: “They were knocked down time and time again.”
The Mullaghbawn man’s speech only lasted over two minutes – but he was building up to a goose-bumped climax.
“They were told they couldn’t beat teams above them - they beat teams above them!
“They were told they’d never get out of the ‘Group of Death’ [Galway, Westmeath and Derry] - they topped the ‘Group of Death’!
“They were told they couldn’t win tight games...they won tight games!
“Everybody said they wouldn’t win the All-Ireland and they won the All-Ireland!”
Whether the manager’s lines were rehearsed or off-the-cuff didn’t matter - they surged through the crowd like electricity.
The Armagh players behind Geezer went just as crazy.
This was the mother of all homecoming receptions for the 2024 All-Ireland champions.
It was an evening fit for rock stars - but without the requisite singing and dancing skills, no matter how hard Rian O’Neill tried.
At least Aidan Forker acknowledged his vocal limitations when he began a happy rendition of Boys from the County Armagh.
The 18,000 crowd – and probably the few thousand lining the streets outside the ground – belted out a few lines of the age-old ballad.
But when ‘Dog Days Are Over’ by Florence and The Machine blasted out from the huge speakers, the Armagh players went ballistic.
They danced and jumped on stage like they didn’t care, living the moment to its fullest.
As the players took it in turns to lift Sam, Geezer retreated to the back of the stage, either for a moment’s respite or to simply survey the exuberance in front of him.
He then stepped off the stage to take a few photos of the players on his mobile phone.
Wearing shades and soaking it all up, ‘Soupy’ Campbell was the coolest dude on the stage.
Aidan Nugent, Ross McQuillan, Blaine Hughes, Rory Grugan and Joe McElroy hugged and danced and sang their hearts out - while Oisin O’Neill and Aaron McKay perhaps swayed a little more than the others.
This All-Ireland party in the Orchard County has only begun - and you get the feeling it won’t conclude for a while to come.
