Biden, Carney and Oasis: How the world is celebrating Mayo’s All-Ireland win
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What do a former US president, the Canadian prime minister and two of the world’s biggest rock stars have in common?
They’re all celebrating after their Irish county Mayo overcame a 75-year-old ‘curse’ and finally broke its barren run in one of Ireland’s biggest sporting occasions
Victory in the Gaelic Athletic Association’s (GAA) All-Ireland Senior Football final had eluded Mayo for over seven decades until Sunday, when they overcame reigning champions Kerry
The celebrations have gone far beyond the county in the west of Ireland, which is home to just 137,000 people but boasts some very famous exports
Mayo for Sam
Reuters
The chant “Mayo for Sam” is well known in GAA circles, but three years ago it garnered its most famous endorsement yet – the president of the United States
It was shouted by Joe Biden as he visited his ancestral home in Ballina
The Sam to which he was referring is the Sam Maguire Cup – the prize for winning the All-Ireland Football final
Biden, who left office in January 2025 when Donald Trump became president, has never been shy about his Irish roots
What does it mean to end 75 years of heartbreak?
Cursed? The story of the 72-year-old hex that haunts Mayo
With two great-grandparents coming from Ireland, he is one of the most Irish presidents in history
And on Sunday, Biden took to social media to celebrate Mayo’s victory
He congratulated the team on their win, proclaimed that the people of Mayo had earned the victory and reminded them to “enjoy every minute”
And, of course, he repeated the all-important words: “Mayo for Sam!”
When was the last time Mayo won the All-Ireland final?
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For some, Mayo’s failure to win an All-Ireland football title for decades was proof of a curse dating all the way back to the early 1950s
It was in Ballina where, almost 100 years after Biden’s ancestors had fled the devastating Irish potato famine, a supposed curse was placed on the Mayo Gaelic football team
The story – or myth – goes, that following their last win in 1951 the Mayo team’s boisterous celebrations on an open-back lorry interrupted a funeral in the village of Foxford
The presiding priest is said to have laid a curse that Mayo would not win an All-Ireland title while any member of that team was alive
And despite reaching the final eleven times in the years to follow, they failed to win it
In April 2023, the last member of the Mayo 1951 panel, Dr Mick Loftus, passed away
Has the Mayo curse been lifted?
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On a Sunday afternoon in July 2026, Biden’s words finally came true
The long wait for the county’s fourth All-Ireland title was over and the Sam Maguire trophy would be heading for Mayo
It was an intense final that went down to the wire at a raucous Croke Park in Dublin
Mayo suffered a slow start, but they bounced back and a late score from Tommy Conroy sealed a famous win in front of a sold-out 82,300 crowd
The celebrations were loud, emotional and global
Champagne Supernova for Mayo
Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher are not exactly known for agreeing on much, but they both took to social media platform X on Sunday evening to celebrate Mayo’s win
Their mother Peggy’s family hails from Mayo and the Gallagher brothers spent many summers staying with their Irish relatives
“Finally!! Up Mayo!!,” Noel posted, while Liam shared his congratulations, adding he was “very proud”
Irish rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll and the golfer Shane Lowry also posted on social media celebrating the win
O’Driscoll said: “What a ballsy win for Mayo after that Kerry start – considering their final history. The whole country outside of The Kingdom shouting for them! Won’t be a cow milked etc etc… Enjoy the celebrations.”
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney posted he is “proud to have roots in County Mayo”
Former footballer Kevin Kilbane, who won 110 caps for the Republic of Ireland, also paid tribute to the team saying: “This was way more more than just a win to the people of Mayo!”
Although he was born and grew up in England, Kilbane posted on X about the “deep love for Mayo GAA” which had been “passed down through generations”
He said many had lived their whole lives without ever seeing an All-Ireland win for their county, including his own father Patrick who was born just days after the 1951 victory
Kilbane added: “To a county decimated with emigration for centuries but always having a love for home. This one is for its people.”
Kobe McDonald and Jordan Flynn
Sportsfile via Getty Images
The Gallagher brothers were not the only siblings celebrating on Sunday
On the pitch were Kobe McDonald and Jordan Flynn
At only 18 years old, McDonald made his senior football debut for Mayo in February this year
He was following in the footsteps of not only his half-brother Flynn, but also his dad Ciarán McDonald, who represented the county in three All-Ireland finals
“It’s surreal, we don’t know how to feel,” McDonald said on the GAA Social
“To look around and see the people, they have given us so much over the years and to give them something proper to shout about is special.”
When asked if he knew what lay ahead in the celebrations, he added: “I don’t, but I can’t wait to find out
“We’ll soak it in and enjoy it.”
PA Media
In May 2026, Arsenal won the Premier League title. It had been 22 years
In June 2026, the New York Knicks won the NBA championship. It had been 53 years
For Mayo fans, the wait had been even longer. And the celebrations are only just beginning
Mayo beat Kerry in thriller to end 75-year All-Ireland wait
Republic of Ireland
