‘Highly charged emotion’ for Rathowen Mayo man

A Westmeath based hotelier who has been feeding the people of Mayo on their way to and from Dublin for more than a quarter century is emotional, exhausted and delighted this week.

John Feerick of Rathowen was resigned to never seeing his native county winning the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: “I thought our opportunity had passed a few years ago,” said John on Monday.

Like so many from Mayo, John has been to all 11 of those All-Irelands from which Mayo went home from without the Sam Maguire Cup, and the Ballinrobe man was also in Croke Park on Sunday to see them lift it for the first time since 1951.

“I went to my first championship match in 1964, in Tuam, when Galway beat them by a point,” he recalled.

“We thought we weren’t going to win an All-Ireland any time soon, but then we came to be.”

John and his son Paul made it back from Croke Park to their hotel in Rathowen on Sunday evening in time to celebrate with the hundreds of customers calling in on their way back to the west after the match.

"It was highly charged emotion," said John of the day in Croke Park and long into the early hours of Monday. "People were in tears, we could hardly believe it, really. It was mad here last night."

As well as John and Paul Feerick, it seems that the entire country are donning the red and green of Mayo this week.

Paul said: "We had people knocking on the door on Sunday at quarter past seven. We were ready and we opened the doors to let them in but they were coming from quarter past seven yesterday morning until half 11 or twelve o'clock that night."

Paul said that event at the start of the day, supporters already felt like they'd had a win just by getting to the final. "They had optimism and wishing their own lads well, and that's what's best about the GAA.

"We've had plenty of homecomings here that were not as jovial, but they were still proud of their lads, proud of the players."

Paul and John witnessed the historic victory in Croke Park. "We were able to soak up the atmosphere and get back down the road so we were there to make sure everyone was fed and watered."

He recalls the first time he met members of the Mayo team in his youth. "I've had a unique perspective on it - from what I can remember, the Mayo team came in here in 2004 on their way up to Croke Park. They go up the day before now, and it more professional - but I remember kicking a football with Ciarán McDonald. He took the time to kick a football with me when I was only a chap and I still that remember today, and ther's so many people who have stories like that."

Paul also saluted the success of the Westmeath team as Leinster champions. "It's the likes of Ronan Wallace, John Heslin and even the quieter players, they take the time to get down to their pitch and make memories that last for another 20 years."

It's 27 years since Feerick's Hotel, Rathowen opened and it has been a vital stop-off point for locals and those passing through to the west and north west for all that time.

"That connection is there," said Paul. "We celebrated 25 years in business about a year and a half ago. When we sat down to organise it and wondered what we would do, we said we need to try and organise something for the hospice.

"When you have someone who''s coming in for breakfast and they're bringing up their father, their first cousin, a neighbour, up to treatment at hospital in Dublin, you hear their stories and it means a lot to have them here as customers.

"That is what the job is, and it's days like this too where it's fantastic."

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