ALL IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL
Ulster says no to three in a row for Kerry Tyrone 1-15 - Kerry 0-14

MEMBERS of the Irish Sporting and Social of Vancouver at the live satellite telecast of the All Ireland Football Final.John, Cathal Courtney, Gavan Connelly, Mickey Ned O'Sullivan, John O'Flynn, Jerry McCarthy, Lerotta Quinlan, Marcus Treacy, Billy Quinlan.

FRANK McGINLEY surrounded by Tyrone supporters at the All Ireland Football Final at Mahony & Sons Public House at UBC in Vancouver.

By CATHOLINE BUTLER

Tyrone put an end to Kerry's bid for three All Ireland Championship titles in a row. It was a fast moving and exciting game to watch, granted there was probably some nail-biting on the part of the Tyrone fans. Kerry were trying for three titles in a row and wanted to beat Tyrone.

In the second half of the game the drama was intense, Kerry were rocked by Tyrone. Kerry seemed to lose their composure, their play was ragged and they seemed unsure of themselves.

The only goal came when Tommy McGuigan kicked the ball into the net a minute into the second half and Tyrone led by three points before Kerry fought back to lead by a point. But the Red Hands scored five unanswered points to claim a four-point win.

Amid Tyrone celebrations, there was one sad and poignant note. Pascal McConnell played in goal in place of John Devine whose father passed away the Saturday before the game. And so the Sam Maguire Cup made its triumphant trip north, no doubt with many celebratory stops along the way.

In Vancouver, fans arrived early at Mahony & Sons Public House to watch the 7:30 AM game live via satellite. It was a short night's sleep for some...others came straight from a party. Needless to say there was a run on coffee and Guinness, others enjoyed a hearty Irish breakfast.

It was a great crowd of excited fans at Mahony's that watched the two teams run onto the pitch at Croke Park in Dublin in front of a capacity crowd. Many remarked that it wasn't raining in Ireland, in fact some of the fans were seen sporting sunglasses. It was a great day for the All Ireland.

Some of the comments from fans at Mahony & Sons after watching the game were as follows:

Ryan Woods (Augher, Tyrone) said: "It's my first time to be watching an All-Ireland on this side of the world and I was very proud to be supporting the county."

Anthony Weir (Dungannon, Tyrone) said: "Very close, but Tyrone showed their true colours."

John O'Flynn (Kerry supporter who resides in N. Vancouver, B.C.) said: "Tight battle, great game which saw a good team win today."

Frank McGinley (Omagh, Tyrone who now resides in Vancouver, B.C.), said: "Kerry played well, but Tyrone came up these last 10 years - very good game."

Jim Carbin (Belfast, who now resides in Mission, B.C.) said: "A fantastic game, especially to see that Tyrone had won. Kerry has been winning for years and years and their time was up - young blood has taken over."

Jimmy Speiran (Dublin, who now resides in Richmond, B.C.), said: "Congratulations to Tyrone! To beat a favoured Kerry team in the last few minutes of an All Ireland football final is the ultimate victory."

Mahony & Sons Public House show Setanta Sports. They are located at 5990 University Boulevard, UBC, Vancouver. For more information, call (604) 827-4444, or visit: www.mahonyandsons.com.

TOP - or - Back to Sports Headlines