Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final between Mayo and Dublin draws ever nearer and while many Mayo supporters will have their own memories of previous seismic clashes between the counties from their vantage point of looking in from the outside, we don’t often get any insights about what those games were like from the point of view of those taking part.
In this episode of the Mayo News football podcast we hear from Seamus O’Shea, one of the recently retired cohort of players who was central to so many of those great Mayo/Dublin matches over the past decade. Rob Murphy hosts the episode and, along with Seamie, he’s also joined by Edwin McGreal of the Mayo News.
Seamie starts by reflecting on his new life outside inter-county football and his surprise at how caught up in the game he became when watching the Connacht final a few weeks back.
The talk then moves to Saturday’s big game, focusing on the loss through injury of Cillian O’Connor, with Seamie explaining how he feels the team will have adapted to that new reality. He then goes on to reflect on what it was like to face Dublin in those big all-or-nothing clashes in recent years before assessing Dublin’s strengths and weaknesses this year.
Concluding this episode we hear about Seamie’s plans to find a quiet corner in Croke Park so he can watch Saturday evening’s match on his own and we also hear about the Breaffy man’s love for the NBA.
This episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes, SoundCloud, Podomatic and Spotify. You can also listen to it directly on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the panel on the right.
The Mayo News football podcast has its own Twitter presence, @MayoPodcast, so if you’re a Twitter user you should follow us there to make sure you get the latest podcast-related updates, including new episodes.
You can also subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice and can do that here.
The Mayo News football podcast is produced and edited by Ger Duffy Media. The show is sponsored by Ceramic City and Swinford Motors, two fine Mayo businesses with whom we’re proud to be associated this year.
Got a ticket. Lad who owed me a ball of money for over 2 years after calling to say he’s transferred the money into my account. Fuck it I think I’ll do the euro millions.
Roll on Saturday.
Good man Richie+duck, thanks for posting the link earlier. Managed to got tickets myself. So fair play.
@JB, if you can’t go to the game for any reason, can I buy your ticket?
My source nay not come good this time.
You sorted me out too with that link Richie. Fair play
Anybody willing to swap 2 upper davin tickets for anywhere else in the stand
Good seats just don’t like heights.
Have you being in the upper davin before mayoman6789 ? The view is quite good, better than upper hogan or upper cusack, in that you get a great panoramic view. You can get a great view of moves developing
@Mayoman6789, I will swap cash with you for 1 ticket, I don’t have any ticket to give you and not looking good.
Anyone know if a special train will be running for Saturday..probably not I’d imagine?
Mayo88. I hope you get 1 of them tickets for the upper canal end. That’s your preferred part of the ground for viewing Mayo scores into the scoring end. You deserve a ticket.
On a different note I see it was not Lane who bottled the Bastick pick off the ground in the last minute of 2016. It was Deegan. He saw the incident but bottled it. Instead he stood there with a stupid grin on his face while he robbed Mayo of their place in history and their legacy. The smiling assassin.
If deegan was linesman he wouldn’t be allowed call for a pick up off the ground. Only the referee can call fouls. It’s not like soccer.
Thats my fav podcast of all them, fascinating stuff , he really draws ya in (sos) , i found myself hanging onto every word . great talker ,legend of a player .
@mayoman6789 if you don’t manage to swap the tickets make sure you go anyway. As far as I know they have a certain amount of seats reserved lower down for people who can’t handle the height. I’ve heard stories about changing seats in the past
Good news No doubt I have two 730 tickets row O and I’m dreading going up there.
Really enjoyed the podcast, guys. Séamie is a great speaker. It puts you in the mood for the game.
Has Croke Park changed since I was there last and you now have to climb a shaky ladder to get to the higher levels. It’s concrete steps, ye’ll be fine. A few beers beforehand for Dutch courage.
Very good podcast. Again! Keep them coming.
Really good hearing about first training session with Oisin Mullin 🙂
I watched the 2019 semi-final first half last night and have to say Seamie had a stormer. Outside of the boot point as well! If we had a fit Vaughan, Ruane and Diarmuid that day, things could have been different. We were a bit toothless in attack in the first half.
I counted 5 out of the starting 6 Dublin forwards will likely start on Saturday. They’ll be out to send a message to the Kingdom so up to us how we react to that. No early goals and play our game. I’d say it’ll be close up to 60 minutes and hope we have enough in the tank to finish the game.
@Mayoman6789 How far back are they in the Davin? I don’t mind swapping but I wouldn’t like to be up in the clouds either!!
Well done to the lucky ones who managed to secure tickets.
Great to hear the views of ex players.
Seamus has been a great servant to his county.
He stayed out of the limelight,great fielding,gave and took some hard hits over the years and got some very important scores.
Thought on his day was one of the most consistent mid fielders of the last few years.
He sounds very much like mark O’Shea on the pod cast.
Best of luck to all travelling and plenty of noise.
UP MAYO
Mayo88 I have the 2 tickets for people apologies .
Turniphead section 718 in the davin.
Are you selling mayo88?
Hi all, I know fw and mayo 88 were in first on ticket hunt, I will no today if I can let them off,
Sorry mayo 88 sorted
@ Mayoman6789 Thanks. Are they far back i.e. what row?
The way he described Oisin after 5 mins of his first training session..”Who the f**k is the guy?” Brilliant lol. Some man Seamie, warrior.
Mayoman6789……..I’m a fecker for the head going at certain heights but I’ve been up on the upper tier 3 times now and it’s okay……the worst part is the worry about the worry but after 5 mins in the seat ule be fine and really appreciative of the massive view of the game…… I’ve been 1 row from the roof at last (pre COVID) Mayo game and although lightheaded at the start, within 5 mins was 100% and glad I was there…..
If you are into patterns. Mayo beat Dublin in 2006 in the Championship, 6 years later in 2012 we last beat them in the Championship. This year will now be 9 years since that victory. If we beat them this year we may have to wait 12 years to beat them again in the championship. Hahaha
The weather is forecast showers for Saturday.
If Conor OShea is in anyways ready I would start him if it’s a day for size and power.
Wet weather is not the day for smaller skillful players. Also I think Conor being around the 6’3″ mark brings a matchup issue that Dublin need to react to.
There’s a few Dublin players physically cannot matchup to 6’3″ and good in the air. So then it’s likes of Howard or Sean McMahon that must go on Conor. That’s one less tall player to pickup Aidan.
@Tommy +Joe, I don’t have any tickets to sell but looking for one or two to purchase.
I will take any ticket in the Upper or Lower tiers or the Hill.
I don’t mind heights well used of it from work over the years, no fear of heights.
Tickets don’t seem to be a problem with the smaller Dublin clubs
Podcast says it all about Sheamie, so calm and consistent in his approach. His box to box play was Foundation for our success over the last 10 years. A great warrior of Mayo football and a true professional in all but name.
Mayo88, I might have a ticket for ya. I’ll know for sure this evening.
The glory of being the only Mayo man in a small Dublin club…….by the looks of it I have three going if anyone is interested.
Brilliant podcast lads. We have a huge task ahead but not impossible! I will be shouting at the TV. Best of luck to the lads and safe journey to everyone that’s going.
Mayo forever
Forgot to wish best of luck to the ladies as well. Keep the flag flying.
If you have a ticket Nia?l i will gladly take one
Niall
I don’t have a ticket either and will gladly pay for one if anyone has a spare one
Great interview with Seamus. Gave so many wonderful performances over the years but for me his best was the 2016 replay. He was awesome that night.
Very sorry a to hear today, of the passing of Fr PJ Niland, Ballyvary , Fr PJ was the Chaplin to the Mayo team,
a lovely guy who loved nothing better than a chat about football, and one their Mayo’s loyal supporters.. RIP
@NiallMc1983, if you get that ticket for sure I will certainly buy it from you.
T-Bone are those tickets still available? i’ll gladly take them if they are
Hill open Saturday… We never saw that coming.. Ahem
They are indeed GlasagusDearg and you’re welcome to them – give me a text on 0853593291 and we can sort out meeting up beforehand.
@T-Bone (or anyone that has one) would happily take one off your hands too!
Anyone read as Darragh O’Shea’s article in the Irish Times today ? Great read .
He re counts a story of a club player who wasn’t that well liked but he was heading away . The club mates were just as happy to see him go but put on a good send off for him . But buck stood up on the stool at the end of the night and decided he wasn’t going to go at all ???
Yeah, I read that piece. Ó Sé feels that the Dubs will prevail even though Mayo are closer now. But he tends to tell a funny yarn or two and then go with the consensus view, so I’ll take him with a pinch of salt.
Jimmy McGuinness thinks we’ll probably give them a good rattle too. But today’s paper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping, as they say.
Hi all, I found the Irish Examiner podcast with guests Oisín McConville and Tony McEntee really interesting especially towards the end where they talk about where Dublin might be at. None of us knows for sure but it felt satisfying to hear what the guys said, esp Tony.
I always enjoy Oisín as a commentator but I had a great big grin listening to Tony (he has his own ideas).
If anybody comes across a spare ticket I’d really appreciate the heads up.
Willing to travel anywhere and pay extra.
Mayomaningalway,
I heard of a club chairman many years ago who was so disgusted at losing an objection he announced on his way home that he was “fed up with all this and off to England” Next day he had forgotten about that until he saw posters advertising a farewell function. “Who’s that for” says he. “it’s for you, didn’t you say you are going” was the reply. The upshot was that the function was held [for club funds] and your man went to Dublin for a few weeks.
Have you a link for that podcast swallow , I’d give that a listen .
Rumours always fly about before a big usually exaggerated or totally fabricated and I know we cant discuss rumour in here but crikey I really hope they’re are totally made up.
The examiner podcast is on Spotify if thats any use.
Hahaha I like it Andy D .
Hi Sean and all, the Irish Examiner podcast has a link here:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40357181.html
It’s a link to Soundcloud.
Long time.reader
First time writing comment
Never had a problem getting ticket for any mayo since my first outing in 96
Even to all the many all ireland finals from 96 to 2020
But not a sniff of ticket for this semi final so far ,so if any body has 2 tickets for sale please let me know
I’m beginning to think we are cursed .
@sean Burke, i really hope the rumors aren’t true either.
Lads, listen to the football pod with Andy and Paddy Andrews just earlier. OTB sports (p.s I’m in no way affiliated with OTB!). Brilliant listen.
They make good arguments for both teams. Naturally they cite Lee as “no question” Mayo’s best ever footballer. I don’t know about yee but my money’s on Lee on Saturday. All day long. All the greats have moments where they struggle. And why wouldn’t he with the injuries he’s endured. But… even now we’ve no one on the panel who’s fit to lace his boots. Not yet anyway. Even in his current form.
Interesting to hear Andrews talk about the way the Dubs created a siege type mentality pre match, especially for the replays against us, ie ref’s against us, Sunday games against us, the powers that be are against us, Mayo are diving, media is against us etc. And even at that stage they’d a bag of All Irelands. Crazy hunger under Gavin. He acknowledges a lot of it was bullshit but it worked, saying they had to do everything they could to be riled up for us. I can imagine our dressing room had similar sentiments about them, but alas history is always written by the victors.
Andrews rightly sums it up saying the evidence is simply not there that mayo will get enough scores against Dublin, especially with Cillian absent. History has proven this Time will tell. But to win, some of the Mayo lads will obviously need to propel themselves into stardom. We’ve a young team, but those young players now have experience in an All ireland final. So no excuses. In James I trust in this regard, to instill the belief, and I don’t doubt they’ll perform heroically and new heroes will emerge. Question is, will it be good enough.
Unfortunately the spine of that Dublin team is still there, and I don’t care what anyone says, they’re still not far off their best. Andrews says that they cared little about Leinster and individual performances during it, and shooting the lights out there meant diddly squat. It was all about how you performed in the All Ireland series, against the Mayos, the Kerrys, the Tyrones. How true that is. That’s where you’re judged. Most of our lads can also hold their head up in this sense but they need to take it a step further. Play at least to your potential and a little beyond.
Can’t wait for the match. I’m happy to say I’ll be there.
Anyone with spare tickets, willing to travel, hopefully rumours aren’t true
Km79… Agreed
Have we ever headed into a game with a full deck ?
Have they ever lost a big player in the run up to any of the games ?
🙁
Do I need to hear this rumour or would it rather be best not told?
There seems to be alot of anxious / nervous guys on here, Mayo players just need to be primed for this game, attack attack attack and make sure it will end up with a score or the ball goes dead. Ni trying to defend a few points lead early in 2nd half, this game will need to be played to the very end.
We can only hope the referee won’t disallow legitimate Mayo goals that might put the Dubs out of sight.
Where are those tickets guys mentioned they may have????
KM it would fookin depress ya thinking about all the big ones down the years . Oh im sick to my stomach
You’re better off not hearing this rumour but hopefully it is just a rumour and there is no substance to it.
For those scratching their heads wondering what all the cryptic doom-laden stuff that’s been posted here over the last few hours refers to I think it’s only fair to confirm that there’s a rumour doing the rounds today about an injury to a prominent member of the team. I’ve no idea if it’s true but the story is out there and you don’t need to be an internet genius to track down what it’s all about if you’re interested in doing so.
Thanks all for not going further than what you’ve said about this and I don’t propose to either, as nothing has been confirmed and I’ve no better idea than the rest of you if the story is for real or not.
Sport can be so cruel if that particular player is out it weakens us significantly now the hill has become a mountain don’t think I want a ticket now
As far as I’m aware have never broken the rules, so please take pity on someone stuck in UK and out of the loop – could someone point me to source of story? More need than ever to get behind the team, when thinking of who could be gone there’s genuinely a lot of candidates that could be hammer blows. Shows how great the team is
I will take your ticket Backdoorsam.
There’s 26 players on the panel to pick from.
There is truth in it Willie Joe .
It’s just a question of how severe it is and whether it will keep the player out or at best inhibit him slightly .
Will leave it at that .
If anyone’s still looking for tickets, I’ve 3 upper hogan I don’t need. Happy to sell at face value to a Mayo fan
Mayo88, I’m still waiting to hear back on that ticket. Haven’t forgotten you.
There is a hot topic here in the background, I didn’t hear anything about a player being injured, maybe FAKENEWS.
My hot topic is securing a ticket or two, I’m fully vaccinated don’t mind if I have to go into any Pod.
There’s a touch of 2011 semi final feel about this game for me.
We’re cursed, I swear to God.
@KildareExile, I will take all 3 tickets if this is genuine.
KildareExile, i’ll take them please
Fair play ,kildare Exile, face value . Good to hear. There was a bucko from Mayo on Donedeal who had 8 tickets for sale. Wanted €225 for each of them. Let’s just say, the comments I left for him where not suitable for children .
Kildare Exile I will take one or all of them if they’re still going?
Was there not a rumour before last years final too.
The Connacht Telegraph have now named that player on there Facebook page.
@Mayo88 Yes, you can have them. Not sure how to make contact though to sort out!
I see it there now, that player has been immense this year. Keegan to 6 and Hession to 2 if so. Keegan v Kilkenny.
Hopefully it’s wrong.
@Kildare exile Also still looking for a ticket if one becomes available .
NiallMc1983 if and only if Mayo 1988 gets sorted with those 3 tickets from KildareExile would you consider me for sale of your ticket?
Hope you don’t me saying that Willie Joe, about the Connacht Telegraph naming the player.
I won’t mention his name here
Been hearing it all day as well..not great. Uphill climb now if true
Connacht telegraph reporting this rumour now
https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2021/08/11/mayo-facing-major-injury-concern-ahead-of-clash-against-dublin/
@Kildare Exile, if permission received from Willie joe, we can exchange contact details.
I can meet you anywhere.
Thanks Mayo88
I always wondered how one can strain one’s quad?
Hopefully fake news.
Liberal role in the tie, normally kicking or sprinting
Dont think it’s fake news. It’s just a matter of how bad the injury is.
O hora not 100% either.
With Cillian out feels a bit of a patch up job! Sure, we’ll show and fulfill the fixture anyway.
This is the very reason I haven’t bought newspapers for many years, Shite news.
This same paper seems to have an agenda.
It’s very easy to strain a quad muscle. Happened me by just kicking a ball once.
Would expect 3/4 changes from the starting team against galway depending on o’horas fitness. Fingers crossed he makes it!
Mayo 88 , it’s not shite nor fake news . Its 100% . Apart from a lot of people getting the news this morning through rumour or whatever ya want to call it , do you think your man aiden Henry is going to run with a line informed source if it’s not true . Of course it’s true .
I honestly dont see how we can suffer this type of blow and realistically have any hope of success on sat .
Fake or true it won’t stop me efforts in securing a ticket or two.
Anybody that wants to give up their tickets, I will buy them.
How do Mayo pick up so many injuries training. It seems to happen us time and again and cannot remember a single incident of a Dublin player being injured in training.
@sean burke, ifs it’s true then so be it. Huge loss but have to adapt. Durcan can go 6 and start McLoughlin or, as I mentioned above, Keegan to 6 and Hession to 2 or Coen to 6. Options. Boyle to 6 too.
We’ll see on Saturday.
Thanks for that @It’s too Hot
We haven’t had a full panel to choose from since 2017.
Yes of course we have to plough on , mullen was the xfactor though, will still cheer them on and hope for the best but my head says nae chance now .
Can’t realistically expect to beat Dublin without first choice full forward and first choice centre back. We will man up and throw everything at them as always but it would be nice if once, just once, it was the Dubs losing irreplaceable players to injury.
I like your view on things, Mayo13BG.
If Mayo football has thought us anything it’s to keep the faith and never give in!!
Horan will pick his best and fittest 15 come Saturday evening. We have to get behind the Mayo lads.
For all we know the Dubs could also be carrying a few knocks (they are much better are keeping things in house)
Let hope this is all mid week noise and our Mayo boys do the business on Saturday night!
I know it’s a long shot guys, but will happily hand over cash for a ticket for Saturday, any seat, any stand, poor aul season ticket holder here who didn’t have any luck in the queue for tickets!
@Swallow Swoops I’m ever the optimist, plus the panel is there for a reason, keep turning up and the result (s) will happen. No choice.
@mayo88 if you still have a ticket I’ll buy it off you if you’re looking to sell it. Please ring me on 0834433657 if you still have one cheers. I’ve gone as far as Tokyo and still can’t get one
Folks if anyone knows of any tickets going please please ring me on 0834433657. I’ve been all over looking for tickets got the mother father and aunts sorted but I just need one for myself now
Is anyone having any luck getting any tickets?
I saw the same ad also paddyjoejohntom. Amazing that a Mayo man would try to scan his own for 5 times the ticket price. Sounds like he’s in with the county board also. Something wrong in the system if this is happening