It’s that time of the year, before the first bit of competitive action gets going, when I have a rummage through the traffic stats on the blog to illustrate what’s been happening on that front over the previous twelve months. Here’s the end-2021 position in that regard.
The first thing to note is that, following the sharp Covid-induced decline in traffic in 2020 – which saw page views contract by 36% compared to 2019 – the year just ended saw a very significant bounce back. Page views in 2021 were 67% up on 2020, rising to an all-time yearly high of 3.8 million, as the graph below illustrates.
Comeback from Covid
While this surge in traffic to the blog didn’t see the long-standing daily high number beaten in 2021 – the 46,931 daily total recorded on 1st July 2019 still stands as the all-time record there – a new weekly high of 236,010 was recorded on the week of the All-Ireland in early September. The all-time monthly high of 663,433 from July 2019 also held, though only just as September last year saw 662,818 hits recorded.
Widening the lens, cumulative traffic to the blog since its inception back in early 2007 was close to 25 million at the end of last year.
The only way is up
Finally, just to emphasise how the ongoing pandemic has turned our world upside-down, it’s worth comparing traffic for the last two Covid-impacted years with the last ‘normal’ year, 2019. As you can see, last year was – as the world was – all over the shop but this year the traffic pattern seemed to return, at least in part, to what it had looked like before all this madness descended upon us.
The new normal?
WJ
Given that it seems you read every post good or bad…..how would you judge the mood of the supporter going into 2022 versus other years. Do you sense a real change in the attitude ie hardening.
Just talking to people I have been on the hunt with for over 40 years following Mayo it feels to me like something really changed radically after September…..is this a statement you would agree with from the ”birdseye” view you have?.
It’s hard to know, 1989, but I’d agree that September marked a change for many people. I’d go so far as to say it broke some and for many others (myself included) the thought that we might one day see Mayo actually win the bloody thing has been filed away as a distant hope, unlikely ever to happen.
Of course, once the football starts up again, the mood is likely to shift but I’ve no idea at this stage if there’s the same appetite among supporters to get invested in the cause again in the way they’ve done in previous years. I’d say that for some this may not happen this year.
Congratulations, Willie Joe.. Very impressive Stats there, great to see the Mayo GAA Blog graph continuing on it’s upwards curve, hopefully it continues upwards, and all would like to see another graph that we are all sick of starts to go the opposite direction, hopefully 2022 will see both happen.
If we had won the all Ireland in September would we have just stopped watching Mayo in the years ahead? I think the fans always want games to look forward too
Random question on the Mayo Lotto clubs map (on this page) why is there a broken line dividing through Westport parish East & West .
Something to do with Murrisk and Aughagower ?
Similar line in Bonniconlon and some club in East Mayo which I think is Aghamore.
Great puzzler trying to name these clubs! Im confident in about 70%, Ive all west Mayo. North has a couple of tricky ones. South and East areas are head-scratchers!
Westport looks the largest land area, ballycroy or crossmolina 2nd.
Ardnaree or Shurle/Glencorrib the smallest?
Good question Reek96!
I would say the bottom half of the Westport club is indeed aughagower parish. With the amount of people living in Westport – is there an argument that aughagower should be a standalone club I wonder?
The map is definitely not correct in the north Mayo boundaries. I’m certain moygownagh and Ardagh share a border for example.
Also interested in what’s the reason for the bunninaden part of Charlestown club – does part of Mayo play with the Sligo team here or what?
East clubs on that map.
Moy Davitts Swinford
Charlestown Ballaghadereen
Kiltimagh Aghamore Kilmovee
Eastern Gaels Ballyhaunis
Reekclimber96, The line between Bonniconlon and the East Mayo club you mention is Moy Davitts. The parish in question is called Attymass (Where i’m from)! We used to have a club in the early to mid 80’s but very similar to the recent Lacken story, the club were forced to fold due to lack of numbers. In fact, the lack of work in the area around then, meant that in the summers of 84 -86, 20 or so players would have emigrated to primarily the general Leeds/Manchester area. When the club folded, we over in the west of the parish played with Moy Davitts, while those closer to Bonniconlon played with them. This has pretty much remained the case until now. We have from time to time also had people who attended Breaffy National School who have represented Ardnaree.
Great report there on another successful year from our CEO. His bonus for 2021 should be upped significantly!
Larry and ReekClimber – there’s another map here https://www.johngrenham.com/browse/county_civil.php?county=Mayo that shows civil parishes though as opposed to RC parishes but I expect there are similarities in most of the boundaries.
another map here with the RC parishes which probably gives a better idea of where club boundaries would be.
https://www.johngrenham.com/browse/counties/rcmaps/mayorc.php#maps/
They’re terrific resources FDB.Thanks.
1989,personally I felt and still feel very down,but with the new year and football starting again I am hopeful that they will lift us again,but for me time is running out
Not good news , Kevin mcloughlin considering his inter County future,
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40779906.html
I’m fairly sure McLoughlin will be back. There’s an interview with him on off the ball.
On the downside, that article would seem to confirm Mullin is still going to Australia. Surely James Horan will put the rumours to bed tomorrow.
I agree. Oisín to Geelong seems a done deal based on that article. This is the quote that convinced me:
“ Best of luck to him but we have to move on without him”
Thanks for the info and link to the maps. Line through Westport parish is resolved.