Needless to say, the reaction in Donegal and Mayo since Sunday’s All-Ireland Final has been an entirely contrasting one. The photos tell you all you need to know.
The most disturbing Donegal celebratory photo we’ve seen yet
The celebrations from Sunday’s All-Ireland success are ongoing in Donegal and chances are they’ll continue into the weekend and beyond.
There have been numerous videos and photographs doing the rounds and while the image of Mark McHugh sharing an emotional embrace with father Martin in Croker on Sunday is probably the most heart-warming reflection of their All-Ireland success, we reckon we’ve stumbled on the most disturbing picture of Donegal elation from the last few days.
Well, we didn’t stumble on it, JOE reader Stephen Rodgers sent it into us having come across it on the always excellent DonegalDaily.com. The picture below features brothers Alan and Donal Rodgers from Meenmore in Dungloe – relations of Stephen we can only presume – getting a little too comfortable in each other’s company having finally put the celebrations on hold for a few hours.
Pic via DonegalDaily.com
The picture reminds us of the Friends episode where Joey and Ross decide to repeatedly share naps having accidentally fallen asleep in each other’s company and enjoyed the experience, but as wrong as that was, the fact that these lads are brothers makes it even worse!
All men reading this will have had to share a bed with another man in entirely unromantic circumstances at some point, but most will have followed an unwritten code – it’s either one man’s head at the other’s toes or at the very least, back to back with as little contact as possible.
We have a sneaking suspicion that Alan and Donal may have been manoeuvred into this position with little or no knowledge of what was being done, but the picture will certainly make their mother proud at the very least.
This pretty much sums up how they’re feeling in Mayo
By contrast, things are pretty bleak in Mayo as they come to terms with yet another crushing All-Ireland defeat, their sixth in the last 23 years.
You would think that Mayo people would have developed a mechanism to cope with such heartbreak given how used they are to the feeling but as one of them, believe me, it doesn’t get any easier.
Like Donegal fans, Mayo supporters took to the pubs after the final on Sunday, but their drinking experience was more from the drowning of sorrows category as opposed to the toasting of success engaged in by the victors.
This photo published by Mayo native and Hardy Bucks star Eddie Durkan on Twitter yesterday pretty much sums up the mood.
Pic via Twitter/Shane Ansboro
A hat-tip to Stephen Rodgers and Shane Ansboro for their help with today’s piece.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
