PERSPECTIVE is never too far away from Padraig O’Hora.
Football means everything in Mayo, and their loyal fans will flock to Pearse Stadium in their droves for Sunday’s Connacht final against Galway.
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The county need no introduction to heartbreak as they chase their first All-Ireland since 1951, and the world will come crashing down if they lose to their fiercest rivals this weekend.
When O’Hora pulls on that jersey, he is the same and always braces himself for battle for the good of the cause.
But his work as a community liaison officer for the Mayo Mental Health Association and being a father of two young kids always paints the bigger picture. his outlook will never leave him.
He said: “You’ll hear that said, football isn’t the be all and end all but when you are in it, it is. When you are in it, let’s look at Sunday.
“All that matters will be Galway that day, and the Sunday gone by all that ever mattered in the world was to beat Roscommon.
“When you are in it, you are in it. Afterwards, it does give you a bit of that sense. I always think back, I remember my own daughter, Aidan’s and James’ Horan’s kids were out on the pitch in Croker after we lost.
“They just didn’t really care, they were just kind of playing with the grass and happy out. They will always give you perspective.
“You will come home and the first question I get asked, isn’t did daddy win, or did you win, is what have you got for me or where have you been, or don’t go again, you know?
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MAKE A CHANGE
“That’s at the end of the day what matters, your family and that they are healthy. Jesus, there’s enough going on in the world, isn’t there?
“There’s enough sadness and tough times going on, even locally. There’s trouble in every house, health issues and so on and so forth.
“So when you’re not going home to that, I think that’s the most important, and with the platform that I have, if I can make that bit of a change there we will continue to do so.”
O’Hora’s day job strays from helping youths take the right paths in life to helping those battling mental issues and addiction.
Football kept him on the straight and narrow during his teens and had given him the platform to raise awareness on all of the issues he confronts on a daily basis.
He said: “ I’ve just become who I am. I don’t give a whole pile of thought to anything to my detriment at times but I’ve been involved in an awful lot of community-based stuff.
“I’ve been afforded an opportunity I never thought I’d be afforded. I didn’t see myself being an inter-county footballer.
“Not that I didn’t think it was possible, but I just never thought the day would come when people would care about what I had to say.
“Now that I’m in that position of course football is important but also I have a huge opportunity to voice opinions for people who aren’t heard, to make changes, to advocate on a platform for people who don’t have that opportunity.
“And by God for as long as I have that I’ll do that, because there are an awful lot of people out there who need that.”
CONNACHT CLASH
But Mayo still have a job to do, and Sunday’s one is massive, because they are without a Connacht title since 2021.
Few other counties come under the microscope like they do, and their 2023 campaign summed that up.
They fell at the first hurdle in their province before beating Kerry in Killarney in the All-Ireland group stages.
A gruelling All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final win over the Tribesmen was followed by a second half collapse against Dublin in the last eight.
And their talismanic defender, 31, will be ready for war.
He said: “I think we’re aware that when we perform we’re very good. We deserve a seat at the top table, whatever.
“When we don’t, when we’re a little bit off our game, we get punished for it and I think that’s the same for most teams.
“You heard that word ‘consistency’ in the media – and I’m sick and tired of hearing it myself.
“It seems to be the hot topic but it’s just the case that when we’re on, we’re on and you’ve seen us when we’re on, we’re very good.
“But when we miss a beat the focus isn’t there and you get punished for it at this level. There’s a couple of per cent in it, isn’t there? That is it.
“Hopefully the sun shines. Hopefully the Mayo crowd turn out in their droves as they always do and we have a good day at the office. Just looking forward to it.
“It’s what you train for. It’s why you go out in the wind and rain on them dark nights, for a few days in the sun.”
PADRAIG O’HORA was speaking at SuperValu’s launch of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and its #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign. Sponsors of the Championship for a fifteenth consecutive season, SuperValu were joined by Gaelic Games role models and advocates from across the country in Croke Park today to highlight the role of GAA communities in making Ireland a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming country for all.
