After hearing about Deputy Joe Mc Hughs planting of the Donegal flag on Croagh Patrick, during Fine Gaels Conference in Westport, 2 weeks before the All-Ireland Football Final between Mayo and Donegal, action had to be taken!
At the base of Mount Errigal County Donegal – Patrick Dwyer, Cllr Joe Mellett, Douglas Kelly and Michael Maye.
A plan was hatched and like all the best plans, it was planned at the counter of the local! We couldn’t take it lying down and had to retaliate and plant the Mayo flag on top of Donegals highest mountain, Mount Errigal.
At the base of Mount Errigal in County Donegal – Douglas Kelly.
We decided to head off for Mt Errigal on the Tuesday before the All-Ireland. We were on the road at 8am for the long drive to Errigal, approx 220km with a short pitstop in Grange in Co. Sligo.
View from Mount Errigal, Letterkenny in the backround.
It was just midday when we arrived at the car park at the base of Mt Errigal. We started our accent which the first 1km is tough going through boggy soft ground. The photo above was taken at about half way up Mt Errigal. It is facing south-east looking towards letterkenny, which is in the background.
I took this photo from about 3/4 way up Mt Errigal.
View from Mount Errigal.
This is a view of Muckrish Mountain to the north-west of Mt Errigal.
After a tough climb we made it to the top of Errigal and found a spot to plant the Mayo flag. There was an old Mayo and Donegal flags already there which were very weather-beaten. They must have been there since our last meeting, which was the All-Ireland Semi-Final in 1992. Donegal bet us that day 0-13 to 0-09.
Mayo Flag Planted on top of Mount Errigal in County Donegal
When word got out back in Mayo of what we were up to in Donegal, it spread like wildfire! On the way home that evening the “John Murrey Show” on RTE Radio 1 rung me to arrange an interview which I happily handed over to Cllr Joe Mellett! We also got coverage on Willie Joe’s site MayoGaaBlog.com. Thanks to Patrick Dwyer who also took photos on the day which he made a video of and can be found here.
Thanks also to Tom Lavin Lavin’s Drapery Shop Swinford who sponsored the Mayo flag and flagpole. Thanks to Joe Mellett who did all the driving, about 440km! and to Dougie Kelly and Patrick Dwyer for aggring to go on the mad cap trip!!
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