Record for Sky Blue Sean, 86, with 75th final
LIFELONG Dubs supporter Sean Hallinan will attend his 75th All-ireland final in Croke Park today to see his beloved Boys in Blue take on Mayo as they bid for three-in-a-row.
The 86-year-old GAA fanatic from Cabra made his first pilgrimage to the stadium at the tender age of nine and says he remembers it “clear as day”.
He witnessed Kilkenny take on Cork in the battle for glory on September 3, 1939 – days after World War II started – and has only missed three finals since.
Today, Sean will make spectator history as he joins the 83,000capacity crowd at the Drumcondra grounds with his nephew, Joe, who flew in from New York for the game.
He told the Irish Mirror: “My first final was in 1939 and it was known as the thunder and lightning final. Kilkenny beat Cork by a point, I remember it clear as day.
“The game is faster now than it was in my day. It was more physical then.
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“I’m not too sure I approve of the play now – there’s too much hand passing. The name of the game is football, not basketball!”
Sean has been a regular for seven decades at Plunkett Park where he watches the team train.
His love of GAA started when he first played football as a young boarder at St Vincent’s in Glasnevin with his older brother Joe.
The retired shoe salesman said: “I played right-hand forward or corner forward, take your pick. I went with Joe to the games every Sunday.
“He was my best friend. We used to travel all over the country in the van supporting the Dubs and we never had so much as a cross word.”
Sean’s brother Joe passed away in 2013 and he now goes with his nephew, also named Joe, who flies home from New York every September for the big game.
His match-day garb of straw hat and Dubs scarf are a familiar sight to fans, and he has only missed three finals in 77 years – in the early 1940s following the death of his father and in 1947 when the final was played in New York.
Sean added: “There’s nowhere like Croke Park – nothing beats the atmosphere.”