In an era of losing ugly, the full-time scene at Croke Park on Sunday was a cleansing balm. When tears of relief coursed down Mayo faces and eyes were raised to the heavens in wistful communion with absent friends, thousands of losing Kerry supporters grasped the solemnity of the moment. There was no swift, sullen exodus at the final whistle. They stayed for the speeches and watched the lifting of the Sam Maguire. Some even embraced their euphoric, sobbing rivals. We watched in real time as a clash of extraordinary athleticism, mythology and heart-stopping tension suddenly gave way to grace, gratitude and civility.

It was the 141-year-old Gaelic Athletic Association at its most sublime. No quarter was given, yet both sides made every part of it a gift to us all. There was a pathos about it, perhaps because it felt old-fashioned.

This was never a given. It’s only a couple of months since Kerry were condemned to play (and lose) with a 14-man team after a mass brawl with Donegal. One of Sunday’s Mayo stars, 27-year-old Jordan Flynn, has spoken about his lowest point when he was sent off during the 2018 under-20s All Ireland final and gave a shove to the referee as he went.

An 18-week suspension and a lot of partying ended with some kind of epiphany, but in the meantime, there was another kind of social punishment. Some asked questions about his family, his character and how he was raised. For a player of his age, that could have gone one of two ways. This week he is an........

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