Mayo councillor promises to climb Croagh Patrick backwards if Mayo win the All-Ireland

And he’s dead serious about it too.

A Fianna Fáil councillor in Mayo has pledged to climb one of the most famous mountains in Ireland backwards if his native county can end a 66-year wait for an All-Ireland title on Sunday week. Such is their hunger for long-awaited success that many Mayo supporters have made some very ambitious promises in the event of a Mayo win and few are more ambitious than what has been proposed by Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy ahead of the big game. As was first reported in the Connacht Telegraph, Mulroy has pledged to climb Croagh Patrick backwards should the Green and Red triumph over Dublin on September 17. That’s right, backwards. As a Westport man and having previously completed a seven-day challenge (climb Croagh Patrick once a day for seven consecutive days) on the mountain in aid of Autism Action, Mulroy knows how difficult is to climb the mountain in the traditional way, never mind moonwalking Michael Jackson-style to the summit. Speaking to JOE, Mulroy said that he is hoping for some “divine intervention” in Croke Park and that the unorthodox pilgrimage will be a tribute to “the man above if he delivers Sam”. Mulroy is confident of a Mayo win, saying that “the players are on top of their game” and will have “no fear” of a Dublin side that overcame Mayo after a replay to win a second successive All-Ireland title last September. While he welcomes support for his backwards trek up Croagh Patrick as it will be staged in aid of the hard-working folks at Mayo Mountain Rescue, Brendan is conscious of the safety aspect of such an odd pursuit and will likely be going solo if Mayo can end a 66-year wait for an All-Ireland title. If it is Cillian O’Connor lifting Sam on September 17, Mulroy will delay the expedition to take some time out to celebrate a Mayo victory… and he certainly won’t be the only one doing that.