The results are in, the votes have been counted and verified.
Almost 3,500 of you had your say for the GAA moment of the year and almost 1,000 of those went for the same memory.
May 25, 2016.
Mullingar the venue, hurling the sport, fairytales the order of the day.
Kilkenny roll into town and Westmeath are waiting for them, ready for them, about to ambush them. In the grand scheme of the under-21 hurling championship, this was relatively insignificant.
This is why we love #BGEU21 hurling! Well done @westmeath_gaa Pic from @MidlandsSport pic.twitter.com/80lpfQauoA
— BGEGAA (@BGEGAA) May 25, 2016
Dublin knocked them out of the Leinster semi-final, Waterford beat Galway in the All-Ireland final but therein lay the beauty.
For 60 minutes in May, the whole world stopped and Cusack Park was the centre of the universe. Westmeath’s under-21 hurlers might never have won any medals at the end of the campaign but they brought the giant that is Kilkenny to its knees and, for one day, made themselves heroes.
And, by God, how they bled for it.
Beating the Cats comes with a cost #HardyHuar #BeGrand pic.twitter.com/Y2dKcKeQTL
— Rory's Stories (@RorysStories) May 25, 2016
So it wasn’t a massive surprise that the game came out on top in a vote between 10 GAA moments of the year.
Here’s how you voted:
10. Armagh’s sweeper-keeper (1.32% votes)
No love for Paul Courtney.
9. Rob Hennelly getting black-carded (2.75%)
Bad day at the office in the All-Ireland final replay.
8. Sean Cavanagh v Donegal (3.44%)
Won the Ulster final for Tyrone.
7. Tipperary beating Galway (5.77%)
6. Seamus Callanan’s All-Ireland final (7.28%)
5. THAT Diarmuid Connolly pass (7.85%)
Perfect pass by Diarmuid Connolly Highlights of @StVincentsGAA1 v @CastleknockGAA @DubGAAOfficial 8.30 #TG4 https://t.co/lHOei2rFX8
— GAA 2024 (@GAA_2022_TG4) November 7, 2016
4. Paddy McBrearty’s masterclass v Cork (8.83%)
Just the 11 points at Croke Park for Donegal that day.
3. Austin Gleeson v Kilkenny (16.51%)
2. Ballyea beat Thurles Sarsfields (20.87%)
Tony Kelly though.
1. Westmeath skin the Cats (26.08%)
Last-minute drama to go along with it too.
Wide with the penalty and we win!!!!!
— Westmeath GAA (@westmeath_gaa) May 25, 2016
What a year. Bring on 2017.
