Video: Galway fans, relive the memorable 1980 All-Ireland Final winning speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YjhL9qFk08

Joe Connolly referencing the Pope and Joe McDonagh singing a rousing rendition of ‘The West’s Awake’. Has there ever been a better All-Ireland Final speech than after Galway’s win in 1980?

The bookies and the vast majority of pundits don’t give Galway a chance against Kilkenny later this afternoon, but if followers of the Tribesemen are looking for some inspiration ahead of such an arduous task, a look back at one of their most famous days should pep them up a little bit.

Nostalgia ran amok on RTE’s Up for the Match last night and although the show can be a little twee and old-fashioned at times, it must have been genuinely inspirational for Galway fans to listen to Joe McDonagh reprise the version of ‘The West’s Awake’ he delivered in the Hogan Stand after winning the All-Ireland in 1980. The former GAA President can still hold a note too.

As older Galway fans will remember, the song came after one of the most memorable speeches from an All-Ireland captain, with Joe Connolly finishing off his speech with a brilliant pop-culture reference to the Pope’s visit to Ireland a year earlier.

What are the chances of Fergal Moore repeating the ‘People of Galway, we love you’ line or breaking into song if Galway upset the odds later today?

We’ll just have to wait and see, but in the meantime take a couple of minutes to revisit those brilliant moments after the Tribesmen’s triumph 32 years ago… except if you’re a Kilkenny fan of course.