DOWN:A GAA homecoming without the silverware is a bit like a funeral without the coffin. There was a party but no guest of honour.
Sam was headed in the opposite direction.
Early in the afternoon things were certainly downbeat. The police put out crowd barricades in Newry’s centre for the party that would never be. Only the red and black sportswear traders, who had cashed in on the bonanza since the semi-finals, escaped the gloom. By 6pm though the crowds began to gather.
“Think of it as the dry run for 2011,” was the call from the platform in Páirc Esler, as the county grounds filled for the return of the nearly boys. The master of ceremonies had his work cut out.
He called for cheers from the clubs represented in the crowd – from Mitchels and Shamrocks, from Bosco, Burren and Ballyholland, Warrenpoint and Carryduff.
The mood slowly lifted, helped by jigs and reels, and a few Johnny Cash songs.
Then the announcement came: “the team are here” and the singing started: “We are red, we are black, we are Down and we are back.”
Children and teenagers who had never seen a Down championship win before this summer went absolutely daft. It was loud – very loud, and oh so genuine.
The boys took to the stage looking more than a little unsure. Dark-suited and even a little embarrassed, they lined up for the adulation while the band pumped out an up-tempo version of Star of the County Down. Some clapped back at the scene before them, but others kept hands deep in pockets, O'Gara-style.
One or two of them hugged, others spoke on their mobiles – the refuge of the modern young man. Some shuffled like relatives of the bereaved, embarrassed at the expressions of support.
Only star forward Benny Coulter knew how to grandstand before the crowd which was desperate for one last hurrah.
Seán Óg McAteer, the county secretary, recalled the crazy helter-skelter summer and reeled off the counties whose scalps had been taken.
Newry mayor Mick Murphy thanked them “for lifting the hearts of everyone in Co Down”.
Sunday’s defeat would be turned to the team’s advantage, he said. Sam’s absence was again lamented, but the fresh sense of confidence and pride was welcomed instead.
Captain Ambrose Rodgers, nursing the injured leg which had sidelined him for the final, stepped gingerly towards the microphone and vowed that things would be better next time.
“It’s great to see what football means to this county,” he said.
Then it was on to Mayobridge, Hilltown, Kilcoo and Castlewellan before heading for Longstone, home of the injured captain.
Perhaps it is possible to celebrate your way out of depression. Newry certainly tried.