The leader of the opposition, John Bruton from Meath, and the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue from Kerry, smiled shyly at each other after the match. The former Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen from Cork, was a little deflated and the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke, was quietly basking in the fact that her ministerial driver, Eamonn, was the father of Meath hero Trevor Giles.

When a crowd of more than 63,000 gathers it is no surprise that a huge security operation is needed.

This observer saw only two incidents during the hour up to and after the match. A young man from Cork was told that he could not take his klaxon horn into the ground and two young lads were being frisked without result as they headed away from the ground.

Inside, as the ground filled up, it was clear that Meath and Cork supporters were well mixed and matched together in the stands and on the Hill 16 terrace. The colours clashed, but their bearers did not seem to.

After the match it seemed that peace had prevailed off the pitch. Commissioner of the Garda, Pat Byrne, was relaxing within the ground, confident that matters outside were in order. Commissioner Byrne, born in Dunmanway, was rather deflated however that the Sam Maguire Cup would not be paying a visit to the Church of Ireland graveyard in his home town where the original Sam Maguire is buried.

Several former presidents of the GAA were at Croke Park yesterday. Paddy McFlynn from Derry, via Down, was in his usual affable mood. "It wasn't a great match but it was well-contested and Meath won because they took their chances," he said.

Paddy Buggy, an All-Ireland hurling medal winner with Kilkenny in the 1950s, agreed. "When it comes to a final, the pressures on players are enormous and it is difficult to expect a free-flowing match".

Similar sentiments were expressed by other former presidents; such as Mick Loftus from Mayo and Jack Boothman from Wicklow. The incumbent, Joe McDonagh from Galway, paid tribute to both teams.

"It was tough and rugged as we expected. Cork did not make the most of their chances early on or even throughout the match. You have to give credit to Meath who must have been shattered when they missed the penalty in the early part of the second half.

"I know that Cork will be disappointed for the loss of this match specifically and for the fact that they failed to bring off the double but they have every reason to be proud of what they have contributed to both hurling and football this year," he said.

Teddy McCarthy, a man who played for Cork in both the hurling and football victories in 1990, looked glum. Asked if he felt sorry for Sean O hAilpin who was on course for a similar double, he admitted that he was: "But I am more disappointed for Cork. A lot of effort was put in but we missed too many chances,"

As is usual in these big matches, the performance of the referee was under scrutiny. Paddy Collins, a man who has been though the refereeing mill at all levels, was happy with the performance of Michael Curley from Galway.

"It was not an easy match to control but I think he did a marvellous job," Collins said.

A most encouraging aspect of the after-match celebrations was the presence of Daraine Mulvihill, teenage daughter of the GAA's director general Liam who was stricken by meningitis some months ago.