As the hooter sounded at Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday, television cameras cut to scenes of incredulous joy. For the first time in 75 years, Mayo became All-Ireland champions. Few knew how to react. One man that met the moment was Shane Fitzgerald. He was captured on camera blessing himself, bursting into tears and collapsing to his knees near the steps of the Hogan Stand.Clips of Fitzgerald then circulated widely among supporters on social media. . “The emotions broke,” he tells The Irish Times. “The heavens opened and that was it. I was looking at the Sam Maguire and thinking: ‘you’re coming home’. [ Mayo’s All-Ireland victory: Celebrations stop traffic as Castlebar homecoming awaitsOpens in new window ]“That 70th minute, I don’t know how to describe it. It was just a weight off my shoulders. We just couldn’t believe it.” Given his vantage point, Fitzgerald found himself rubbing shoulders with top political figures. He found himself speaking Irish with President Catherine Connolly, who came over to congratulate him, alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Fitzgerald was particularly overcome watching GAA president Jarlath Burns introducing Mayo’s captain Jack Coyne.“He could not believe what he was looking at,” he says of Burns. “I could see it in his body language and his reaction. He was twistin’. The legs were moving – he was nearly dancing. That just tells you the feeling and the power of Mayo breaking the curse and winning Sam Maguire.”[ Are you a Mayo person living abroad? How did you celebrate the All-Ireland win?Opens in new window ]Raised in the village of Kilmaine between Shrule and Ballinrobe, Fitzgerald is a farmer and a qualified florist. He has spent the last 25 years providing flowers for weddings, perhaps informing his sense of occasion. Some people know Fitzgerald better as “The Mayo Bandit” because of his alter-ego dressing up in a face mask in the county colours “to try and egg on Mayo”. “We do our best as Mayo people,” he says. “We always passionately follow, but I can’t praise the players enough ... My hat’s off to all the players over the years that have given Mayo people so much joy. And a bit of heartbreak, but do you know what? We’re just so proud.”Mayo manager Andy Moran celebrates after his team beat Kerry in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Mayo manager Andy Moran spoke post-match about recalling his mentor, the late John O’Mahony, during the final seconds of Sunday’s game. Fitzgerald says his emotion captured a similar feeling; it was a moment to think of people who weren’t able to be there.“I was in that situation,” Fitzgerald says. “The jersey I was wearing yesterday... My father passed away, just gone three years. He was a quiet man, but he always followed the GAA like ordinary Mayo people. We just have a passion to follow the game. “I said: ‘Dad sign your name there [on the jersey].’ I said: ‘The day will come when Mayo lift Sam Maguire, and you’ll be there.’ “And we did.”