MAYO captain Paddy Durcan and partner Alannah McBrien toasted their first night in their new house by getting engaged.
On Tuesday Alannah shared several sweet photos on Instagram recapping their double celebration.
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Paddy and Alannah had just moved into their new home[/caption]
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The half-back immediately popped the question[/caption]
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He had adorned the place with romantic balloons upon their arrival[/caption]
She reflected: “What a way to top off our first night in our new home. Here’s to forever with my best friend.”
Several of Durcan’s past and present inter-county teammates were among the many well-wishers in the comments section.
Fellow veteran Aidan O’Shea hailed: “Massive Congrats guys! Enjoy the celebrations!”
On a similarly joyous note, 2016 Footballer of the Year Lee Keegan added: “Class news!”
Rob Hennelly and Diarmuid O’Connor were among the other Mayo legends to react to the post with rival Galway stars Shane Walsh and Damien Comer also expressing their delight.
The 2025 inter-county campaign saw Durcan, 30, make his long-awaited return after suffering a torn cruciate ligament last year.
While his return to the pitch was a welcome boost to their on-pitch fortunes, it wound up being another frustrating Championship for the Green and Red.
After putting themselves in a hole by losing at home to Cavan, they looked on the brink of scrapping qualification from their All-Ireland group when they equalised on 70 minutes versus Donegal.
However, in a cruel twist of fate even by the standards of Mayo football over the past decade or so, they conceded a winning point with the last kick of the game.
And the off-season in Mayo never passes without some sort of circus.
The debrief after their fruitless 2023 and 2024 campaigns saw in-depth reviews go on for months, much to the frustration of their demanding supporters.
The most worrying aspect of their season was of course that Kevin McStay suffered a health scare in May which forced him to stand aside as boss.
It means the county are heading into months of uncertainty.
It remains to be seen if McStay will remain on for a fourth campaign after coach and former boss Stephen Rochford temporarily took the reins last month.
Rochford led them to the 2016 and 2017 All-Ireland finals where they agonisingly fell short against Dublin.
Still, the Crossmolina clubman got a tune from them this term as they stunned Tyrone in the second round before their one-point loss to Donegal saw them finish bottom of Group 1.
He may be sick of the torment that comes with the job and there are questions over some stars’ futures.
January seems like a million miles away, but amid another sunny spell across the country, the dark clouds are again on the horizon in Mayo.
