Mayo’s little Argentina on the Moy has decked the town in blue and white and cheers of ‘Vamos, vamos Argentina’ are ringing out in the streets ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday.
Foxford has long been strenghtening and celebrating its links to the South American World Cup finalists.
The village is the birthplace of one of Argentina’s most beloved national heroes - Admiral William Brown - founder of the Argentine navy and hailed as one of the liberators of Argentina for his daring naval manouvres that proved crucial during the country’s fight for independence.
In Guiry’s Bar, Martha and Pat Guiry have been welcoming droves of football fans over the course of the tournament and excitement over Argentina’s successes has reached fever pitch.
“Wednesday night was just wonderful here,” said Ms Guiry. “We’ve been supporting Argentina all along and the atmosphere was electric with everyone cheering them on and wearing the jerseys.”
Ms Guiry said Sunday is shaping up to be a real showdown as the village is also hosting a sizeable contingent of German anglers, who will no doubt be glued to the action as well.
“It should be great,” added Ms Guiry. “Wouldn’t JJ O’Hara just be delighted to see it.”
Mr O’Hara, who passed away in 2008, led an extraordinary campaign over more than a decade to put Foxford on the map, both nationally and internationally, as the birthplace of Admiral Brown.
