Why Argentina has an unexpected fanbase in a north Mayo town
Foxford will back Argentina in the World Cup final as the hometown of Admiral William Brown celebrates its unique connection to the South American nation.
Mayo's ‘Little Argentina’, will once again be cheering on the boys in blue and white as Argentina prepares to face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
North Mayo town, Foxford, has long celebrated its unique connection with Argentina as the birthplace of Admiral William Brown, the founder of the Argentine Navy.
After Argentina's 2-1 victory over England in the semi-final, excitement has reached Foxford.
"The excitement was something fierce. Guiry's was humming when the semi-finals took place this week," Pat Guiry, owner of Guiry's Bar, told The Mayo News.
"There's great excitement for the final, and we have the pub all decked out in Argentina flags. We are expecting a great turnout, and we are really hoping for an Argentine win."
Celebrations won't be confined to one venue, with The Moy Hotel also screening the match for the local community.
Foxford-based councillor Neil Cruise says the town's tradition of backing Argentina stretches back decades.
“It goes back as far as 1998, when Argentina played England in the World Cup. It drew a huge crowd to Foxford despite a very bad, wet day,”he says.
For Margaret Reilly, chairperson of the Admiral Brown Society, the connection between Foxford and Argentina continues to bring lasting benefits to the town.
"We have two big connections with this current football team. Alexis Mac Allister's parents presented the people of Foxford with a jersey from the 2022 World Cup, and we have that. The statues of Admiral Brown on the promenade in Foxford and on Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin were both cast in Rosario, the birthplace of Lionel Messi."
She says previous celebrations in Foxford attracted worldwide attention.
"The last time we held celebrations, the pictures and videos went exponentially all over the internet. There were millions of views after Argentina won, and people loved seeing the celebrations from Foxford."
The town is now hoping to build on that growing international profile. With increasing numbers of overseas visitors travelling to learn about Admiral Brown and Foxford's links with Argentina, the Admiral Brown Society is working with Mayo County Council to establish a dedicated cultural centre.
“We're getting a lot more international tours coming, and that's why it's really important that we have somewhere for visitors to come.
“We're working with Mayo County Council to try to establish a cultural centre in Foxford to showcase all of the Admiral Brown artefacts that we have and to create a tourist hub for people visiting Foxford,” says Margaret.
The celebrations are unlikely to end with this weekend's final. Next year marks the 250th anniversary of Admiral William Brown's birth, with major commemorations already being planned.
“A huge celebration will be going on, and that will probably bring the naval training ship Libertad into Killala, which hasn't been seen for a number of years. It would be great to see that coming back,” says Cllr Cruise.
Argentina will take on Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, with kick-off at 8:00 pm.