IF you were an aspiring sports journalist, by the Lord, you certainly had an abundance of fodder this week. The west was awake like never before.

From the old to the new, it began with the end to the 75 years since Mayo won the Sam Maguire; a certain James S. Bolger was born 10 years before that.

And if 18-year-old Mayo star Kobe McDonald can look forward to a long sporting career ahead, you also had to marvel at the enthusiasm of the 84-year-old trainer who saddled a Galway bumper winner and was talking about a bid for a Champion Chase in a few years’ time,

The Mayo scenes were terrific and told some story, but much of the written word this week went that much deeper in covering the story. The newspaper columns are not dead yet. If you have not done so already, read Colin Sheridan’s Irish Examiner piece to begin to grasp what a sporting success can mean.

It was a terrific week of action with winners and owners spread nationwide and Galway bringing out the best in Irish racing. And if 31 counties were on a sporting high from Mayo’s All-Ireland win on Sunday, Goodwood wasn’t the place you expected Ciarrai Abu to be called home in front.

Goodwood added the class. Scandinavia, Bow Echo and Diamond Necklace leaving no doubt about their outstanding abilities.

Among the jockeys, who gets ride of the week? Leading candidates had to be a rider named Billy. One on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Following Colin Keane’s King George win on Kalpana and Dylan Browne McMonagle’s continued cool excellence, Billy Lee might be seen as the Irish number three, but very often proves he’s up there with the best.

The unrushed ride on Lady Arwen on Tuesday was outstandingly understated.

Winning rides are always good rides and, while the result of the Sussex Stakes was a triumph for Billy Loughnane, there might have been a few worrying seconds two furlongs out. There could have been trouble if Puerto Rico had stayed on a bit longer on his outside or Ten Bob Tony made his ground a bit quicker.

But for ride of the week and jockey of the week, you had to give it to Daniel King, his Guinness Galway Hurdle performance being so cool, calm and collected, to add to his Tote Galway Plate success. Tony Martin had gone on record some weeks ago saying King was “as good a rider since the likes of Ruby Walsh” and it might have taken some time for that to sink in and be appreciated. Over jumps, we also have top-class riders.

Joyous picture

And then there was the wider joyous picture in Galway. On Tuesday, Tony Martin gave C.J. Murtagh and Bertie Hourihane a big win with Orandi. C.J. saying to Brian Gleeson on RTE of his co-owner: “I’m very happy for Bertie, he’s the wrong side of 80, he didn’t have to travel from Skibbereen today, but he made the effort. You have to come racing.”

Jubliant scenes followed so many successes and none more so than for Eoin McCarthy’s winner Shadow Paddy for the Complete Package Syndicate and Paddy McAuliffe.

And it was all about the numbers. From Mayo breaching those 75 years. Derek O’Connor’s win, 23 years apart in amateur handicap wins. Veteran trainers Dermot Weld and Jim Bolger on the scoresheet again. It’s a long time since Spanner, Kiichi, General Idea and the Ansars. Forty two years on, Daniel King repeated the 1984 Hurdle and Plate double, won then by Joe Byrne.

After his win with Pivotal Attack on Thursday, Joe Murphy said: “Racing is about stories.” And we had so many sporting stories of hope and emotion since last Sunday evening.

Pivotal Attack and Gary Carroll won for owner Robert Moran and trainer Joe Murphy

Someone once wrote - “it’s the hope that kills you”. But that was truly binned this week.

There are lifetimes between an 18-year-old Kobe McDonald and a 84-year-old Jim Bolger, but whether it’s a football sailing between the posts or a horse getting up at the post on the last stride, it keeps the hope and the hearts going.

There were never six days when such hope sprung eternal over decades and generations and put a spring in the step of even those just looking on.