What a super sporting weekend that was. I’m still breathless (from the couch, ahem) trying to keep up with it all. From the rugby in far-flung New Zealand to Ladies football, to the athletics and golf – it was hard to keep up at times across multiple devices – the radio, TV and phone in my case. What did the non-sporting fans do last weekend, I wondered? And that was all before Super Sunday when the warriors of the best game of all – hurling – took centre stage on its biggest day in Croker prior to the biggest global spectacle – the World Cup final.

Watching Spain and Argentina in a small snug-type bar on Sunday evening, it was hard not to reflect on how sport in all forms unites us, brings us together, gets us talking, and, ultimately, brings colour to our lives via an emotional rollercoaster of the small dramatic moments that lead ultimately to the elation of victory or the heartbreak of loss.

While the soccer final was – for the most part, forgettable – what preceded it was not. Over the last five weeks, there has been drama and talking points galore every night and into the early morning for the owls among us. Watching Yamal and Messi vie for supremacy on Sunday, the banter was about the best goal or game of the tournament, Cape Verde’s heroics, our favourite team, why England didn’t make it and what the atmosphere would be like if Ireland made another World Cup. Here’s hoping…

And best of all, our chat reflected the World Cup we were watching. We had Irish, English, a Spanish couple who ducked in and out, full of nerves, a Serbian, a Hungarian, a Romanian and another nationality, possibly Brazilian, most unknown to each other beforehand but now in very close quarters, all chatting, laughing and slagging about the games, the personalities, the half-time spectacle, their native countries and how they now call Ireland home.

While the soccer final was – for the most part, forgettable – what preceded it was not. Over the last five weeks, there has been drama and talking points galore every night and into the early morning for the owls among us

A very disappointed Galway hurling fan joined us briefly straight from Croke Park to discuss where it all went wrong and his hopes they would be back there again before too long. He got a lot of sympathy from our melting pot of armchair pundits. It’s interesting to note that another World Games had just concluded during the week in Waterford, bringing together 2,000 players from 113 international teams for the GAA World Games in SETU, where they linked up with local clubs. Most of the teams, including representatives from Spain and Argentina, were made up of players not born in Ireland and without any ties to the diaspora.

With another captivating and colourful sporting cover on Irish Country Living this week, it underlines the capacity of sport to bring many different people together in a unique way to show much we share at a time when some want to divide us.

This week, our attentions turn to the excitement in Kerry and Mayo, who are enjoying that joyful anticipation before the big day out in Dublin. Whatever the result, let’s hope many great memories are created and banked to treasure.