IT was fitting that Ireland’s most successful boxer ended her stellar career in front of 82,000 people in Croke Park on Saturday night.

Some cynics criticised the showbiz element of the spectacle at GAA headquarters, claiming it was over the top and bordering on bad taste.

But nobody could accuse Katie, who is lovingly referred to as the Daughter of Bray in her home town, of hogging the limelight.

The world champion began her trajectory at a tender age, honing her skills in a humble home gym built in the family garden shed.

She blazed a trail for women in boxing, along with Alanna Nihell, she was involved in the very first women’s boxing bout sanctioned here in 2001.

From there her sporting achievements have played out as a series of firsts. She was the first female amateur boxer to represent Ireland in the Olympic Games, and the first female lightweight Olympic Champion at the London Games in 2012.

She was the first Irish female amateur world champion, a title she won five times in a row before becoming the first Irish female super lightweight world champion in 2016 after deciding to turn professional.

And yet through this series of firsts as she made history the world over Katie Taylor remained humble and grounded. She lived for her family and her craft. She worked hard and stayed out of the limelight.

In 2022 once again she and Amanda Serrano were the first female boxers to headline in Madison Square Garden. A rather meagre crowd of 20,000 watched the New York bout compared with Saturday’s record crowd at Croke Park.

Katie took a moment to look around the heaving stadium before taking to the ring, and who could blame her?

It was her dream to hang up her gloves after giving the home crowd something truly special on the hallowed ground of GAA headquarters in Croke Park.

And boy did she do it in style. One colleague who was lucky enough to witness history in the making, with a ringside seat, said it was almost impossible to describe the heightened emotions.

‘The energy was electric as was the atmosphere,’ she said, describing the sheer scale of the production, combined with the crowd’s energy, as a fitting finale for a woman whose presence in Irish sport cannot be overstated.

She described: ‘When Katie walked out, the place lifted, not just in volume, but in feeling as everyone rose to their feet to celebrate her arrival. The sense of pride among everyone in the crowd was unmistakable.

‘It did not matter where you were sitting; everyone was a part of the support turning the night into a shared celebration rather than just a fight. From being part of that crowd it was clear to see how deeply her story resonated amongst the people and how strongly Ireland rallied behind her and it was definitely an occasion that will be remembered for years to come.’

Take a bow Katie Taylor. Ireland’s pride.

This week, the name on everyone’s lips is once again that of Donald Trump. The US president, who earlier this year claimed to have ‘Irish blood’, is in the country for an official state visit, managing a few bilateral handshakes with the Taoiseach and a visit to the new US embassy. 

The main event? Two days of golf at his Doonbeg resort for the Irish Open. The schedule raises a basic question: where does public duty end and personal, commercial advantage begin? Trump is not visiting as a private golfer or hotel owner. He is a public office-holder and visiting president. 

Yet his official trip is also a promotional one, built around a major tournament at a property he has a direct financial interest in. That’s an uncomfortable combination. But not surprising. Think of the time the White House lawn became a Tesla showroom, when he gave paid early access to his Truth Social musings or when Melania Trump’s jewellery business was mentioned on the White House website. 

Meanwhile, Irish taxpayers and gardaí face a substantial security operation. The Garda Representative Association has warned that the deployment will strain an already stretched force, taking gardaí away from emergencies and general policing, both in Dublin and around Doonbeg. 

The government should make the total costs known as well as their rationale. Otherwise, Trump is being allowed to have his cake and eat it—with the government and gardaí providing the plate, knife, fork, and security detail to boot.