A retirement party like no other. And instead of a lawnmower or a clock, Katie Taylor was given a whole lotta love from a crowd of 80,000 in Croke Park on a balmy-ish night in September. As Natasha Jonas, a former opponent of Taylor, said of the occasion, “it’s unreal”.

It was too, although Kleenex missed a trick. Surely they would have been the night’s most appropriate sponsors?

Jonas, on RTÉ punditry duty alongside Bernard Dunne, wasn’t all that surprised, though, at the size of that crowd. She recalled being in “the middle of nowhere in China” back when she was trying to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. “When Katie was on, I heard a big massive roar. I went over to the crowd and said ‘youse can’t be Irish?’ But they were, they came from Beijing. People just follow her wherever she goes.”

Some of us were assuming that this was the largest crowd ever to attend a fight, (although some of them might’ve been celebrating Mayo fans refusing to leave), but according to the interweb it was minuscule next to the one that turned out for a Tony Zale v Billy Pryor bout in Juneau Park, Milwaukee – 135,132. Because it was in 1941, presumably there were no Jumbotrons in the park, so to this day 134,132 people don’t know who won.

No such problems in Croke Park, which looked positively glorious. Whatever they paid the person in charge of the lighting show wasn’t half enough. Lots of tunes, too, for the crowd to sing along to, none accompanied more lustily than Grace, The Fields of Athenry and Zombie.

Plenty of visitors to these shores were in attendance, so good luck to any of the natives trying to explain to them why Katie was being serenaded with tunes about a man executed shortly after marrying his beloved, a man deported to Australia for stealing food to feed his starving family during the Famine, and the deaths of innocents during The Troubles. As ever, our sporting occasions are merry, our songs are traumatically sad. We’re a funny bunch.

Any way, RTÉ had us in floods with all those montages, Bernard just about holding it together. “This is more than just a boxing match,” he told our host Jacqui Hurley, “it’s a celebration, a thanks for what Katie’s given us over the years.” And with that My Way bellowed over the stadium speakers and you’d have been fit for nothin’.

Even less fit when 80,000 people turned on the lights on their phones when three quarters of Westlife sang You Raise Me Up. More stirring still was the sight of Marty Morrissey dancing with Michael Flatley when Olé Olé Olé filled the air. By now you’d have worried about your results if you were drug-tested. “It’s like a rave that meets a football occasion,” as Jacqui put it.

‘This is the greatest night in Irish sports history’

Michael Flatley joins @MartyMofficial on the pitch

📺 Watch Taylor v Pili on @rte2 and @rteplayer

📱Follow RTÉ Sport social channels for behind the scenes and more content from Croke Park #rtesport #taylorvpili pic.twitter.com/ug9A6LoViA

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 5, 2026

Paul O’Flynn bumped into Shane Lowry ringside, so they had a chat, then there were video tributes from Bono, Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan and Rory McIlroy, none of them, presumably, able to get tickets. And just before the national anthem, Barry Keoghan narrated another video.

“All stories begin at home. The rare ones end there, too. And so, Katie returns for every fan who walked the journey beside her … for all Ireland. When they ask you about Katie, you can begin with four simple words. Once upon a time.” Kleenex profits soared.

When Flora Pili, Katie’s opponent, emerged and took a look around the stadium, her face read “mon Dieu”, but she showed no little pluck by not heading straight for Rosslare. Katie entered the arena to the air of All Hail King Jesus, the crowd appearing not to know the words to that one, and then we had the mother of all firework displays. Katie puffed her cheeks as she surveyed the scene, the place making Madison Square Garden look like the boxing gym in Bray.

“I’m feeling pretty emotional myself here and it hasn’t even started,” said our commentator Hugh Cahill. “Oh my gosh, this is extraordinary,” Eric Donovan gasped.

The fight? Well, Pili didn’t lay too many gloves on our lass, if she did she’d have had 80,000 to answer to. The unanimous decision was rather warmly greeted by the crowd.

After she spoke to the crowd, Katie laid her gloves in the centre of the ring to mark the end of her career. They sat upon Lidl’s logo, the company possibly celebrating much like Nike did the time their swoosh faced the camera when Tiger’s ball sat on the lip of that Masters hole. Aldi were probably spittin’.

“What now,” Paul O’Flynn asked her. “I’m just going to enjoy the fruits of my labour,” she said. “I’m going to eat chocolate.” A Time Out would be appropriate. She’s earned it.