It has proven quite difficult to put into words the significance of Mark O'Connor and Dingle's All-Ireland Championship, and even harder to find a relevant comparison in Australian football.

Attempting to put it into perspective, a town with a population of less than 2,000 people went on to become the best Gaelic Football club in the entire country of Ireland. 

It is an honour that has never previously been bestowed upon Dingle, but O'Connor and his teammates prevailed in a thriller to take out the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship for the very first time.

One person who understands the magnitude of Dingle's accomplishments is Irish Cat, Oisin Mullin who provided an example to clarify the importance of O'Connor's achievement. 

"It is a massive achievement for Dingle to make the Final," Mullin told Cats Media. 

"I was trying to think of a comparison between the AFL and the GAA, but it is quite difficult because the structures aren't in place.

"It would be as if a team like St Mary's beside us won the GFL Premiership, then got to compete against winners of other Victorian regional competitions.

"To be crowned the best club team in Victoria, before compete against other state champions like a team that wins South Australia and Western Australia. To then reach the final of that, which would be an All-Australian final and they would then be crowned the best club team in the country.

"That is probably the closest comparison I could make."

The final itself certainly lived up to the occasion, a match that went to extra time and was decided by the very last kick. 

With Dingle holding a narrow lead in the dying stages of regulation time, opposition team St Brigid's managed to level the scores with time ticking down, sending the match into a pulsating extra time period. 

But with the tension palpable and the crowd inside Croke Park holding their breath, Mikey Geaney nailed an incredible game-winner to seal the deal for Dingle. 

Jack Henry, who was in the crowd to watch the drama unfold, described the feeling inside the stadium as the pivotal moments played out. 

"The tension in the crowd, you could feel it," Henry said. 

"Nobody could really speak for a while there, it was just eerily quiet and we were waiting for those last few minutes to unfold.

"Then the way it happened and how quickly it happened, it was just amazing to watch and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. 

"The finish, that goal from Mikey Geaney on the left was amazing. To be there and watch it live with all the people from Dingle, it was just an experience I will never forget."

Henry was part of a travelling contingent of Geelong players, both past and present that made the trip around the other side of the world to support O'Connor and Dingle. 

Along with the star defender, Mark Blicavs and Patrick Dangerfield were also in the crowd at Croke Park, as were Cats greats Cameron Guthrie and Zach Tuohy. 

In what reportedly started out as a "passing comment," Henry detailed how the trip became a reality in the midst of Geelong's pre-season. 

"The story in itself is amazing," Henry admitted. 

"Once Mark got the win in the semi final, it almost started out as a bit of a joke and a bit of a passing comment saying we would love to get there.

"Then the more we thought about it, the more we thought how special it would be to go and support one of your best mates over the past 10 years.

"I was surprised how grateful people were who we sat with from the town, how grateful they were that we had come over. But obviously, how grateful we were to be over there was just as much the case, it was a bit of a mutual respect from both sides."

Henry also recalled the moments following the conclusion of the nail-biting final. 

"'Blitz' and I were standing on chairs watching over the top for a while," Henry told Cats Media.

"I remember looking down and seeing Mark embracing his two brothers, then his Dad and Mum as well. The tears were rolling down their faces, that was special to watch.

"Then the embrace that everyone from Dingle showed us, that was very kind and lovely how they got around us and made us feel like a part of the town."

The support from O'Connor's Geelong teammates certainly extended further than the four walls at Croke Park, with a number of players and staff convening at GMHBA Stadium to watch the final. 

In the early hours of the morning, those watching endured the see-sawing affair and rode all the bumps as they happened, before getting the opportunity to celebrate when Dingle were crowned champions. 

Oisin Mullin was part of the Cats crew that watched on from Geelong, noting just how important his fellow countryman was on such a historic occasion. 

"Some key moments that Mark came up with, his two-pointer was unbelievable," Mullin said. 

"Being away from GAA, he wouldn't have had too much time to practice that and to be hitting them on the biggest stage of all, it was so cool to see.

"His block in extra time was just complete desperation, throwing his body on the line and it was so cool to see him show the heart and soul that he was putting into it.

"He was giving everything to make sure that they got over the line."