- Author, Ross McKee
- Role, Reporter for BBC News NI
An Armagh GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) supporter is making the ultimate sacrifice for his son ahead of this weekend’s All-Ireland final against Galway.
Demand for tickets in the Orchard County is at an all-time high ahead of the showdown at Croke Park on Sunday.
Fergal O’Brien and his son Eoghan watched Armagh’s semi-final triumph against Kerry earlier this month.
But Fergal, like many in Armagh, is still looking for a ticket despite ensuring Eoghan’s trip from London to Dublin for the final will be rewarded.
“My son Eoghan, who works in London, and I were at the Kerry semi-final and an hour after he left he re-booked a flight from London to come back for the final,” Fergal told BBC News NI.
βI have a firm promise from an anonymous source to get him a ticket.
“I haven’t got a ticket.
βI’ve fielded friend requests from Kerry to Donegal, Limerick, Cork Dublin, to try and get a ticket.
“I sent a request to a friend in Ottawa in Canada but they said ‘sorry it’s already gone to a fan in Galway.’
Clubs in Armagh have been allocated 240 tickets each for the final, as have their counterparts in Galway.
Demand has outstripped supply in Armagh, with one club, Carrickcruppen, posting on social media early on Monday that they had received requests for 932 tickets, urging fans to be patient.
“Please continue to look for tickets wherever you can as we will not be able to accommodate all requests,” he added.
Tickets for the All-Ireland Football Final are not available through general sale.
Fergal O’Brien said “if you’re not connected to a club, it’s very difficult to get”.
βI would be culture officer at Mullaghbawn GAA Club for 10 years. I don’t want special favors – there are other people who deserve it,” he added.
“I’d be at the back of the queue – but I’d like to be in the queue!”
He said he had attended the 2002 final with Eoghan, when Armagh won their only All-Ireland title, defeating Kerry.
He recalled how that year “Eoghan saw his primary school teacher Benny Tierney” play in the All-Ireland winning team.
βI’ve already booked the bus to Dublin for the final – I got one of the last six bus tickets.
“Eoghan will go straight to Croke Park for the final when he gets to Dublin, I’ll go to the nearest bar if I don’t have a ticket, to watch it.”
Armagh GAA public relations officer Finbar Burns said the county had been inundated with requests for tickets from across the island of Ireland and beyond.
“Some of them are from the Armagh diaspora who haven’t been to a game for years,” he added.
βIt’s our first All-Ireland final for 21 years, since 2003, and it has reignited their passion.
βEven the number of emails I’ve received personally, you’d think I was a ticket machine.
“There is great interest, but unfortunately there will not be a ticket for everyone.
βI got an email from Boston in the US from someone who goes to every match, they come home for the final.
“There was also someone from Central Europe who was in the quarter-final and semi-final who had already booked a flight to the final.”
Each county receives an allocation of tickets which are filtered down to their clubs.
Earlier this year, the GAA announced an increased pricing structure for All-Ireland football and hurling finals.
Stand tickets are now β¬100 (Β£85), an increase of β¬10 from 2023. Hill 16 terrace tickets are β¬55 (Β£46), up β¬5 from last year.
What is the situation with public transport from NI?
On Monday, Translink announced it had an extra “special bus” from Newry, departing the city at 11:00 BST on Sunday and returning at 20:00, with “seats snapped up fast”.
He said other special services set up for the All-Ireland GAA football final had already “proved popular”, with two special trains, a special bus from Armagh and another special bus from Newry “all sold out”.
Translink has also increased capacity on its regular Enterprise service to support fans.
He advises passengers to pre-book their bus for the final as soon as possible to secure a seat.
“Business services, which have been improved, are also extremely busy on that day and we recommend that people who want to travel book in advance,” the company added.