Fans irked as final tickets on offer at €700 as part of Kerry fundraiser
FANS without All-Ireland final tickets have been left frustrated by Kerry GAA after it announced a fundraiser which will guarantee you two tickets – if you fork out €700.
Kerry GAA will host its annual fundraising Golf Classic at Killarney Golf Club on Friday, and an entry fee for a team of four includes a round of golf, dinner and two free tickets to the All-Ireland final.
Kerry County Board spokesperson John O’Leary said the corporate event was “nothing new” and that the tickets were assigned to the fundraiser from its usual allocation.
The face value of the tickets is €80.
The Kerry minors are going for a historic four successive All-Ireland titles on Sunday and tickets have been like gold dust ahead of the Dublin and Mayo senior football final.
“It’s ordinarily business-type people who attend the event and regular clientele opting to do the fundraiser,” he said.
The fundraiser is only open to Kerry GAA members and unavailable to Dublin or Mayo fans.
A spokesperson for the GAA said it was up to the Kerry County Board how it chose to distribute its allocation “as it deems appropriate”.
Meanwhile, the Sam Maguire is finally heading back west to Mayo, according to one Dublin-based shopkeeper who has “parked his car facing west” ready to celebrate.
Gus O’Hara, who owns two Spar shops in Clontarf in North Dublin, has lined the coast and his shops with Mayo flags and banners “behind enemy lines”.
Although Dublin is his “second favourite football team,” Gus, who is from Foxford, Co Mayo, said he expects to be celebrating with the Mayo team in Castlebar on Monday night.
“Win, lose or draw, I will be driving home to my beloved people in Foxford but I expect us to win,” Gus told the Irish Independent.
Defiant
Gus said there were “hundreds of Mayo fans in Clontarf” but that hasn’t stopped the banter from Dubs fans who haven’t been slow to question his defiant stand in the area. “Fortunately, we’ve got two Mayo employees amidst the Dubs, as I’m an equal opportunities employer, but the customers are definitely passionate too,” he said. Gus doesn’t expect this Dubs team to roll over however, and he thinks the match will be “extremely close.” “This Dubs team are incredible, especially the younger ones coming through. They’re very professional,” he said.
Resilient
Also, Dubs legend John O’Leary has said this “resilient” Mayo team reminds him of the Dubs from the early 1990s which “eventually got over the line”.
Although his “heart wants the Dubs to win”, O’Leary feels as though “there is nothing between the two teams” heading into the All-Ireland final on Sunday.
“It’ll be a different game to the Tyrone match which presented a particular type of problem which they had to get over on the day,” O’Leary told the Irish Independent.
“Mayo have been playing very good football this summer and they’re on a roll, they’ve got great momentum within the squad.
“You can train and train but there’s nothing like playing football, which they’ve been doing week in, week out,” he added.
Former goalkeeper O’Leary won two All-Irelands and said fellow goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton is “incredible.”
“In 10 or 15 years time, there’s no doubt that Cluxton will be one of the greatest players of his era if not one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,” he said.