THERE

was a great fanfare of trumpets at half-time in the senior decider at Croke Park last Sunday when Dáithí Ó Sé revealed, amid much suspense, the record attendance of 50,141 for the All-Ireland Ladies football finals.

Experienced observers of Croker crowds were not so sure, estimating the figure to be around the 2017 final mark of 46,286, if not lower.

Is there any chance the GAA’s tallymen (or women) included people who bought tickets but didn’t turn up on the day, as is the practice at many sporting events across the globe?