Bloody Sunday ticket fetches €7,500

A TICKET for the Gaelic football match at Croke Park which ended in the notorious Bloody Sunday massacre by British troops reached more than double its expected value at auction yesterday.

Debate raged over the playing of God Save the Queen ahead of Ireland’s Six Nations rugby clash with England at Croke Park on February 24 this year, the scene of the 1920 Bloody Sunday murders.

Auctioneers believe the hype surrounding that historic fixture — which evaporated as 82,000 fans stood shoulder to shoulder during the rugby game — helped the poignant souvenir fetch €7,500 at the sale.

The ticket for the ill-fated Tipperary v Dublin game was expected to reach between €2,000 and €3,000 on the day.

On the day of the tie, November 21, 14 British undercover agents known as the Cairo gang were assassinated in morning raids across the capital.

The killings were carried out by the IRA on the orders of Michael Collins.

In retaliation, British soldiers surrounded the stadium before opening fire indiscriminately at innocent fans inside.

The troops killed 14 people, among them children aged as young as 10 years old.

Auctioneers Mealy’s — who sold the ticket at a sale of GAA and other sporting memorabilia at Tara Towers in south Dublin — described the item as excessively rare.

Written on the back of the ticket is: “Pass Miss M Byrne and lady friends IRPDF Irish Republican Prisoners Dependants Fund Collectors.”

It was signed “JFS” and mounted on a card with a photograph of IRA man Peadar Clancy, who was killed by the British while trying to escape Dublin Castle the same day as the ill-fated match.

The high prices secured for a number of early GAA match programmes also surprised the auctioneers, as they fetched up to €6,000 each amid strong bidding from collectors.

George Mealy Jnr, of Mealy’s Auctioneers, said two private collectors went head-to-head in a dramatic bidding showdown for the coveted ticket.

“It really went crazy in there,” he said.

“We were weighed down with the interest in this sale and particularly for the ticket.

“It really is the piece de resistance of any GAA collection.”

In the light of the massive interest in the run-up to the sale, auctioneers had upped the expected sale price.

“We did expect it to reach up around the €5,000 mark but not as much is it did,” said Mr Mealy.