35,000 Donegal fans heading to Croker

The last one to leave Co Donegal, please turn out the lights.

More than 35,000 fans from across Co Donegal are to descend on Croke Park for the All-Ireland final tomorrow.

Final fever has reached epidemic proportions in the north-west, with tickets changing hands for huge prices.

In Rome, even Enda Kenny has flown the flag for his native Mayo. Ahead of his meeting with the Pope today, he said: “Well I have my own ticket for the All-Ireland. I’m prepared to give it to him if he can guarantee me that we will win”.

Donegal Airport has announced that all its flights are booked while Bus Éireann and private bus operators are all putting on extra services.

Those left behind are being encouraged to make a family day out of it, with hotels and bars from Buncrana to Ballyshannon offering packages for the big game.

Letterkenny’s Century Cinemas has given away 700 tickets to fans to watch the big game live on five huge screens.

As well as a huge exodus from the county itself, up to 10,000 Donegal fans are expected to jet in from around the world for the game.

Donegal County Council are busy making plans for the team’s homecoming to Donegal Town on Monday night — win, lose or draw.

Mayor of Donegal Cllr Frank McBrearty, who didn’t have a ticket for the last time Donegal played in the All-Ireland Final in 1992, said he is very proud of his county.

“Donegal people suffer from their location more than any other county. I’m a very proud Donegal man today and I just hope we can win the final,” he said.

As ticket-hunting reaches fever pitch across the county, a Letterkenny woman has revealed how she almost went into labour when she won a Willy Wonka style competition for All-Ireland GAA tickets.

Christina Burke, from Letterkenny, was due to give birth last Sunday, but decided to go shopping the day before. She bought a lucky bag from Auntie Nellie’s Sweet Shop in the town, which was running a competition to win one of the golden game passes.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I open the lucky bag. I almost went into labour there and then I was that excited. I went home to my husband Aidan and he thought I was starting my labour because I was so red and flushed,” she said.

Christina, a nurse at Letterkenny General Hospital, finally went into labour on Thursday, when she gave birth to her third baby girl. She won’t be able to go but she has donated the ticket to a family member.

Businessman Enda said demand for the lucky bags was staggering, so much so that he was forced to put another All-Ireland ticket in a secret lucky bag.

“We sold more than 2,000 of the lucky bags which was amazing.

“We even had calls from a couple of business people who wanted to buy all of the lucky bags, but we would never have done that,” he said.

And a Donegal man, who was a mascot to the county team as an eight-year-old for their only All-Ireland title, married the Mayo girl who captured his heart ahead of their counties’ titanic clash.

Joe O’Donnell and his Mayo bride, Fiona O’Toole, proudly raised their county colours for their first wedding pictures.

Joe said: “You know what they say about Mayo women — they’re not that easy to get out of the county. So, to win her I had to stay in Mayo, but that’s not going to stop me from shouting for Donegal.”

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