Waterford build-up: ‘Come hell or high water I’ll be there’

No unadorned surface has been left untouched, no bare space undecorated, as walls, animals, bales of hay, and cars have been given the blue and white treatment as Waterford fans prepare for their first All-Ireland final in nine years, with their heroes attempting to bridge a winning gap stretching to 1959.

Not even the threat of a naked John Mullane riding horseback down the quays of the old city have thwarted the current players in their quest for the trophy all hurling people want to win. Record levels of Déise supporters are expected at Croke Park tomorrow as the rollercoaster winds its way to a conclusion.

Galway, on the other hand, have had to wait quite a while themselves since they last took the Liam McCarthy across the Shannon in 1988, although they’ve featured in the decider six times (plus a replay) since then, compared to just that forgettable 2008 experience for Waterford.

Big screens will be erected in public areas across Waterford tomorrow to give the ticketless hordes a chance to watch the event and create a big-game atmosphere, including Grattan Square in Dungarvan and the recently covered Apple Market in the city itself, which promises to yield quite the occasion.

Of course many of the ticketless aren’t even in the country this weekend, forced by circumstance or by choice to leave their native shores and set up home abroad. A sizeable portion of the overall TV audience will come from those exiles and in the times that are in it, inevitably there’s a Twitter community covering those folk.

The #deiseoverseas hashtag popped up back in July before Waterford defeated Kilkenny and since then it’s been used by people in all corners of the world to express solidarity with each other.

As Martin Gilligan from Cappoquin put it, “never forget being 7,700kms away in 2008… horrific!”.

Mark Quinlan reported that “Florida is blue and white” while others, including David Toms in Norway, posted photographs of themselves in Waterford colours and hoping to watch the match either at work or at home at 3.30pm Irish time.

Other locations included Zagreb in Croatia, Newfoundland in Canada, south-east London, Dorset, Germany, Majorca, and even San Pedro De Atacama in Chile (courtesy of Aisling McDonnell on her travels), all drummed up by @deisehurling.

Many more are travelling home for the match, unwilling to miss history in the making. One such is Michael Doyle who, despite working in the EU offices in Brussels since February, has managed to make it back for all but one of Waterford’s championship matches.

“It was the wrong year to pick to move over here,” he said. “But I was after getting home for the Munster semi-final against Cork and I was at home for the Offaly game and Wexford game and the semi-final. I missed the Kilkenny game and it broke my heart, I’m like a demented man.”

Missing the final wasn’t an option and he flew home last night, despite not being guaranteed a ticket.

“I’d do anything to get there. Luckily enough I was after arranging the Wexford and Cork games together, I was home for three weeks because my sister got married.”

Michael works for MEP Liadh Ní Riada, who was “accepting” of his various trips home — like she had a choice — but political contacts don’t guarantee a place in Croker either.

“I’m 90% certain of a ticket but I can’t say for definite until I have it in my hand. Come hell or high water I’ll be there.”

The Waterford City man is a haemophiliac, diagnosed at the age of 18 months, but something like having to get three injections a week isn’t going to stop him following his team. “I have it all packed up, ready to go.”

It wouldn’t be All-Ireland weekend, of course, without some hurling songs and Waterford must be going for a record this time around, with 14 already compiled on WLR FM’s website from songwriters of various abilities but great enthusiasm. They glory in titles such as ‘My County She is Calling’, ‘Hurl the Déise Way’, ‘Rock Da Déise’, and ‘Derek and the Déise Men’.