'The Government has done shag-all for hurley makers. We won't be there long more'

The ash dieback crisis was flagged 12 years ago. It's now so serious hurling may soon be played without ash.

Hurley maker David Dowling at work. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

As Mike Fitzgerald takes the call, the buzz of the bandsaw can be heard in the background.

Business continues for his family-run company in Araglen but only because they have moved with the times. “We can’t get Irish ash anymore,” he says of the ash dieback crisis. “It’s more or less finished. We’re getting imported ash from the UK and a bit in from France. It’s a struggle I can tell you that now.