China to help red army fly the flag

DIE-HARD Munster rugby fans are going farther than most to get their hands on prized tickets for the Heineken European Cup final against Biarritz.

Ticket-starved fans began arriving at the French side’s stadium, Stade Aguilera, yesterday where tickets for the Cardiff game were readily available.

Phil O’Brien from Lisnagraw, in Co Limerick, and Richard Murphy, from Blackrock, Co Cork, snapped up their tickets yesterday.

They were following the trail blazed by Hazel Cronin, from Ovens Co Cork, and Rory McGann, Douglas, who bought 100 tickets for friends.

Meanwhile, Red China has come to the assistance of Munster’s Red Army as it prepares to march into final battle.

The Limerick company with the franchise for the official Munster flag has turned to Beijing to ensure an avalanche of red banners rolls across the Irish Sea into Cardiff.

DJ Daly will produce more than 40,000 Munster flags at his factory in Pallaskenry in the run up to the big game at the Millennium Stadium.

But since the semi final win over Leinster his company has been swamped with huge orders.

To cope DJ contacted an old friend who runs a similar business in Beijing.

And yesterday a shipment of China’s red Munster flags arrived at the Co Limerick company for distribution to retailers.

Mr Daly, who already has the GAA franchise for official flags for all 32 county teams, negotiated the licence for the Munster flag with the IRFU.

DJ employs a full time staff of five flag makers in Pallaskenry.

He said: “There is a massive demand for the official Munster flags. We have to get out 10,000 flags alone for the Munster branch which they will give out inside the Millennium stadium on the day. Shops are screaming for the flags of all sizes. We will turn out up to 40,000 Munster flags for the fans. We have been given the licence by the Munster branch of the IRFU to make the official flags. The Munster branch gets a percentage from the sale of every single flag to go towards the development of the sport.”

Yesterday DJ launched a new Munster wind sock.

He said: “It can be attached to a car window like the car flag and resembles the wind socks you see at airports and fills out to a length of two feet when it catches the wind, when a car is moving.”

DJ Daly, a hurley maker up to seven years ago, last year made the official flags for Cork and Drogheda in the FAI cup final.