ARMAGH’S All-Ireland GAA team have been told they won’t have to put their hands in their pockets if they come home with Sam — but in Galway they’re already making plans to bring Sam Maguire racing.
Only one team can prevail when the Orchard County and Tribesmen go head to head in Croke Park on Sunday, but it hasn’t stopped both from dreaming.
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The Carrickdale Hotel in Dundalk, Co Louth is Armagh’s nerve centre — hosting an all day hooley for fans before the team arrives back for a banquet dinner.
Hotel rep Orla Hayes has promised Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney’s squad free beer if they can recreate the magic of 2002 when the Orange sensations lifted Sam for the one and only time in their history.
She told us: “We’ll fill the cup for them if they can do it. The team won’t have to put their hands in their pockets!”
In Galway, the racing festival kicks-off on Monday and on Tuesday the All-Ireland finalists will make their way to Ballybrit with a special guest (hopefully) in toe.
Galway Races marketing guru Sinéad Cassidy told us: “We don’t want to jinx it. A welcome reception will occur at Galway Racecourse if the players bring back the Sam Maguire.
“But win, lose or draw we’re hoping they will attend anyway.”
She added: “Galway races is a festival for the people. So if and when they do bring the Sam Maguire, it’ll be very much celebrated in the open space. So all our racing guests can see and celebrate with the team.”
Excited fans have been warned not to fall foul of scrooge clampers ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland football final.
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Some 82,300 people will pack Croke Park on Sunday as Armagh and Galway do battle.
The showpiece event marks 22 years since the Orchard County last lifted the coveted cup for their first and only time in 2002. The Tribesmen have landed the trophy nine times, but their last victory came way back in 2001.
Frenzied supporters of both squads are at fever pitch as the teams chase a rare shot at glory, with some fans comparing the mania to Christmas.
But those driving to Croke Park were last night warned: “Beware of the clampers.”
Supporters of northern teams have previously been hit by a spike in clamping around All-Ireland games, famously in 2005 when Armagh and Tyrone fans were caught out when their sides played in Croker.
And one fan said: “I would advise anyone parking to be careful as some areas have a seven day parking area, while some might be free on a Sunday.
“You don’t want the hassle of ringing them to unclamp your car, as well as the fine which is around 100 euros.”
Orla says the buzz in the build up has been “like Christmas”.
She told The Irish Sun: “It’s mental, all good but mental!
“There are two things on Sunday.
“The first thing is a fanzone marquee for people who are not able to go to Croke Park to watch the game. They can watch the game on a big screen here.
“And then we have the most important one, that is the homecoming for the Armagh team.
“The team are coming back to the Carrickdale after the game, hopefully with Sam Maguire. All fingers are crossed! The team are coming back here and they will have a banquet meal in the hotel as well, hopefully celebrating.
“The fanzone will be full. And the banquet is being run by the Armagh county board.
“We’re waiting on the table plans and things like that.
“There is a lot of things still to be worked out, like timings and that in terms of the team arriving back to the hotel.
“But we’ll be ready to welcome them back. We can’t wait for it.”
Across the county of Armagh, cars, lorries, kerbstones and the sides of houses have been decked out in orange and white as excitement revs up.
And ahead of the big throw-in at Croke Park, pumped-up fans have been showing their support for Armagh by converging on the Carrickdale in specially painted cars.
Orla admitted: “The hype of the whole thing is incredible.
“There was an event on Thursday night, it was a panel event with some of the 2002 team and it was packed out.
“You want to see the cars that have been coming here, painted orange and white everywhere. It’s been just class. Every day more people are coming, the Carrickdale seems to be the hub and the starting point for everyone. The atmosphere has been electric.”
Fans not lucky enough to score prized tickets to the All-Ireland final have been promised a party.
Orla revealed: “We are allocating certain points throughout the hotel for live music, obviously not during the game! We are so excited for Sunday!”
By Nicola Bardon
THE Saw Doctors have said it was “amazing” to hear their song N17 played in Croke Park after Galway got through to the All Ireland football final.
The band hail from Tuam and they were watching the match at a bar in Boston when their team won, and their song was played.
Leo Moran said: “I had been watching the match and taking in what happened on the field when all of a sudden the crowd singing N17 caught me by surprise.
“That was amazing. We’re awful lucky because not only do people like using the song, but it’s associated with positivity as well… they only play it when you win.
“Anytime you hear it it’s a positive association, which is brilliant.
“Somebody sent me a video on Twitter afterwards of a quiet street on the northside of Dublin and there’s a ghostly sound of the N17 coming from Croke Park in the distance.
“It’s so great to see that the N17 song means something to people and that they go for it in times of joy, and fair play to Croke Park for playing it.”
He added to the Irish Independent: “N17 was written in 1987 about people who had emigrated from our area. When we started touring America in 1991 we were able to bring it over and play it live for them.
“That was a special time for us all… the fact that we could actually cross the Atlantic with it and perform it live for the people who it was written about.”
Meanwhile, in Galway with 130,000 people set to hit Ballybrit, officials promise the party will be brought to the punters if Galway lift the cup. Galway races’ bosses are expecting 160,000 pints to be pulled, 5,000 bottles of champagne popped and 70,000 meals served.
And the Ballybrit racecourse is set to welcome GAA legends throughout the week.
Sinead said: “On the Tuesday, the Tribesmen GAA organisation have a corporate event with us. It’s a corporate fundraiser that they host every year.”
She told how Galway’s manager Pádraic Joyce is a “big racing fan” and a regular to race week.
With €60 million brought to the local economy, Sinead said the win would be “icing on the cake”.
She said: “Oh my god, the city will become even more alive. Can you imagine?
“As they say, there won’t be a cow milked in the county of Galway for the week!”
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