All-Ireland Hurling Tickets

February 14, 2006 12:00 PM

Is it impossible for a foreigner to get tickets to All-Ireland Hurling Finals?

We will be in Dublin (from the US) on Sept. 3, 2006 and I noticed that the Guiness All-Ireland Hurling Finals are being held that day at Croke Park. I was wondering if it is possible for a foreigner like me to obtain four tickets to attend. I've been to Ireland a few times and have always wanted to attend a Gaelic Games match, but it never worked out. Any thoughts / suggestions would be helpful.

posted by unccivil to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 answers total)

Ihate to say it but I think it will be next to impossible to get them at cost. I'm from Dublin, and as they're distributed through club memberships/county boards and corporate sponsors (the finalist counties only get something like 7,000 tickets each!) as kids wanting to go our parents could never get them. However these days, I'm sure online ticket brokers get their hands on a few, have you tried googling?

Good luck! Hurling is an incredibly fast paced and skillful game, so it's well worth trying for.
posted by jamesonandwater at 12:23 PM on February 14, 2006

I think that it would be very difficult to get them, but if you can send me your email address, I'll send you mine. If you were to email me about 3/4 months beforehand I can try and help you out . As far as I can remember it is quite difficult to get them, but I can give it a bash for you. (sorry i don't know if there's a PM function here)

This is all dependent on you remembering to email me, though!

Even if you don't get tickets it's still a spectacle, as dublin gets flooded with about 15% more people, all drunk, mostly hicks.

Hurling : think of it as full-contact golf.
posted by snailer at 3:40 PM on February 14, 2006

Or a deranged all-male field hockey of Homeric proportions with high-sticking allowed, nay, encouraged. I've been to two matches in NY and they're thrilling. Definitely worth trying for.
posted by eve harrington at 7:27 PM on February 14, 2006

Just to echo the jamesonandwater experience. The tickets are distributed to GAA clubs all over the country, BUT I wonder is there a GAA club in your locality. I doubt it but I know the New York, Boston and Chicago branches are very active. You may have to join a supporters club but it might be an avenue to explore. Otherwise the ticket touts will have them availible but at a huge mark-up or as my Granny used to say "They'll be priceless, priceless!!" I haven't time to google GAA in the USA at the mo, and it is an amazing event. The sport itself is faster than you can imagine but the atmosphere on that day.... Wow, I'm getting all teary-eyed here. I miss home!
posted by Wilder at 1:19 AM on February 15, 2006

Agreed with everyone here. IN IRELAND there is a mad panic to get tickets (mass emails sent about everyone's companies, etc), and it is damn near impossible...
posted by antifuse at 2:05 AM on February 15, 2006

I was in Ireland during the 2001 games and everything, everything was closed. It may have been because I was in Galway that day, but your best bet if you can't find tickets would be to find a nice pub to camp out in.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:52 AM on February 15, 2006

I recently helped out a work buddy of mine with getting tickets, his father used to play for a team that went to the finals in the 60s or something...

Anyway, after many-a-talk with the Irish Tourist Board all they could recommend was talking to a club about getting tickets, if your nice to them they may hold back some tickets.

If you can't get a ticket for the final, then look at maybe dropping into a Semi, then camp a pub for the final.
posted by Nik_Doof at 2:18 AM on February 23, 2006