Final tickets a pearl beyond price

So money talks in sport? Well, it may buy you Premiership soccer clubs, but right now it wouldn't buy a single terrace ticket for Sunday's All-Ireland football final. The last tickets available at face value left Tralee yesterday carried by an intrepid Kerryman, and had you been in Chapelizod last night apparently one of them could have been yours.

The ticket fever that has plagued the country, and more specifically Kildare and Galway, has turned into a leprechaun hunt. Major ads taken out in daily newspapers have proved fruitless, with offers of up to £150 for £25 tickets failing to attract even a single call.

With a capacity of just under 66,000, the Croke Park gate receipt should net the GAA about £1.4 million. Business in Galway and Kildare, however, is expected to halt from Sunday afternoon to some time on Monday.

Galwayman Tommy Varden, whose catering equipment company sponsors the county team, has not planned a day off for his 20 staff per se, but does expect a few absentees. "I've provided all the staff with tickets so I'll be lucky to see them all back here for Monday morning," he says, "and besides, if we win I think the whole county will be closed down regardless."

Kildare sponsor Tegral, based in Athy, has designated Monday as a day of annual leave although it was not able to provide all 340 staff with tickets, and it took a nervous raffle to decide on the lucky beneficiaries. Others, like Wyeth-Medica in Newbridge, have decided to shut down for the aftermath altogether.

In addition to regular train services, Iarnrod Eireann has three extra services taking the lucky ones from Galway (two of which are sold out) starting from 7.30 a.m. as well as four from Kildare. Both regular Aer Lingus flights out of Galway have been fully booked for weeks, leaving the rest to deal with the expected traffic gridlock on Sunday morning.

Dublin Tourism has reported a steady increase in accommodation inquiries during the week, and although it hasn't reached sell-out proportions there is a lack of cheaper rooms in most city-centre hotels.

The game will be shown live on television in more countries than before, ranging from Australia to the Middle East. The Curragh will open its gates on Sunday (though not for the horses) with a giant screen set up for those wanting to share the crowd atmosphere, but there's also the option of tuning in from the comfort of your computer screen. Telecom Internet expects about 10,000 to download the action via their doras Website.

Paddy Power Bookmakers cites Kildare as firm favourites to claim the Sam Maguire Cup at odds of 4/9 with a Galway win at 9/4. The chance of going through it all over again in a fortnight stands at 10/1. The chances of getting a ticket on Sunday morning were nil.