Playing waiting game European Cup

Politics and sport made happy bedfellows in the Mansion House yesterday as ERC officials, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, representatives from the Robert Emmet Association and the French embassy embraced this weekend's Heineken European Cup final and, fittingly enough, Bastille Day.

The latter will be celebrated for the first time since 1803 in Dublin - albeit a day early - and it will mark the opening of the annual Liberties Festival.

Explaining the link between all these events as the hard sell for Saturday's final continues, the honorary secretary of the Robert Emmet Association, Diarmuid Coogan, said: "The Robert Emmet or 1803 Rising took place on 23rd July but the authorities were alerted to the possibility of unrest when a large gathering of United Irishmen celebrated Bastille Day on July 14th of that year and a major riot followed.

"Thus because of the significance of this day and the French support for the ideals of Emmet and the United Irishmen, we decided that it should play a major role in our Calendar of Events for the Bicentenary Year."

The Bastille Day Committee is chaired by the Lord Mayor Dermot Lacey who, along with the French Embassy, Dublin City Council and the South Inner City Community Development Association (SICCDA) have been keen to promote this Saturday's final between Toulouse and Perpignan in Lansdowne Road.

Ironically, with additional links at weekend food and wine fairs, plus extensive street branding around the capital there will be more visual reminders of the European final coming to Dublin this weekend than ever was the case during the 1999 World Cup; the problem being how many people will actually attend the game.

"Our objective is to get 30,000," maintained the ERC chief executive Derek McGrath, while admitting that the weather would be "an important factor." Mindful that it might be four or five years before Dublin hosts another European Cup final, McGrath said: "In order that we can look back positively we do need the support of the fans in Dublin. That would leave us with a very positive review."