China is being called in to help fly the flag for Donegal in the All-Ireland decider.
A Limerick business which holds a GAA merchandising licence has called in the Asian superpower to provide more green-and-gold flags for Jim McGuinness and his team’s supporters.
DJ Daly, who runs a flag and hurley manufacturing company in Pallaskenry, Co Limerick, said: “The demand for flags in Donegal is crazy — just mad.
“I’ve never seen the likes of it in all my years selling All Ireland flags.”
Now DJ has even sent an urgent message to a supplier in Beijing for 10,000 additional Donegal flags for the widely-anticipated Sept 23 thriller.
“We have sent van loads already and our agent in Donegal, Yvonne Morgan, is on the phone at all hours roaring for more to be sent.
“We have ran out of stocks and my supplier in China has dispatched on an extra 10,000 flags which we hope will come into Shannon by the weekend.
“I have never seen the likes of the demand. Of course Donegal haven’t been to a final in 20 years and they are crying out for our flags of all sizes.”
The Limerick supplier told The Examiner: “The demand for flags in Mayo is also great but, as they were in the final in 2006, there would still be a lot of our merchandise still in circulation in the county.
“I was up in Belmullet already this week calling to shops and they took every flag I had with me.
“But our problem at the moment is ensuring the Donegal supporters are fully kitted out with official flags.
“We are licensed from Croke Park. Part of the money from every flag goes to the two teams.”
Mr Daly set up his flag-making enterprise 15 years ago.
“We only made hurleys up to that time. I was at an All-Ireland hurling final and there was the world of all kinds of flags.
“There was only 30 hurleys being used on the field at any one time and I got the idea that flags were the thing to get into. We are officially licensed by headquarters and our flags carry the official GAA logo.”
To keep up with demand, his flag making enterprise employs five full-time flag-makers during the summer months.
“There is always massive demand for our car flags which sell for €7 while our regular and popular flags vary in size from 12in by 8in to 5ft by 3ft.”
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