Connacht and Leinster fans descend on Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle was wrapped in thick mist as Irish rugby fans arrived in the Scottish capital for Saturday's Pro12 final.

But even the haar – the infamous fog that often rolls in off the Firth of Forth – was not enough to dampen the spirts of Connacht and Leinster supporters.

"I've been a fan since 1978 and this is the best moment," says Don Corcoran, (64), who travelled from his home in Newcastle in Galway city, to support Connacht.

Corcoran booked his ticket way back in January. “I knew we were going to be here,” he says with confidence – but he almost didn’t make this weekend’s game. Just a few hours after arriving in Edinburgh, Corcoran, who was injured in a cash-in-transit robbery in 1983, suffered an epileptic attack at his hostel.

“I have to take 22 tablets a day for my medical condition. The excitement brought on a seizure, but the staff were incredible,” he explains. “I was five minutes away from hospital. But I couldn’t miss this, I couldn’t miss history.”

Edinburgh is no stranger to visiting Irish rugby supporters and the Athens of the North put on a welcome. Tricolours are flying in the main train station, Waverly, and many pubs fly both Connacht and Leinster flags.

By mid-afternoon on Friday, the bars on cobbled streets of Edinburgh's Old Town were buzzing, mainly with west of Ireland accents.

In the Three Sisters, Ciaran McDonnell was toasting the final leg of a long journey supporting Connacht this season – which began for him back in November, with a first round tie thousands of kilometres away, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

"It was minus 23 degrees," says McDonnell, who is originally from Loughrea but now living in Co Louth. "But the cold wasn't as hard to deal with as it is in Galway on a wet winter's night."

Other Connacht fans recalled similarly arduous excursions. Aubrey Bourke, an IT sales director, was among those who marched on the IRFU headquarters in Dublin 2001 when proposals were on the table to cut funding to Connacht rugby.

“We remember who supported us in those day. And those who didn’t,” he says. “But tomorrow we are looking forward to filling the Pro12 trophy with champagne.”

Longford-born school teacher Ruairí McGregor Tomkins was pleased to have the chance to support his native province in his adopted home city.

“I am very excited as a Leinster man living in Edinburgh,” he said. “It’s very exciting as it’s an established team like Leinster and a real underdog in Connacht.”

Accommodation

Many fans have struggled to find accommodation in the city, a problem exacerbated by this weekend’s Edinburgh marathon.

Leitrim couple Lisa O'Donnell and Donal McCrann are staying with family in Glasgow. "Lots of people are staying there because they can't get anything in Edinburgh," she says.

Originally from Tipperary, O’Donnell has been watching Connacht for the past seven seasons. “You just join in with the clan, it’s the family,” she explains.

The atmosphere in Edinburgh was “surreal”, she said. “Today we were walking around Edinburgh and a Spanish couple stopped up and said ‘good luck Connacht’.”

Connacht certainly seem to be the neutrals' favourite in Edinburgh. Chris Moon (28), from Cardiff is celebrating his stag at the game, and in the absence of the Scarlets will be shouting for Connacht. "We're rooting for the underdogs. We bought tickets before we knew who was playing but now we will definitely be supporting Connacht," he says.

In a nearby Irish bar, a pack of Danish rugby fans are backing Connacht, too.

"They're playing good rugby and deserve to win it," says Simon Holmes, who is originally from Wales but is now an amateur player for Roskilde Vikings. "I've got some good friends in the west so I'll be supporting them."