THE SCRAMBLE for tickets for tomorrow’s All-Ireland football final between Mayo and Donegal reached fever pitch yesterday, with one pair of tickets with a face value of €160 selling for more than €1,500 on eBay.
The tickets attracted six bids from two bidders over the course of the morning before selling for an eye-watering €1,520. Hours later another eBay buyer snagged a comparative bargain when they bought a pair for €560.
While there were some tickets for sale on donedeal.ie, sellers were far outnumbered by buyers. One seller who spoke to The Irish Times on condition of anonymity had two tickets for the upper Hogan Stand to get rid of. He was looking for €550 for them. "I'm not a tout or anything but I paid that price last Wednesday when I thought I wouldn't be able to get tickets any other way," he said.
He had managed to get a ticket from his club, but wanted a second one so he could bring his son and went online where he found a pair. Almost as soon as he had handed over the cash, however, his club came good on the second ticket leaving him with two to spare.
Despite the price tag he was not short of takers. “I put the ad on the site three hours ago and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since . . . I have had about six or seven offers but I think some of them are from touts posing as normal supporters and I’d rather not sell to a tout.”
While some people were selling tickets for hundreds of euro, a nun from Donegal gave two tickets she had won in a draw to a returning emigrant and a neighbour. “I was very surprised indeed but very glad that I was able to help . . . by giving them the two tickets,” said Sr Magdalene from the Mercy Convent in Donegal town.
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