Donegal businesses enjoying a boost from county's football fever

Jimmy's Winning Matches again and Donegal is in the grip of football fever.

Upwards of 30,000 Donegal fans are expected to be at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon when Donegal face Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Donegal are aiming to reach only a fourth senior final and it's not just football fans who are enjoying the buzz.

Tills are ringing in many businesses across the county ahead of the big match.

“The whole temperament and mood of people has lifted,” says Louis Culkin at the Ballyshannon Shoe Co.

“When Jim McGuinness was appointed as manager again last autumn, I said to Gus that we needed to get a good stock on jerseys.

“I told him back then that Donegal would get promotion, win the Anglo Celt and appear in the All-Ireland final. . . Gus ordered the jerseys!”

McGuinness came back after leaving a previous successful spell in 2014. Donegal haven't been in an All-Ireland SFC semi-final since the 2014 win over Dublin.

“We're seeing kids in now looking for jerseys who weren't even born when Donegal were last in the All-Ireland semi-final,” Culkin says. “They have never known anything like this.”

Home jerseys are still the big seller, although the Ballyshannon store has seen big sales of the pink jersey and the black goalkeeper jersey.

“I think the colour of the goalkeeper jersey is attractive – it's less footbally,” Culkin says.

John McGinley Coach Travel take passengers from Donegal to Dublin daily, but extra services have been organised ahead of Sunday's game.

“We have 135 already booked on for the morning,” says Sarah Louise McFadden-Gallagher, the Cruise Product Manager.

“A lot of people would usually wait until the morning beforehand to book, so we will have a lot more than that. We have put on an extra service for 7.30am on Sunday, which isn't a service that usually runs on a Sunday, and there are 73 on it.

“The numbers will rise. We have four coaches already for the morning.”

At All Sports in Donegal Town, Gareth Britton says jersey sales have “excelled the numbers we did last year by a long shot”.

Donegal made a tame exit from the Championship race last year. After seeing Paddy Carr depart as manager and Aidan O'Rourke stepping in as interim manager, Donegal bowed out in the first round of Ulster to Down and didn't get out of the All-Ireland group stage.

“When we were placing orders for leisurewear last year, we questioned if we had ordered far too much,” Britton says. “We could actually be left short now.

“The home jersey is still the number one seller - by a long shot - for people at home, tourists or expats.”

Cathal McGettigan from McGettigan Travel in Letterkenny expects the good times to continue.

“Jim will tumble Galway and go the whole way,” says McGettigan, whose company has five buses going to the game.

“It's just a great buzz for everyone. We had a great buzz for the Ulster final and for the Louth game in Croke Park. The phone hardly rang last year at all.

“You have to hand it to McGuinness.”