Unexpected swerve as Cork man wins Cavan's All-Ireland Final tickets draw
18/07/2025
This Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final between Cork and Tipperary has been the hottest ticket in Ireland this week.
For Cork it's a chance to redeem themselves after heartbreakingly losing the final last year to fellow Munster rivals Clare while for Tipperary it's their first final since 2019. It's the first time the two Munster counties have faced off in the final and getting tickets for the occasion have been as rare as hen's teeth.
As we know getting tickets for the All-Ireland Final isn't just as simple as logging onto Ticketmaster and purchasing them. It can be a game of 'who you know?' as its the county boards that distribute the tickets and it's always difficult top attend the showcase event at Croke Park. The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Cork and Dublin at Croke Park. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
That's why many people weren't too impressed when Cavan GAA, who's not involved in the All-Ireland Final this year, shared that they will be doing a draw where the winner gets 10 tickets to the final.
Many felt that the draw would end up not going to fans of either Cork or Tipp and 'true fans'. Also giving one fan 10 tickets does leave it prone for touts to enter the draw and win the tickets with the sole reason of selling them off.
For the thousands of people across Tipp and Cork who are going to the ends of the earth just to get one, it must be infuriating to see another county giving away ten to one person as a prize. https://t.co/pRb3dKFqaA — Paul Dollery (@PaulDollery) July 16, 2025
What does 1 person do with 10 tickets like? What if a tout enters?
Would 10 winners of 2 each not make more sense – and they have to be members of a GAA club https://t.co/NXbrlbi9JS — Smaller Fish (@SmallerFishGAA) July 17, 2025
However after this backlash Cavan were probably all but delighted to announce that the winner, Seán O'Brien is a Cork fan from Kilbrittain who's followed Cork all year and plans on bringing his family and friends to the final.
Big congratulations to our deserving winner of the All Ireland Hurling Final Tickets, Seán O'Brien — a builder from @kilbrittaingaa in West Cork!
Wishing him and his family an amazing day at Croke Park this Sunday as they cheer on the Rebels and thanks for entering our draw. pic.twitter.com/0SlBIQGMio — Official Cavan GAA (@CavanCoBoardGaa) July 17, 2025
While this story does have a happy ending, it does highlight the ludicrous nature that tickets for the All-Ireland are sold. These 10 tickets could've gone to anyone and Cork and Tipp fans would've either missed out or been taken advantage of by touts who resell tickets for extreme prices.
In this day and age there must be a better way to go about this and hopefully there will be a new system soon. However there's no doubt there will be a sea of red, blue and yellow as both Cork and Tipp fans flock to Dublin to see their counties battle it out.
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