AN ESTIMATED 60,000 Munster rugby fans are expected to begin making their way to Cardiff today ahead of Saturday's Heineken European Cup Final.
Irish Ferries and Stena Line estimate they will transport more than 10,000 fans on routes from Dublin and Rosslare, while dozens of chartered flights are due to leave Cork and Shannon airports over the coming days.
However, a handful of fans have started the journey already. With ferries and airlines booked solid for weeks now, a few hardy fans are sailing over to Cardiff on their own.
Mike Gleeson and his brother Shane from Limerick city are among a crew of six which was due to sail from Kinsale Harbour last night. "It's definitely the cheapest way of making the trip over," said Mr Gleeson, who runs a Spar shop in Limerick. "We'll sleep on the boat at the marina in Cardiff, which is just a few hundreds metres from the stadium. If we end up using diesel, it'll cost us around €40."
A convoy of Munster camper vans is also due to begin the journey later today. Celtic Campervans, a Dublin-based firm which relocated from Limerick recently, is sending more than 20 vans decked out in Munster colours to Cardiff this evening.
The firm has made an arrangement with Llandaff Rugby club in Cardiff to allow the camper vans to park there for the weekend.
"The club over there have been great," says Stephen Bradshaw, the company's general manager. "They said there was a great atmosphere last time, so they're keeping the facilities open for showers. More importantly, the clubhouse will be serving beer until people stop drinking."
Other fans scattered around the world are travelling extraordinary distances to get to Saturday's match. Bridget Corcoran from Tipperary town, who works for Victoria's blood service in Australia, is travelling 10,000 miles to get to the match.
Munster fan Rory O'Brien, originally from Glounthaune, Co Cork and now living in San Francisco, is flying into the UK on Saturday for the match and back again on Sunday in time for work on Monday morning.
For those unable to travel to Cardiff, Limerick is probably the next best place to be for the game on Saturday afternoon. The city authorities are erecting a giant 45 square-metre television screen on O'Connell Street.
