The estimated 5,000 Munster supporters travelling for the Heineken Cup semi-final against Castresu in Béziers, France, today have been urged to bring their bodhráns and use their lungs to the full to counter any continental influence.
Travel agents in Limerick, Cork and Tralee have been chartering aircraft to cope with the demand of supporters, some of whom are making their third trip to France to support the team in five months. Between the three airports at Shannon, Cork and Farranfore, Co Kerry, 13 charter flights will have flown to Montpellier by this afternoon. Two charters will also leave from Dublin this morning, carrying about 500 people.
Ms Treasa South of Creation Travel in Limerick said she had been requested by the Irish Rugby Football Union to urge supporters to bring bodhráns "and basically shout as loud as we can" to overcome the sounds of French bands.
She is travelling to the game with her two sons. "We hope to have 15 bodhráns here ready to go," she said.
The company brought 472 fans on a Boeing 747 yesterday. "We sold well over 300 seats within 48 hours of confirmation of where the game was."
Meanwhile, a Limerick businessman, Mr Michael Sheehan of RS Auto, is giving away 100 air horns to keep the volume up. The expectation is that all this trumpeting will keep the Limerick rain at home.
The Munster team arrived on Thursday to temperatures of 30°. Team manager Mr Jerry Holland said such conditions would suit the play, "given that teams nowadays like to have firm ground and a dry ball, and playing under what we class as pleasant conditions".
Mr Tony Brassil of Limerick Travel, which is also chartering an aircraft, said about 3,000 fans were travelling from the Limerick region. "It is very hard to quantify. It is a bit like saying how many Irish are going to the World Cup. The Irish diaspora makes up some of it, and people are quite ingenious in getting to games."
Already the stories are emerging of the epic journeys being made. Two Irishmen based in Poland are making the trip there in their van.
Meanwhile, some of those hoping to savour a match atmosphere at home will be travelling to Peter Clohessy's Bar on Howley's Quay, Limerick, which is experiencing its first major Munster game. The eight-month-old bar fits 600 people and has six large screens.