Humble beginnings: "Years ago, when the likes of Mattie McDonagh was playing for Galway, we printed up 5,000 Galway shirts and only sold 19 or 20. I was moving that box around the factory for years." So says Paul O'Neill of O'Neill's, by far the country's biggest sports gear manufacturers.
How big is biggest? Well O'Neill's hold contracts with all 32 county boards to supply gear and supply the replica market as well.
Where's the competition? O'Neill's are protected from the prying hands of international competitors such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Umbro by some good old GAA congress rules which insist that the playing gear of the Gael is manufactured by the Gael.
But what about the independent republic of Kerry? Oh, that Adidas business. Adidas supplied the county's training gear for the last 20 years or so and even managed to get their branding on the county senior team's shirts last season - 1998-1999 - when an Irish company, sub-contracted the work by Adidas, produced the gear.
An Irish solution to an Irish problem. Not so fast. This year's congress amended the rules to further insist that not only should the gear of the Gael be produced by the Gael, but only a Gael manufacturer's name could appear on the shirt. Hickey's, the company sub-contracted by Adidas, made a bid to get their name on Kerry's shirt but failed. Adidas are now out of the picture, and O'Neill's have stepped back in. Even the training gear is no longer provided by Adidas.
How lucrative is the replica market? Hard to quantify how many replica intercounty jerseys are sold every year. The only thing we can be sure of - and the only thing that the manufactures will agree on - is that the figures are going up and up. One industry source suggested this week that there might have
been 50 to 60 thousand Cork shirts sold last year. Esat, Cork's sponsors as they pursued a hurling and football double, were big buyers, acquiring thousands of jerseys for promotional purposes. Given the Cork experience, it's hardly outlandish to suggest that there are around 200,000 jerseys from the 32 counties sold each year. And the price? £25 a throw for kids, add on another £10 for adult replicas.
Biggest selling counties? The seasonal factor, in this case a county's success or failure, is still important, but less so as the gear becomes more and more fashionable as leisurewear. Dublin, whose supporters have been pioneers on the jersey wearing front, still top most lists. In recent years, Cork, Clare, Wexford and Mayo have had big sales.
Celebrity endorsement: Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn standing on the Killinan end in Thurles on Munster final day in his Tipperary jersey is right up there. Mary McAleese getting it on for Down in the Marshes might prove the real breakthrough, though.
International kudos: Offaly fan seen on centre court at Wimbledon for Henman/Philippousis match (Carroll Meats now getting big orders from middle England). The International Rules series between Ireland and Australia has generated a nice little sideline in Ireland jerseys, sold exclusively at GAA museum.
Diversification: Pat Carroll has been supplying pin badges, key rings and pens to the market for the last four years and has seen a slow, steady growth in the business. Expect tie slides, embroidered badges and bookmarks to follow. The GAA museum, which sells Carroll's goods, also does a broader range of merchandise: anyone for a Waterford Glass hurley at £150; there must be some more Wexford supporters out there looking for limited edition painting from the 1996 final?
