Elaine O’Dea’s sign making business in Glenroe, Limerick has sky rocketed in the lead up to the All-Ireland hurling final

A WOMAN who sold a Limerick fan sign to Diarmaid Byrnes’ family with his now famous slip-up on the Sunday Game has been flat out making signs for fans all over the city and county.

One of the most popular signs has the phrase “PUT THE F%*£!NG BALL OVER THE BAR” with a picture of Diarmaid and Luimneach Abú with the Limerick crest.

Elaine O’Dea, originally from Galbally, but living in Glenroe with her husband and children, set up Ballyhoura Signs in 2008 when she was made redundant from Dell.

She went back to college, studied graphic design and sign making and now uses her flair for witty phrases to help her sign making business.

“I got that from my mother, I love a funny phrase or something witty,” she said.

She said that the first Diarmaid Byrnes sign was just for fun and “a bit of craic”, but when Bruree man Finbarr Walsh posted it on Facebook and people saw it prominently displayed near Bruree Cross, close to the Cork border, “it just exploded.”

Elaine is a proud Limerick supporter and there has always been a fun rivalry in her house, even when she was growing up.

“My late Dad, Mike Henebry was on the county board for many years, he was chairman of Galbally GAA Club and he died in 2018. He married a Tipperary woman, Bunty, and they used to have a lot of fun coming up to a match.

“She’d put her Tipp flag up and he’d say he was going to get the paper, he’d go down the passage and fling her Tipp flag away and put his own Limerick one up - she’d go out later to find her flag in the ditch.”

All of her signs are designed by her, printed on vinyl and then she rolls them out through a machine onto the corriboard.

“There’s no point in doing a small sign when it’s going to be on a roadside - people want to be able to see it,” Elaine explained, as all of the signs are available in sizes four feet by four feet or eight by four feet.

Elaine’s Dad used to also bring hurling manager John Kiely to matches when he was a young boy.

“Everyone in Galbally is so proud of John, it’s phenomenal what he has achieved - it’s unfounded and he’s so humble.

“There are an awful lot of people up in heaven who are proud of John and what he’s done for Galbally and Limerick.”

Speaking about the now famous Diarmaid Byrne sign, she said that she watched the Sunday Game clip back a few times to make sure she had it perfect and she’s delighted he gave her such a gift with that hilarious phrase he used on live TV.

Elaine is busy now working up to 14 hours a day, designing, printing, rolling and delivering signs to die hard fans all over Limerick and some who are even proudly displaying the signs of support across the county boundaries.

For more information, see Elaine Henebry on Facebook or email [email protected].