McDaid's Football Special
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | McDaid's & Sons |
| Origin | Ramelton, Ireland |
| Introduced | 1960s |
| Website | football-special.com |
McDaid's Football Special is an Irish soft drink (locally known as a 'mineral') produced by McDaid's & Sons, a company based in Ramelton, County Donegal.[1]
History
Football Special was created during the 1960s when James McDaid Jnr., then CEO of McDaid's & Sons, who was also on the founding board of Swilly Rovers Football Club, wanted to celebrate the club winning trophies by filling the cup with a non-alcoholic beverage.[2] They created a drink which had a beer-like foamy head and named it 'Football Cup', which later was changed to Football Special.[3][4][5]
The original factory in Ramelton was formerly a creamery.[6]
In 1984 and 1989, Football Special won two awards for excellence from the London Beverage Society.[7]
Production
Football Special was originally made and bottled at the Swilly Bottling Stores by McDaid's & Sons in Ramelton in North Donegal. However, since 2014, all of McDaid's products, including Football Special, have been made and bottled by Maine Soft Drinks Ltd in Ballymoney, County Antrim.[8][9][10][11]
Some McDaid's products, including Football Special, are also manufactured under license by the Reading Soda Works in Reading, Pennsylvania.[12]
The footballer illustrated on the labelling of the bottles since 2015 is a stylised version of local Milford Utd footballer Kevin Moran.
Distribution
Football Special is found most commonly on sale throughout County Donegal, where it was originally produced. However, it is also available in selected retailers throughout Ireland and beyond.[13]
From 19 September 2024, Football Special was sold nationwide for a limited time in Lidl Ireland,[14][15][16] and has since been available there in several limited runs.[17][18][19][20]
Beyond Ireland, Football Special is also sold in several shops in Glasgow in Scotland, Perth in Australia, and the East Coast of the United States, notably New York, Boston and Philadelphia.[21][22]
See also
References
- ^ McNamara, Brinsley (6 November 2024). "Football Special, Brown Lemonade and Cavan Cola – the inside story of Ireland's booming minerals trade". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Ryan, Emma (16 November 2023). "Go-ahead for development at Donegal's famous Football Special's production facility". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ MacMahon, Ailbhe (29 January 2026). "Ireland's mysterious non-boozy football drink". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Dunworth, Ali (17 November 2025). "Football Special, Tanora, Cidona, TK lemonade – Irish fizzy drinks are having a revival". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Guidera, Anita (28 February 2011). "Family soft drink set to create a fizz nationwide". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "McDaid's & Sons – All Ireland Foods". allirelandfoods.ie. Archived from the original on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "Football Special to go nationwide". Donegal Democrat. 1 March 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "Maine". www.okaneirishfoods.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "The Maine man takes his fizzy drinks to Australia". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 22 May 2015. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Retail". Maine Soft Drinks. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Maine and Football Special scores in Australia | Buy NI Food, Northern Ireland Food". BuyNIFood.com. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Auntie Ammie's Candy: American Food and Sweet Shop - McDaid's Original Throwback Football Special 355ml".
- ^ "Brewing up something special". Donegal News. 26 July 2024. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Hickey, Emma (24 July 2024). "Donegal cult classic soft drink Football Special to go national with Lidl roll-out". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Denise (30 September 2024). "Lifestyle Loves: The reading, viewing and adventures we enjoyed in September". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Meehan, Dionne (19 September 2024). "Football Special hits the shelves in Lidl from today". Donegal News. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Burns, John (9 February 2026). "Lidl bought more than €2bn of Irish goods and services last year". Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ English, Galen (18 June 2026). "Lidl to sell McDaid's drink to celebrate ladies' football". Business Plus. Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "Lidl teams up with McDaid's to launch special edition Football Special bottles". Donegal Live. 19 June 2025. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Costigan, Emma (18 June 2025). "Lidl announces return fan-favourite drink Football Special". Evoke.ie. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Byrne, Brian (12 April 2015). "Donegal man takes a pop at US market with 'artisan' craft soda". Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Doyle, Louise (29 March 2016). "Famous Football Special hits mainstream US". Donegal News. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2026.