Ulster Says No

When it was announced two weeks ago that Limerick would stage the first of this year's International Rules tests at its Gaelic Grounds venue, there was much anguish in Ulster at how and why the GAA would overlook Casement Park as the venue choice for this game. Wailing, gnashing of teeth etc.

An Irish Times article that week pointed to the fact that using the Munster venue would allow more spectators into the stadium than Casement could accommodate, generating more cash from the game. This seemed logical enough, but also buried in that piece was the following:

Another factor that has been suggested in the decision is the lack of enthusiasm for the international game in Ulster. One GAA source said: “Ulster hasn’t shown any great interest in the series and when you’re trying to push the idea of a venue and promote the test, you could understand if that caused some reservations.”

This might have caused an eyebrow or two in the northern province to push itself skyward, as any concrete evidence for this claim appeared to be thin on the ground. If anything, the consternation displayed in the wake of the Belfast venue missing out suggested that Ulster held significant support for the Rules series.

Fast forward to this week and we are reading reports about how the Ulster Council are to put forward a motion at Congress that will call for the end of the International Rules series. It probably doesn't come as a huge surprise that this motion came from Tyrone, with Mickey Harte particularly vocal in recent years about how the link to the AFL is damaging Gaelic Games.

The motion received a clear 36-5 majority backing at the Ulster Council's convention last weekend, and Ulster Secretary Danny Murphy has defended this stance:

"It is inappropriate for a partner organisation like the AFL, which works with us in the International Rules dimension, to suddenly take on, target and usurp our players."

On top of this, the Ulster Council wants to declare a game played half-way around the world, and one with which only a handful of GAA stars have opted to ply their trade, as a competitor sport. Beggars belief really.

The news coming from the convention in Donegal is disappointing. It is to be expected that the International Rules series will have its detractors, but when it allows a group of amateur players the chance to travel to Australia, and promote Gaelic Football on an International stage, it shouldn't be treated with this much derision.

Gaelic Games in Belfast would have been boosted by hosting the first test in October, but on this evidence it's little wonder it was overlooked. The men in Ballyshannon with their yellow shirts and maroon, crested ties should ask themselves who is really hurting the GAA in Ulster. It appears that the Ulster Council is fast becoming a rival to itself.