President flies into row over use of ’copter for GAA game

THE President was embroiled in an angry political row yesterday over the “outrageous” use of helicopters to ferry dignitaries to GAA games.

Fine Gael’s Micheál Ring demanded the Taoiseach condemn the use by an unnamed state official of an Air Corps helicopter to attend the Connaught final.

President Mary McAleese is believed to have been the dignitary helicoptered from Dublin to Castlebar for the game last July.

Mr Ring told the Dáil the use of the helicopter and official car had been “hissed and booed” by the crowd and called on the Taoiseach to send a directive to the President and ministers banning them from using aircraft to attend GAA games.

Brian Cowen said people could get ‘quite petty’ about the use of aircraft by members of Government and state officials and said it was perfectly acceptable for a helicopter to “drop” someone at a GAA game on the way back from an official engagement.

Áras an Uachtaráin refused to comment on the matter, or even confirm that the President had attended the GAA match last summer.

When asked if the President believed she was above explanation regarding the cost to taxpayers for her travel arrangements, Ms McAleese’s spokesperson said: “I’m not commenting.”

Mr Ring raised the matter in the Dáil as he called on the Taoiseach to take a stronger line on the cost of Government air travel.

“At the Connacht final last year I saw a Government helicopter arriving. The state car goes around the back and brings the person in to attend a football match. I heard the hissing and booing and people giving out that this was their money. The Taoiseach should send out a directive to ministers, the President and everybody in this country that they should not be using helicopters for Connacht, Munster or Leinster football finals. We cannot afford it any longer,” he told the Dáil.

Mr Ring told the Irish Examiner: “The official was not hissed and booed, the helicopter was. People thought there was a minister on board, but it wasn’t a minister.”

Mr Cowen said it should not provoke outrage for those on official business to be dropped at a GAA game on the way back to the helicopter base.

“If people are on official business in the morning and the helicopter is returning to base and someone wants to be dropped off at a match I do not see that as outrageous. If people are using the helicopter for official business and it is going back to base people can be dropped home unless we insist that people return to the base and wait for a car to bring them back home. We can get quite petty about it.

“Helicopters are only used when ministers are on official business but a person may be dropped off as the helicopter is returning to base,” he told the Dáil.