Hurling fans the losers in big match pile-up

LAST Sunday I set out from Cork to see the Tipperary v Limerick hurling match in Limerick.

I arrived on the outskirts of Limerick 75 minutes before the throw-in. Plenty of time — or so I thought.

But I hadn’t reckoned on the inability of the GAA or the gardaí to organise the basic logistics. Because of the traffic bottleneck, it took me, along with thousands of others, 90 minutes to proceed about five miles to the environs of the stadium at Ennis Road.

The game was then in full flow, there was nowhere to park and I eventually had to miss what turned out to be a very good encounter. Only two gardaí were to be seen and they were on the bridge waving traffic over the Shannon.

It seems nobody in charge knew the extent of the pile-up. This was not the first time Limerick had to deal with an influx of sports fans, so why couldn’t they organise it properly? Are they unwilling to pay for extra gardaí on match day to direct traffic properly?

Why do they let us waste a fine Sunday in this way?

Donal O’Dowd

Forest Ridge

Wilton

Cork