GAA scores a disastrous own goal by signing up to pay-for-play deal

I HAD a dream the other night that quickly turned into a nightmare. A prominent Dublin barrister, Michael McDowell, formerly Minister for Justice, had somehow been returned to the Dáil and was appointed Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism.

Alongside Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary, McDowell was presiding over a presentation at Ryan Park, formerly known as Croke Park. The occasion marked the end of the GAA’s inter-county hurling championship and McDowell, who had controversially asserted at the start of the summer that some measure of inequality was necessary in the GAA to keep it competitive and profitable, was there to present large cheques to members of the winning Cork team, to the tune of €100,000 each.

The players on the Limerick team who had provided the opposition were somewhat downcast that their quest for another all-Ireland medal had been dashed, but there was considerable consolation in that they were each receiving a runners-up cheque for €50,000 each.