Irish Rail declares All-Ireland war

Iarnród Éireann’s decision to go ahead with pay cuts will end a fragile stand-off with trade unions, writes Stephen Rogers

Barely a month into his role as minister for both transport and sport, it is the kind of public relations disaster Paschal Donohoe could really have done without — a transport strike at the national rail service which will almost certainly stop fans getting to a semi-final in one of the country’s favourite competitions.

What’s more, unless the resolution which has failed to materialise during 20 months of negotiations suddenly emerges in the next few weeks, the row will also cause chaos for 80,000 fans trying to get to each of next month’s All-Ireland finals in both hurling and Gaelic football.