Letters to the Editor: Hurling refereeing is at a low ebb
Tipp goalkeeper Barry Hogan appealing to referee James Owens, not pictured, after Stephen Bennett scored Waterford's first goal from a penalty during their Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 3 match at Walsh Park on May 4. Picture Piaras Ă MĂdheach/Sportsfile
In all, Gavin highlighted no less than five serious refereeing incidents during this Tipperary v Waterford Munster Championship game which clearly indicated that the Wexford referee was clearly not up to the task in hand.
I say that Owens should be demoted, as it is not right or proper that a referee decides who wins important hurling games, with both players and spectators alike deserving better.
Gavin also criticised Sean Stack, and rightly so.
He said the referee âis showing too much cockiness in how he goes about his businessâ. Some would say that following his display while in charge of the recent All-Ireland Club hurling final, he should have been demoted.
I agree with Gavin that the hurling referee pool is quite shallow at the present time, and as he said some referees âappear to be doing too much thinking.â
They just cannot see the woods from the trees in my opinion.
I remember that great hurling man the late George Leahy from Kilkenny saying to me many years ago that âa good referee just uses a little common sense while knowing how to apply the rules without attracting attentionâ. How right he was.
These days, the poor refereeing and not the quality of the hurling is all too often the main topic of conversation on a Monday morning.
Darkness into Light can be a night of mixed emotions. Yes thereâs grief and sadness on the night but the crowds that turn out in their tens of thousands not only show support for those who need it, but they also highlight the massive problem that suicide still is in our country.
You know sometimes something as small as a kind word, a handshake or a smile can make a big difference to vulnerable people.
It can give them hope. Help those who suffer in silence by taking part in a Darkness Into Light walk at a venue near you at 4.15am tomorrow, Saturday, May 11.
By all accounts the rugby match in Croke Park on Saturday was a great success. Well done to Leinster on winning. The game was viewed on TV by hundreds of thousands of fans in Ireland and England who got to see the game in the headquarters of the GAA for free.
Ironic then surely wasnât it that on Saturday thousands of hurling fans in Galway, Wexford, Waterford, and Tipperary had to pay for GAAGO all to see their counties playing championship hurling?
In the GAAâs Official Guide Rule 1.3 states âThe Association shall promote and control the national games of hurling, gaelic football, handball and rounders, and such other games, as may be sanctioned and approved by Annual Congressâ.
I must look up the meaning of the word âpromotionâ.
Senator Lisa Chambers, Fianna FĂĄilâs European election candidate, recently made an extraordinary, if deluded, call for Ireland to secure the powerful energy portfolio in the next EU Commission.
Does Ms Chambers not realise that the EU leaders know well that Ireland has a history of gross mismanagement of our indigenous energy since the 1950s when Fianna FĂĄil gave away our entire offshore resources for a pittance?
Is she not aware that successive governments have squandered the potential wealth of both our onshore and offshore resources through a mixture of incompetence, U-turns, dogma and short-term political expediency?
Is she not aware that, as a result, today and for the foreseeable future, Irelandâs energy security is on a permanent knife-edge with no natural gas storage and dependent on 100% import of oil and 80% of natural gas, vital backup transition fuels over the next two decades at least? At the moment, 20% of our electricity is imported directly from Britain.
Would she not agree that, after fighting for our independence for 800 years, there is a pathetic irony in that the coalition is content to be totally dependent on the increasingly chaotic and unreliable British establishment for our energy supply and security through increasingly vulnerable pipelines?
She must be aware that the coalitionâs recent decision, in a spate of mindless grandstanding, to cease issuing oil and gas exploration licenses off our coast has increased our vulnerability and dependence on Britain, further exacerbated by the irresponsible dogma driven refusal to allow further exploration of the Barryroe field just off the Cork coast, which would have guaranteed native energy security by 2026.
Ms Chambers bases her request on Irelandâs âaccess to a high-quality wind corridor off the west coast delivering not just for Ireland but for Europe as a wholeâ.
Those in the renewable industry are too well aware and totally frustrated that Ireland is far behind the rest of Europe in terms of preparation, planning and offshore infrastructure. Recently as a result, two of the largest operators, Equinor and Shell have left our shores and abandoned future developments.
Ms Chambers would do well to peruse the official EU Wind Europe site (windeurope.org) which shows that Ireland at present generates on average only 35 Gigawatt hours (GWh) from wind per day whereas the top ten EU countries generate over 2500 GWh. Germany, UK, Denmark, Netherlands Belgium and France already have substantial off- shore wind generating capacity and rapidly developing more.
It is delusional and naĂŻve therefore, on the basis of our historical and current mismanagement of our own energy, that Ireland would be considered for the EU Commission energy portfolio.
Why in the 21st century do we still have the powerful on the wrong side of history?
Locally we had Churchill asking why the Irish didnât want to be like the English. They were wrong about here, India, and many others. How many of the elite powers were wrong about South Africa, while supporting dictators like Pinochet.
Many in the US have been wrong about segregation at home, Vietnam, Afghanistan and now Israel. Imagine being reversed into the cul-de-sac of defending a pathetic, shallow definition of anti-semitism by a regime plus supporters that have lacked a moral compass (along with others) since the 1920s. One Israeli PM was so incredulously troubled that Palestinians made the Israelis kill them: an unbelievable example of the blind powerful.Â
If Russia kills children in Ukraine, itâs a war crime and they should be brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).Â
If Israel kills children the powerful will do its best to make sure they will not be brought before the ICJ. The efforts by various parts of the US establishment and others to avoid charges and possible prosecution will be yet another example of the blind powerful on the wrong side of history.
Is the price of strategic positioning and natural resources the slaughter of children?
How much more do Palestinians need to suffer? Which country has the moral courage to say no more? I appeal for some nation to call out this horrible horror.
We are well aware of the sacrifices of Irish men and Irish women over the years to ensure the establishment of an independent Irish State.
We the electorate, elect TDs who in turn elect a Government who are responsible for the welfare of the electorate.
Over the years TDs found various ways to make themselves available to the electorate.
Some attended gatherings, baptisms, weddings, funerals etc. All ensuring the electorate had the opportunity to consult or discuss, with their elected representatives, matters of concern.
Many believe this system has worked well.
Some disturbing changes have occurred in the recent past.
Some elected representatives feel âunsafeâ or have concerns for their personal safety.
A small group of individuals have in recent times initiated a campaign of harassment, intimidation of elected representatives and their families by staging protests outside the residences of those elected representatives.
Taoiseach, to the law-abiding citizens of this country, these actions are unacceptable. Indeed they may be seen as an attempt to undermine our democracy.
Our elected representatives, should and must be free to carry their duties and responsibilities without fear of harassment and or intimidation.
Therefore Taoiseach I urge you to introduce legislation, to deal swiftly and efficiently with such unacceptable behaviour.
I suggest mandatory sentencing for such protests outside the residences of elected representatives (ie, 10 years imprisonment) without remission or parole and 20 years imprisonment if such protestors wear balaclavas.
This form of behaviour should be considered as attempting to undermine the democracy of our State.
Our democracy and those who serve it must be protected.
