GAA needs to tackle fixture list for urban renewal

Amid all the fears that cash rich Dublin was going to dominate the Championship for years to come, it was interesting to note that two of the wildest and most remote counties in the country contested this season’s All-Ireland final.

Dublin’s multi-million pound sponsorship deal and their droves of full-time coaches were no match for the men who play their football on the Atlantic coast.

The provenance of this year’s finalists provided affirmation, not that it was needed, that Gaelic football is essentially a rural game. It remains rooted in the heather, reeds and rocks of the countryside.