GAA can no longer cling blindly to the rules

The controversy that flowed from the GAA’s initial decision not to allow the Liam Miller testimonial be played at Páirc Uí Chaoímh is a legacy of history.

More precisely, it is a legacy of the introduction in the early years of the 20th century of a series of rules that came to be known as ‘The Ban’.

‘The Ban’, although never constant in strength and character, ultimately decreed that anyone who played, promoted or attended ‘foreign games’ (the listed ‘foreign games’ were cricket, hockey, rugby, and soccer), or who was a member of the British security forces, was prohibited from membership of the GAA.