When a club folds, it diminishes us all

The news filtered through in dribs and drabs last week, but the bottom line was consistent in all versions of the story. Redmonds GAA club is to close down.

The disappearance of the club crystallises any number of issues facing the GAA and, by extension, Irish society, but one of the clearest is something that gets precious little discussion — urban depopulation.

Last week the TV news carried coverage of the closure of post offices in remote parts of the South Kerry Gaeltacht, which is a devastating blow to a community on the very periphery of the country, and one that deserves all the exposure it gets.