Tommy Martin: Are we only truly alive when we are in the grip of an Irish sporting scandal?

Irish sporting scandals are so bitter because the stakes are so small. It rarely matters greatly to the overall health of the nation which way these things play out, yet it seems to matter so much. Think of the children!

REMATCH? Kilmacud Crokes' captain Shane Cunningham lifts the Andy Merrigan cup after the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final. Pic: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

Is there anything like a good Irish sporting scandal? Doesn’t it get the blood racing to pick up the paper in the morning for the next twist? To twiddle the dial on the wireless for the latest turn? To hear the scuttlebutt of the street and the tuppence-worth of the bar room?

Are we only truly alive when we are in its grip – riding on the high horse, swimming in moral outrage, in deep in indignation?