Eimear Ryan: When it comes to equality, the GAA has some ground to make up

It didn’t occur to the lads in 1884 that women might want to play Gaelic games; maybe it didn’t even occur to them that women would be capable

CALL TO ACTION: Ladies footballers with members of the GPA addressing the media at Radisson Blu Hotel in June. Pic: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

The blue plaque on the wall of the wine shop catches your eye as you cross the square in Dungarvan. DAN FRAHER, it reads. 1852–1929. Sportsman & scholar lived here. While you have said and typed the words ‘Fraher Field’ numerous times, you have never once given a thought to the man behind the name. A quick google reveals that not only did Fraher live on that corner of Grattan Square, but he owned a drapery there called the Gaelic Outfitting Store, which supplied gear to – among others – the West Waterford IRA during the War of Independence. A cursory google also supplies a great photo of Dan Fraher wearing striped pants, medals pinned to his chest, a Dungarvan GAA hat on his head.

How often do we mention the names of the men who our playing arenas are named after – and they are nearly always men, with the notable exception of Markievicz Park – without thinking of the person behind the name? It helps that a lot of the names are strong words in and of themselves: Croke, Semple, Ó Caoimh, MacHale, Casement, Nowlan, Cusack. Maybe that’s the best kind of afterlife – to transcend humanity and become a street, or a train station, or a playing field. To have your name spoken frequently.