Sam Maguire pays first visit to Stormont
Secretary of State Paul Murphy hosted a special reception for All-Ireland football champions Armagh whose manager Joe Kernan declared: "We are an Ulster team and it's great to be acknowledged in this way."
The doors at Stormont, once a citadel of unionism, revolved open as Kernan and his captain Kieran McGeeney led their team into the marbled hallway. Armagh created history when they defeated Kerry in a thrilling final at Croke Park, Dublin last month to lift the famous trophy.
With the Derry minor side also winning an All-Ireland title, it was decided special recognition should be given to the two Ulster sides' achievements.
Below the stairs leading to the life-size statue of Lord Craigavon, Northern Ireland's first prime minister, the jubilant teams swapped stories. The reception was held on the eve of another ground-breaking sporting event, the inaugural Gaelic football match between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Síochána.
Commissioner Pat Byrne and chief constable Hugh Orde will be among spectators at the Garda sports complex in Westmanstown, Dublin, for the throw-in.
With the lifting on a ban on the British security forces being members of the GAA and the introduction of new policing arrangements aimed at achieving a 50/50 Protestant/Catholic make-up, the game got the go-ahead. As he paid tribute to the two teams last night Mr Murphy, a Welshman, said: "Sport can break down many barriers and enrich the lives of many people across our society regardless of gender, age, language, cultural or social differences as well as making a vital contribution to the quality of life."
Mr Kernan said he was still astonished by the level of support for his team. "To fill Croke Park with 80,000 people and a worldwide audience is great for Ulster," he said. But with soccer chiefs in Ireland and Scotland bidding to jointly host the 2008 European Championships try to get permission to play matches at Croke Park, Mr Kernan refused to be drawn into the debate.
He said: "I love all sports and I got such enjoyment from the Ulster rugby side winning the European Cup. If I had a chance to see a soccer team playing in a stadium as good as we have at Croke Park, then I would love to go. But I'm a sportsperson and that decision is not for me to make."
