Cork lead the conservative charge on Croker
Cork delegates took a firm stand against the president in an extraordinary attack on the liberal element in the association, setting the tone for fierce internal debate on the matter ahead of April’s Congress.
Delegates at Páirc Uí Chaoimh heard Bride Rovers’ John Arnold say that “he did not respect” the president, pointing out that he had been waiting since last June for a response to a letter inquiring about the cost of running Croke Park on big-match days.
Added John Corcoran, from St. Mary’s in Ballineen: “The president does not deserve the respect of ordinary Gaels.”
However in other counties, there was a continuing swell in support of opening up GAA headquarters to boost the coffers of the association.
In Clare, where a number of motions backed the use of Croke Park for other sports, Eire Óg delegate, Pat Daly commented: “It’s about time the GAA woke up. The Ban has been gone since 1973 if Frank Sinatra can play in Croke Park, then why not the Irish international rugby team?”
In Cork, Midleton delegate Sean Keohane sparked a furious debate when he said he was annoyed that Sean Kelly was issuing personal statements in relation to Croke Park being opened up. As their leader, he should be espousing Association policy ‘and nothing else,’ he commented.
Munster Council Treasurer Dan Hoare suggested that the fact that there was no motion on the agenda in relation to ‘changing anything’ in Croke Park, indicated how the Cork clubs felt.
“I myself have one major problem. I would not let anybody into the car park, not to mention into Croke Park,” he blasted.
He was also annoyed that the GAA was ‘being blamed’ for not letting other sports use Croke Park.
The first of only two speakers to share the president’s views was Billy Coleman from Ballinhassig, when he said that the absence of any motion calling for a change of policy did not necessarily mean that clubs agreed with current policy.
John Twomey (Shamrocks) expressed the view that the motion passed at the Wicklow convention in support of opening up the stadium had been ‘planted.’ In his view, there had been a lot of ‘undue interference’ in the association’s affairs nationally.
Board Treasurer Pearse Murphy advised delegates that while the Government hadn’t paid over all of the grant money promised for the Croke Park redevelopment, the association would be able to pay for it from its own resources in 12 years.
“I think there will be no problem with the debt. It is not an issue,” he commented.
Martin Bowen (Erins Own) said he would have no problem if the clubs decided in favour of opening up Croke Park. But, it would not be done through other people’s agenda. “It’s a bit high-handed of the (Sports) Minister (John O’Donoghue) to be telling us what we should do,” he said.
Former chairman Jim Cronin questioned why the €36m owing to the association in grants had not been paid over when the Sports Minister handed back €80m to the Minister for Finance at the end of last year.
“I think our leaders are too soft. We should be taking a stronger line with the Government,” he added. “We should not have to wait for 12 years.”
Ex-GAA president Con Murphy argued that any change of policy that would allow Croke Park be opened up to other sports would have a knock-on effect down through the Association and possibly ‘bring it down.’
Mr Murphy said that ‘even the GAA’s own respected president’ expressed views which were ‘a distraction,’ emphasising that they could not look at Croke Park in isolation. Warning of the danger of opening it up, he suggested that the consequences would be very dire.
“I would be saying that our properties are not for sale, they are not leasing, they are not for renting and, as some people would wish, they are for hi-jacking.
Ballineen’s John Corcoran took issue with the president for espousing ‘his own views’ on Croke Park, saying that if he was a member of any other organisation he would be asked to account for them.
He wondered if it was a coincidence that the president, the minister and GAA PRO Danny Lynch were in the same (Kerry) consistency, commenting: “It might be a joke, but on closer examination, they are too close for comfort.
“Until such time as the president espouses the rules as laid down by our association, he does not deserve the respect of the ordinary Gaels.”
He also took issue with comments made by the president in relation to attending the Irish rugby team’s World Cup games in Australia. “This was the same team which refused to fly the national flag or stand for the national anthem,” he claimed.
However, in Clare, there was unanimous support for four motions taken together to open up Croke Park, two from St Joseph’s, one from Eire Óg and one from Clooney.
In Tipperary, a motion allowing GAA grounds, club houses, etc. to be used from time to time as Central Council or the Management Committee saw fit, was ruled out of order by chairman Donal Shanahan.
However, the Mullinahone motion was given an airing with delegate Ricky Sheehan commenting: “There is every chance that the GAA would accrue over €1m in rent if we agree to open Croke Park for the World Cup qualifier against France.
“In turn a figure of €30,000 would accrue to all the county boards of the country and that is a figure not to be sneezed at.”
He was supported by his club delegate John Vaughan who argued that the 100m debt on the stadium was frightening.
“I would appeal to the delegates who will be going to Congress to represent us next April to vote in favour of opening up Croke Park and to support Sean Kelly. After all we voted for him in the presidential election at this year’s Congress and should be seen to be supporting him now.”
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