How even the President couldn’t beat ‘the Ban’
It’s a fine snapshot of some of the big political beasts of the time but it also contributed to Hyde’s removal as patron of the GAA.
The ensuing controversy led to Hyde’s enforced departure because he was in contravention of the notorious Rule 27, or ‘the Ban’, which stated: “Any member of the Association who plays or encourages in any way rugby, football, hockey or any imported game which is calculated to injuriously affect our National Pastimes, is suspended from theAssociation.”
An exception was not made for Hyde, despite decades of dedication to national causes such as the revival of the language, and he was removed as patron.
The controversy is the subject of a new book Douglas Hyde v The GAA by Cormac Moore, which also covers other notable incidents related to the Ban, which was eventually removed by the GAA in 1971. The book gives the political and social background to the GAA’s official opposition to ‘foreign’ games for decades, as well as the gradual erosion of that attitude as the ’60s gave way to the ’70s. Moore also explains that by 1945 the GAA saw fit to accept that the President of the country should be allowed to attend all sports events in the country.
Douglas Hyde passed away in 1949.
* The GAA v Douglas Hyde, by Cormac Moore is published by The Collins Press.
