Páirc a ‘no-brainer’ for Miller game, says Jackie Tyrrell
Hurling icon Jackie Tyrrell has claimed it should have been a ‘no-brainer’ to make Páirc Uí Chaoimh available straight away for the Liam Miller tribute game.
The GAA has so far declined to make the 45,000 capacity venue available for the September 25 fundraiser game between Manchester United and Celtic/Ireland selections.
As things stand, the game will take place at Cork City’s Turner Cross which has a capacity of 7,500 with tickets selling out after their release last Friday.
I think it’s a no-brainer, it should be played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh,” nine-time All-Ireland winning former Kilkenny hurling star Tyrrell said. “If we see what we’ve done already, we’ve opened up Croke Park to rugby and things like that and if we’re going to do that, why would you turn down this opportunity?
Tyrrell studied in Cork and said his feeling is that “the GAA just made the wrong decision initially”.
He agreed that people could rightfully wonder now about the wisdom of the GAA hierarchy given Croke Park’s handling of this debacle and the ‘Newbridge or nowhere’ issue.
“Yeah, you would (wonder),” he said. “And you would wonder was there conversations, was there meetings, or was there just someone that made one decision and it probably was a bit erratic? You just don’t know what way the decision was discussed, or was it discussed or decided upon? If you look at the bigger picture, it just makes sense, particularly with Liam Miller, and the tragedy that it was, and Cork being such a big open county with so many sports in it. I just think it makes sense.”
Sunday Game analyst Tyrrell said he would personally have no problem with all of the GAA’s major stadia being made available to other sports when required.
“I wouldn’t really, no. I know the Rugby World Cup (application included GAA grounds). Imagine the All Blacks playing in Nowlan Park, I think it would be amazing. I just think the world we live in today is quite diverse and quite open and we should go with that and have that open-mindedness and accept it and run with it.”
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