GAA were told on Christmas Eve senior inter-county could continue

On December 31, legislation was introduced removing senior inter-county games from the list of level 5 exempted sports, a decision which was made without consulting the Nphet

Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan: Told on December 24 that games could continue. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The GAA were told as late as Christmas Eve last year that senior inter-county games could continue as Level 5 exempted sports activities.

In documents seen by the Irish Examiner following a Freedom of Information request, GAA director general Tom Ryan was informed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media on December 24 last that senior inter-county games were permitted.