Tommy Martin on the league: At least it gets us out of the house

Hurray for the return of the GAA national leagues, which mark the proper start of the inter-county season. Along with the Six Nations, they usher in the sporting year: a time of renewal and reawakening and of getting out of the house, writes Tommy Martin.

Hurray for the return of the GAA national leagues, which mark the proper start of the inter-county season. Along with the Six Nations, they usher in the sporting year: a time of renewal and reawakening and of getting out of the house.

In this way, the leagues are one of those things in life that are better for what they promise than what they actually are, like stag weekends and parliamentary democracy. For GAA fans, there is an acceptance that what they are watching is only a read-through for the summer’s full sequins-and-dancing-girls extravaganza, but that it’ll do for the moment and, really, don’t underestimate the getting out of the house part.