GAA answer Ireland’s Call

AND SO after years of divisive argument and bickering it has finally come to pass. The decision to allow Croke Park open its doors is truly momentous and has been recognised as such.

While it still may be some time before Damien Duff or Brian O’Driscoll appear on the hallowed turf, the fact that the concept will be given some time to bed down may not be a bad thing.

Already the decision has been misinterpreted, with some looking for Ireland’s soccer World Cup qualifying game against France to be played there. I note some of the rugby fraternity speculating on the use of other grounds for Munster games. This is not on the agenda. Nothing will happen until Lansdowne Road is closed for reconstruction and Croke Park is the only venue available. That must be respected.

The GAA decision also provides further evidence of just how far this country has progressed in recent times. Hopefully the lead shown by the members of the GAA will act as a catalyst for further change on this island.

It is difficult for people outside the country to comprehend the historic significance of this gesture. Due largely to the emigrant community, there are very few places where Gaelic football and hurling have failed to infiltrate. I was recently on business in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and attended a training session of the Abu Dhabi Fianna Gaelic football side. The club consisted of players, both male and female, from all over Ireland and more significantly from a large number of overseas countries. I was invited to a lunch hosted jointly by the local rugby and GAA clubs.

In a question and answer session that followed, the queries regarding the opening up of Croke Park were as frequent as those on the likely composition of the Lions squad.

It is also significant how the common bond that exists through Gaelic games has acted as a unifying force for so many Irish people abroad. Last December, I had dinner with the legendary All Blacks No. 8 Zinzan Brooke who now lives in London. He was one of the most talented forwards ever to play the game, once dropping a goal in a test series against South Africa.

He explained how his football skills were honed through his involvement with the Auckland Gaels Gaelic football team with whom he played for a number of years. He was introduced to the game by a fellow All Black and Irish descendant Bernie McCahill whose brother Sean played for Sunday’s Well and Munster for a number of seasons. He loved the game and having attended Croke Park in recent years, couldn’t understand the controversy in opening up the stadium. When I explained the significance of what happened on Bloody Sunday and the historic roots of the game, he began to understand the complexities of the issue.

As a Corkman, I was embarrassed at the stance taken by the Cork County Board. A recent television survey of Ireland’s greatest sporting icons had Roy Keane, Sonia O’Sullivan and Christy Ring in the top four. As a sporting county there is so much to be proud of in all codes. Therefore to emerge as the only county in the Republic (bar Monaghan) to reject the motion was very disappointing and out of touch with the opinions I have encountered from people within the organisation in Cork.

Throughout the debate, it seemed that rugby, given that it represents the entire island, posed less of a problem than soccer. Yet I could understand how the Six Counties and Monaghan were conscientious objectors to the motion.

For over 100 years rugby has compromised in order to keep the sport united on the international front. Throughout my career I shared hotel rooms with players who worked for the RUC and the British Army, without hesitation. I was always aware of the complexities that surrounded the playing of our national anthem and why “Ireland’s Call” emerged as a compromise after the initial disaster at the first rugby World Cup in 1987 when the “Rose of Tralee” was aired in Wellington. Given that home jurisdiction is always respected, at least when Ireland line out in Croke Park, Amhrán na bhFiann will be played.

The difficulty surrounds the fact that only “Ireland’s Call” is played when Ireland play away from home. Throughout my career I never had the opportunity to stand for my national anthem away from home. When you represent your country as far away as New Zealand and Australia your sense of nationalism is even greater. It creates even further difficulties for the huge army of Irish people who live abroad when they attend those games and are denied the opportunity of singing their anthem.

When playing in Dublin, the singing of both Amhrán na bhFiann and “Ireland’s Call” satisfies everyone. The time has now come for both to be played when Ireland play abroad. Given the progressive stance taken by the members of the GAA this week, this is something the IRFU should address. The players and the Irish community abroad deserve it.