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ALL IRELAND TO BE PLAYED ON "BRITISH SOIL" – DALY

13th July 2009.

The All Ireland Final is set to be played on British soil for the first time, according to Kerry Senator Mark Daly. Croke Park officials are currently ploughing up the sod ahead of the forthcoming U2 concerts, however Senator Daly has learnt that when it comes to replanting the sod after the concerts, the GAA will be putting down sod imported from England.

This is despite the special sod used in Croke Park could be sourced in Ireland. However the GAA has hired British consultants to maintain the Croke Park playing surface and they will be importing the sod from Britain.

The same consultants are also mainly using contractors from the North for work in Croke Park and on other GAA contracts around the country, ignoring contractors from the South.

"As a national movement you would expect them to be doing their bit to help the Irish economy by providing work for Irish contractors, particularly given the difficult economic times we are enduring. This is especially true for contractors at present and I must admit I was shocked when I heard of the GAA’s attitude to this issue."

"I think this is symbolically a terrible signal for the GAA to be sending out," said Senator Daly. "The GAA are our national sporting institution and Croke Park is our national stadium. Given the history of the stadium and the pitch I think the GAA should be doing more to source sod from within Ireland rather than importing it from the South. I’m not sure anyone involved in the GAA would be too comfortable with the notion of the All Ireland Finals being played on British soil."

"Possibly even more worrying is that the GAA is only hiring contractors from the North. I’ve spoken to several contractors from different parts of the 26 counties who have actually stopped submitting bids for work from the GAA. Apparently it’s well known in the industry that the GAA are only hiring contractors from the North as all those decisions are made by a firm of English consultants they have working for them."

"Hopefully now that this issue is in the public domain the GAA might relook at this issue and being such a proud force for promoting Ireland, will adapt their current approach accordingly," Senator Daly concluded.