It’s quiet now, almost eerie. We all know it’s coming, have known for ages. Think World War One and the trenches before men went over the top. It’s do or die, something has to give.
When Congress meets in April, there will be only one issue in the eyes of the vast majority of the country - Croke Park. A subject that has been prevaricated upon, skillfully handled, financially blackmailed – whatever, but now the time has come to decide what to do with the issue.
To open or not to open – that is the question. Will the biggest sporting organisation on this island decide to release the great stadium from its Gaelic duty and make it available to ‘foreign sports’ such as soccer and rugby? At this stage the issue has been argued/debated so many times that it seems as if we are going round in circles, searching for the door marked exit, trying to find a conclusive end to the dilemma.
Both camps are trenchant in their views. Either you perceive the GAA as a backward, monolithic organisation that is abusing taxpayers’ money in keeping the gates of Croke Park shut, or you see it as defending stoically one of the last true bastions of Gaelic Ireland against the forces of evil (ok, not exactly evil, but you get the idea). Everyone seems to have an opinion on it – from experts who know their stuff to radio ‘personalities’ who display an alarming lack of knowledge on the subject.
Make no mistake about it, whatever the GAA decides on the future use of Croke Park will have far reaching consequences for the organisation. Now is a time for calm heads, for as the day of reckoning draws nearer the tension is going to increase. Steady as she goes….
Seán Kelly is the right man to be steering the ship at this moment. During his tenure the Kerryman has displayed an ability to do what is right and proper at the given moment. Now more than ever this penchant for capability is required. Rhetoric will be spouted, at times it may resemble a civil war. Seán will be there to calm it down.
Open it up. That is what De Scribe believes should happen. With some provisos – let it just refer to Croke Park, let it just be for the duration of the construction of a modern Lansdowne Road.
The alternative is too distressing for the GAA. We live in a world of perception, a world where PR is NB. That’s the way it is. Imagine if you will Ireland playing their Six Nations ‘home’ match next year against Wales in Cardiff. Maybe Twickenham. Imagine our soccer team playing a ‘home’ European Championship qualifier in Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow. Think about it. Each of these occasions would be fuel to a fire that would burn the GAA. Thousands of Irish fans making their way to Dublin Airport, some passing Croker on the way asking ‘what in God’s name is going on?’ It would be a fair question. How strangely, how negatively, how angrily would the rest of Europe look on as an 82,500 capacity stadium was lying idle, aching for some action, whilst we exported some of our biggest sporting occasions to a neighbouring land?
This would be nothing short of a PR disaster for the GAA. Seán Kelly knows this. Liam Mulvihill knows this. When children ask their parents why their national team is never home, what will they be told? Who will the bad guys be? Who will bear the brunt of a nation’s ire?
There is no doubt about what must happen, no room for fudge. Forget arguments that allowing other sports onto the hallowed sod will somehow taint it, removing some of its Gaelic lustre. American football, Garth Brooks, U2….need we go on? Have any of these infected the sacred sod, have they damaged the GAA? Why should Brian O’Driscoll or Damien Duff be any different?
How can a country like Australia accommodate cricket, soccer, Australian Rules, rugby league and rugby union in the same arena? How can the famed MCG accommodate runs of various kinds without losing its sense of history? Are we saying that Croke Park is somehow different, that once it is subject to soccer and rugby the whole edifice of the GAA will come crashing down?
The GAA is the biggest and best sporting organisation on this island. Croke Park is the biggest and best stadium on this island. There is nothing to fear from opening it up. Rather, it will only serve to highlight the magnificence of the organisation that built it. Why should such a stadium be allowed to lie idle for half a year, serving only as a seagull sanctuary and nothing else? There can only be one decision next month….
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