Funny though it may seem, cricket was once the dominant sport of the ordinary people in parts of the Royal County of Meath, An Fear Rua recalls…

In the pleasant, fertile fields around the picturesque crossroads of Dunsany, for example, there is one field known as ‘The Cricket Field’ where, for many years, the tenantry of the local lord and their families whiled away many’s the languid Summer evening. Long before the sound of boot on leather, or ash on sliothar was heard around Dunsany, the sound of willow and leather redounded through these fields of a Summer’s evening.

The patrons of this activity were successive Lords Dunsany, now on Number Nineteen of that title, of the family of Plunkett, which included the saint of that same surname, Oliver Plunkett. The family once owned tens of thousands of acres in the locality and managed to keep it all ‘in the family’ over hundreds of years of wars, religious ferment and other political vicissitudes through the simple expedient of ensuring that one half of the family was always Catholic, and the other Protestant, thus making sure that no matter what way the political wind was blowing, a Plunkett held onto the land. It took the establishment of the Land Commission, and the setting up of the Irish Free State, finally to prise acreage out of Plunkett hands and into the ownership of the mere Gaels in the area.

Dunsany today is home to one of the finest Gaelic football grounds and clubhouses in the county of Meath, if not in the entire country. Fittingly enough, at the official opening last year, one of the guests of honour was Lord Dunsany. His grandfather was the man who first recognised and encouraged the undoubted talent of that wonderful Meath poet, Francis Ledwidge, of Slane, who died tragically in World War One. This year, Dunsany GFC has the honour of hosting most of the training sessions of Meath's All Ireland panel.

But ... two Nigels, a Graham, a Trevor, an Evan and a Darren … To a GAA fan of the old school, these read more like the first names of one of Lord Dunsany’s cricket teams than of a Meath Gaelic football team. The really intriguing name among them, of course, is ‘Hank’, as in Hank Traynor. Even AFR is stumped about the origin of this one. Maybe a mother or a father who were big fans of the Country and Western star, Hank Williams? Fortunately, perhaps, they were not fans of Elvis. Otherwise, maybe the great man himself would have had to turn out some time in a green-and-yellow jersey. Gone, however, are the familiar Paddys, Seáns and Séamus’s of Meath teams of yesteryear. Nothing wrong at all with the new names, of course. But, they do underline the enormous cultural and social changes that Ireland has undergone in the past twenty five years, and that are still growing apace. We commented on this some time ago when comparing the ‘high tech’, new economy occupations of last year’s Irish shinty team with their Scottish opponents, with the Scotsbeing the followers, largely, of rural-based, traditional occupations.

Word has it the top-level Strategic Review Committee appointed by the GAA is about to finalise its report, so that it can be considered at a Congress in October. Let’s hope they make their recommendations against a background of understanding the effects on Dis Great Assoosheeayshun Of Ours of the enormous demographic, economic, cultural and social changes that are taking place. The old, insulated and insular, monoglot, grey-and-white Ireland of the rural, Catholic parish is gone and is being replaced by a polyglot, globalised, veritable rainbow of new races and new religions. The Review Committee’s report – if it is to be worthwhile at all – must include clear recommendations to migrate the structures and attitudes of the GAA from the old model to this new one. Otherwise, in the long run, the GAA runs the danger of ending up the same way as other great organisations – and even, species of mammals – that failed to adapt to a changing climate.

But, now that the Grahams, Trevors, Darrens, Nigels, Hanks et al have‘done the business’ against Dublin in the Leinster Final - even if it wasn't by the proverbial 'cricket score' - An Fear Rua ventures to suggest most Meath fans won’t be too fussed about ‘the bigger picture’ …

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