Fianna Fáil has invested millions in the development of Meath GAA…

That’ll be news to most GAA members in Meath, we venture to suggest. It’ll even be news to most members of Fianna Fáil there as well, who must be blithely aware up to now of the party’s impressive sporting largesse in the county. Maybe this expenditure finally explains what was done with all those blank cheques Bertie signed when he was Treasurer of FF in the reign of the late Charvet J Haughty?

Judge Michael Moriarty … eat your heart out!

However, confirmation of this vast expenditure by FF comes in a leaflet distributed on Saturday evening to fans making their way into the Meath v Cavan match under lights at Páirc Tailteann, in Navan. The leaflet was issued on behalf of one of the local TDs Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey.

Noel says: ‘Meath GAA has always played a significant part in the lives of Meath people and our communities. As a Minister in the Fianna Fáil government (oops! What happened the PDs? If in doubt … leave them out?), and a lifelong Meath supporter, I am delighted to see the positive developments throughout the county occurring as a result of our significant investment in this most important aspect of our culture… For example, last December I announced with the Taoiseach an investment of €750,000 for the Meath Centre of Excellence…. ‘

He goes on: ‘In addition, over the last ten years, the county board and the majority of Meath GAA clubs have secured funding through this FF/PD (aaahhh … there they are!) government. I’m proud of the many excellent projects from local clubs that I have represented to the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism…’

No wonder Noel’s brother, Brendan, took over as Meath county board chairman a few years from the veteran Fintan Ginnity.

Noel is the man who once described the €150 million wasted on the failed computer system for the health services as ‘not significant’. So, accountancy may not be his strongest point, though he has many other good points. The fact is that the money he’s talking about is not Fianna Fáil money… It is taxpayers’ money. What he really meant to say was that FF has authorised the expenditure of millions of taxpayers’ money in GAA facilities in Meath.

Of course, Fianna Fáil have always had difficulty in differentiating between the State and the Party. Especially when it comes to spending money.

Maybe this is something that might concern those other Meath GAA stalwarts, Graham ‘Ya Boy Ya’ Geraghty and Shane ‘I’m the brother of Gerry’ McEntee – of Fine Gael…

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