Recalling a big change in use of Croke Park
Quirke recalls his role in a history-making G.A.A. vote
FIFTEEN YEARS ago, the motion to amend the G.A.A’s controversial Rule 42 was passed at Congress by 227 votes to 97, paving the way for soccer and rugby to be played in Croke Park during the re-development of Lansdowne Road.
For Seán Quirke, who was Wexford County Board Chairman at the time, it stirs up emotive memories when he looks back on a tension-filled day that proved to be an historic one for the Association.
The motion received the twothirds majority needed in a secret ballot, and Quirke was quoted at the time as saying: ‘If a neighbour’s house burned down in a fire and you had a spare room, would you leave him out in the cold?’
Reflecting on that famous day in 2005, he believes that, as well as it being the right thing to do for the greater good, it was also a prudent business decision for the G.A.A.
‘That was one comment I used, if you had a spare room and a neighbour’s house went on fire you wouldn’t leave them out in the cold, but I also thought that the revenue that would be made from it was important,’ he recalled.
‘I remember Sam McCauley was very pro opening it, a highly-regarded businessman, who went on to even greater things after.
‘His argument was, if you can get people inside your door to show your war es, it would do the G.A.A. the power of good as well. You’d be showing Croke Park off to millions of people,’ he said.
Quirke admitted pride in the sporting exploits of a fellow Wexford man was also a motivating factor behind his own stance on the issue, an opinion he voiced loudly at the time.
‘Another thing I said at Congress was we had Gordon D’Arcy, who had just been selected for the Lions tour, who would have been very supportive of our football team.
‘He would have been touching base with the team and seeing how they were doing.
‘I said that on the day, that we in Wexford would be proud to see Gordon D’Arcy walking out as a Wexford man to play in Croke Park to represent Ireland,’ he said.
The Oylegate-Glenbrien clubman also pointed out that American football had been played on the hallowed turf at Jones’ Road, and Gaelic games saw no ill effect as a consequence.
‘I think it was Mike Reddy of Rathnure who used that at our Convention and I thought it was brilliant. He made the point “there’s American football after being played in Croke Park and it hasn’t caught on in Rathnure’, he laughed.
Quirke said, although Model county clubs were largely in favour of amending the rule, every voice was heard at a local level, as it was such an important issue among the grassroots of the Association.
‘We had a great debate on it in Wexford at Convention. There was also a forum on in Bellefield to discuss it. It was an open forum for people to come and talk about it. That was very enlightening.
‘I know that there was certain high-ranking people in the G.A.A. in Wexford that actually changed their mind that night. It was very emotive, people were very emotional about it.
‘Maybe now, 15 years later, it might not seem to be as big an issue, but it was at the time. For the six counties it was massive.
‘There were people against it that spoke very well. The one thing I would say about the Convention, there was never anything personal in it.
‘It was always on the point and I think it was probably one of the best debates that we had at any Convention. It was very to the point and concentrating on the issues. People had very strong opinions on it,’ he said.
The former Wexford County Chairman was quick to praise then-President Seán Kelly, who was the driving force behind the change, and he believes the Kerry man worked wonders for the Association during his term at the helm.
‘I don’t think any other President would have got it through. I think Seán Kelly was very forward-thinking and probably a little bit before his time.
‘If you look at his legacy, with the Intermediate and Junior hurling club championships being held in Croke Park. That was all his thing. He was very much about players.’
For Quirke’s own club, Oylegate-Glenbrien, the vote stirred up particularly strong emotions as one of their own, Tom Ryan, was killed by British forces on Bloody Sunday at the Dublin versus Tipperary football match in Croke Park in 1920.
‘It was very emotive for me as well opening up Croke Park, because we had a man from our club who was shot on Bloody Sunday in 1920. The history of Croke Park would mean an awful lot to us here locally.
‘Although counties were divided on it and it was very difficult for some people, I still think it was the right thing to do,’ he said.
Looking back on it now, Quirke believes it was a red-letter day for the G.A.A., a decision which helped them to flourish, and also enhance how others looking in viewed the Association when they saw the Irish rugby and soccer teams running on to the field at G.A.A. headquarters from 2007 to 2010.
‘It would have been terrible if Ireland were playing their home rugby internationals in Cardiff and playing their home soccer internationals in Manchester or Liverpool.
‘There was a whole lot of reasons for it, like the revenue it brought into the country by keeping the internationals in Dublin. To have a stadium in your capital city that holds 82,000, I don’t think we’d have been forgiven if it couldn’t have been used,’ he said.
‘I think we’ve grown because of it. The stadium was beamed into houses across Europe and the world on television.
‘We would never have gotten that kind of exposure otherwise, so it worked very well for everyone.
‘I even wonder still, is it a mistake that we don’t have the internationals in Croke Park, where you could have 82,000 rather than 50,000,’ he said.