An Ghaeltacht fans under the weather as match cancelled

HUNDREDS of supporters of An Ghaeltacht, who were already on the road to Portlaoise when they learned that their club’s All-Ireland semi-final match against Moy was cancelled, are at a loss to understand why GAA officials in Laois were unable to give earlier warning that the pitch was unplayable.

The All-Ireland Club Intermediate Football Championship semi-final was scheduled to start at 2pm in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, on Sunday but after a wet week and then yet more rain early on Sunday morning the pitch was waterlogged and GAA officials decided to call off the fixture.

The decision to cancel was made at around 9am on Sunday, but by that time hundreds of An Ghaeltacht supporters were already on the road. Many others had travelled on Friday and Saturday, staying with family and friends across the midlands, and in hotels and B&Bs in Portlaoise.

Supporters of An Ghaeltacht could understand that there was no option but to cancel the match, but they were annoyed that, given the poor weather forecast, GAA officials weren’t able to predict sooner that the pitch would be unplayable.

On An Ghaeltacht’s twitter account, Nina Murphy posted a photograph of the flooded pitch on Sunday with the comment: “Surely if this is what the pitch looks like this morning the An Mhaigh v An Ghaeltacht match could have been called off yesterday”.

The same thought has been on the minds of many of the people whose plans were upended when they heard the match was cancelled. An Ghaeltacht stalwart Gearóid Mac Gearailt, who is well used to grappling with the weather in his work with Kerry County Council, felt that things might have been handled better.

“People were saying that the pitch was unplayable earlier in the week so, when there was more rain on the way, they should have been able to tell it would be unplayable as well on Sunday,” he said.

“If we had a look at Páirc An Ághasaigh on Wednesday and we knew there was more rain on the way we’d have a fairly good idea that we wouldn’t be able to play on Sunday. I don’t know how they weren’t able to decide sooner and possibly move the match to another venue,” he added.

It was around 9.30am on Sunday when the Gaeltacht team heard of the cancellation. They had just had breakfast and were ready for action; now they’ll have to regenerate that passion again for the rescheduled fixture in Semple Stadium at 2pm next Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dáithí de Mórdha humorously commented on An Ghaeltacht’s twitter account that he wanted compensation for his fine sandwiches.

“Bhuel táimse ag cur claim isteach dtín CLG as na saingbhuidsí breátha bhí déanta agam I gcóir an lae,” a dúirt sé.