Christy Ring draw debate
‘Wouldn’t happen in North Korea’
AVONDALE GAA CLUB delgate Victory O’Shaughnessy asked the Wicklow County Board if they didn’t, “trust the people in Croke Park”, following his reading and understanding of an article in this newspaper the previous week in relation to the holding of the Christy Ring Cup semi-final draw behind closed doors.
“Reading the Wicklow People last week, it seemed to indicate that irregularities took place with the draw for the Christy Ring Cup in Croke Park,” began Victor O’Shaughnessy. “And I just want to know, Mr. Chairman, are we saying that don’t trust the people in Croke Park?” he asked.
“We didn’t say that,” replied Martin Coleman.
“Victor, I’ll answer that. I was the man who made the comment,” said Martin Fitzgerald.
“And I stand by the comments I made, Victor. If there was a draw done by Tom Byrne, Mick Hagan and Bridget Kenny for a championship draw, an All-Ireland semi-final, down in that office (in Ballinakill), would you accept it? I’ll ask you the question, would you accept it?”
“Don’t try that one with me,” replied Victor.
“I wouldn’t accept it,” said Martin Fitzgerald.
“I’m asking a question, Mr. Chairman,” said the Avondale GAA Club delegate.
“I’ll try answer it to the best of my ability,” said Martin Coleman.
“Hold on,” said Victor O’Shaughnessy, “is the County Board suggesting that irregularities took place?”
“Nobody ever suggested that,” replied Martin Coleman. “Well, it was questioned in the Wicklow People,” said O’Shaughnessy. “Well, I didn’t write the Wicklow People,” said Coleman. “We discussed it at management. We felt that it was a great opportunity by having a draw on the television and we weren’t even invited, we weren’t even told when the draw was going to be. And last Sunday evening we had the quarter-finals of the Leinster senior hurling championship drawn live on radio and they weren’t able to give the courtesy to an All-Ireland semi-final live on radio,” he added passionately.
James ‘Bear’ Doran was seen to be moving excitedly in his chair for some moments and had been thrusting his hand into the air in the manner of a young schoolchild brimming with confidence that he had the correct answer to the big question. And when Martin Coleman finished, Doran seized his moment and fired off a comic missile.
“I’d just like to agree with that, Mr. Chairman, it was unacceptable the way that draw was done. It wouldn’t happen in North Korea,” he said.
At this, the room erupted into loud, guffawing laughter. When calm was restored, Victor O’Shaughnessy expressed his concern about the way the meeting was being conducted.
“This meeting is turning into a bit of a farce, Mr. Chairman. Nobody can hear what’s going on,” he said.
The Avondale delegate agreed with what Martin Coleman had said about the draw but he said that that wasn’t the indication from the piece in the Wicklow People newspaper.
“And what was the indication in the Wicklow People?” asked Martin Fitzgerald.
“The indication was that irregularities took place, that was my indication.
“But you’re saying different, and I accept that,” he added.
Joe McElheron said that it was his opinion that if an official from Wicklow GAA had wanted to attend the draw then there wouldn’t have been a problem.
The AGB delegate also said that Wicklow had been shown in a bad light in Croke Park because of the criticisms made both in the Wicklow People and on local radio by a hurling official.
The relevant text from the article can be read here:
‘An official letter of complaint has been sent from Wicklow County Board to the GAA over the conducting of the Christy Ring Cup semi-final draw behind closed doors on Monday morning last.
The draw has sent Wicklow on the short journey to Netwatch Cullen Park where they will face Carlow after the neighbours finally put Kildare away in Newbridge last weekend.
Wicklow’s assistant Chairman Martin Fitzgerald said he was “very disappointed” with how the draw was conducted by the GAA and he said that an official letter of complaint had been sent from the Garden county authorities to Croke Park expressing their upset at the handling of the draw in this fashion.
“If that draw happened in Wicklow with Mick Hagan and Bridget Kenny the clubs would go mad. It wouldn’t happen in Wicklow. It wouldn’t be done,” he said.
Wicklow Senior hurling coach Michael Neary said that holding the draw in that manner leaves the GAA wide open to criticism.
“I think they leave themselves wide open to criticism. I knew that we would be playing Carlow at some stage but not to invite officials from any of the counties leaves a lack of openess,” he said.’
The remainder of the front page article concerned Michael Neary’s opinion on the game against Carlow.