Hazzards of management for McGrath

FERMANAGH manager Pete McGrath came under fire from a most unexpected source this week, with the former Northern Ireland Health Minister Jim Wells having a cut.

The DUP MLA’s ire had been sparked by McGrath’s public backing of Chris Hazzard, Sinn Féin’s candidate in South Down in this Thursday’s general election in the UK.

It was hard to tell which exercised Wells more, McGrath’s failure to point out that he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the GAA, or his citation of support.

We are sure, that McGrath (right) would be happy to confirm that he was speaking in his capacity as an individual, rather than as the official spokesperson for the GAA.

But it seemed to be his assertion that he was backing the Sinn Féin candidate because the party stood for ‘equality, integrity and space for everyone in our society’ which appeared to grate with Wells.

‘I don’t think it was wise at all for him to identify himself as a Sinn Féin supporter – and I don’t think what he was saying was accurate either, talking about “the party of equality”,’ sniped Wells.

But then Wells’ grasp on such a concept is quite tenuous.

Last weekend he tweeted that Sinn Féin, after a canvass of Rathfriland ‘were not welcome in a unionist town, particularly on a Sunday’.

Somehow, you suspect Pete slept fine in the aftermath of his admonishment by an individual who falls somewhat shy of being a paragon of equality.