Former Munster Council Chair Noel Walsh, the man responsible for the ongoing drive to open up Gaelic Athletic Association county grounds to other sports, believes "a yes vote at Saturday week’s Annual Congress ballot on the issue would repair the public relations disaster that the GAA suffered in Longford two weeks ago," according to Paul Keane of the LONDON TIMES.
Walsh is responsible for Congress motion 47 which proposes that "all county grounds" nationwide be made available for use by other sports, when necessary.
It is "the same motion that was tabled at last year’s Congress" and which received just 38% support, almost 30% shy of the required two-thirds majority to affect change.
But Walsh noted that "there was little or no publicity drive last year; he has been a vocal figure in local and national media ahead of this latest ballot." Walsh also believes that the €2,000 ($2,220) fine handed down recently to Dromard, the Longford GAA club, for hosting a Jamie Carragher football camp on their grounds last summer, which goes against GAA rules, "may also help his cause."
Walsh suggested that "the GAA lost that PR battle, claiming the majority of the public see the fine as draconian and unfair." Walsh said, "That situation in Longford may in some ways be favorable to our motion because I think there’s an acceptance out there that it was a harsh response, a €2,000 fine, and this is an opportunity now with this motion to do the right thing and vote yes."
This "is the second outing for Walsh’s motion after last year’s unsuccessful vote." Under GAA rules, if the motion receives less than a one-third backing this year, which it almost did in '15, then "it cannot be voted on again for another three years" (LONDON TIMES, 2/18).
