THE GAA was under siege yesterday ... As though it hadn't enough on its plate trying to finalise arrangements for tomorrow's football replay between Meath and Mayo, it was accused of "blatant discrimination against women".
Frances Fitzgerald the FG deputy, said: "It's a shame that the GAA for the second time in as many weeks has downgraded women's involvement in our national games to second class status." She maintained the cancellation of the women's football final tomorrow, and its replacement by the minor hurling final to complement the Meath Mayo match, was "blatant discrimination against women and would not be tolerated in any other national organisation".
She said this was the second such downgrading of women in Gaelic sports in as many weeks. Last Sunday the GAA ardcomhairle refused to open the Hogan Stand for the All Ireland camogie final between Cork and Galway.
it was not possible to get a comment from the GAA hierarchy yesterday on it's attitude to women. The phone at Croke Park was permanently engaged, as hundreds of optimists, even at this late stage, were looking for tickets. The message, as always on the eve of an All Ireland, no matter where you look, is invariably: "Sorry, they are all gone."
They have all also been snapped up in Mayo and Meath and apparently everywhere else in Ireland. As one senior Mayo GAA source said: "The population seems to have doubled judging from the number of people looking for tickets and claiming Mayo relations."
A Meath source complained that their supporters would have got more tickets if the minor match had been scheduled for a different day. However, the GAA contends that they always play a minor game before a senior game on All Ireland day. Mayo must be kicking themselves, having to make the trip back to Croker again. Two weeks ago, with 10 minutes to go, they were sitting comfortably on a four point lead. It was all over ... Or so they thought. Meath never accepted defeat and they kept coming in waves until they had equalised.
The biggest winner is the GAA. It is expecting a big pay day tomorrow. Some 65,898 attended the drawn game. A similar crowd is expected for the replay.
Thousands who took their holidays and travelled from England, the US and Australia for the original match won't be present for the replay. They will have to watch the game on television or video. But this leaves more tickets for others.