Unanimous opposition from Ulster delegates appears to have prevented the repeal of the Gaelic Athletic Association's Rule 21 ban on membership by members of the RUC and British army, according to association sources.
At its conference on Saturday the GAA Central Council deferred a resolution on ending the ban.
It accepted a compromise motion after it appeared the two-thirds majority of the 295 delegates necessary for lifting the ban would not emerge. The motion accepted by the conference, which was closed to the media, pledged the association to deleting Rule 21 when "effective steps are taken to implement the amended structures and policing arrangements envisaged in the British-Irish agreement".
This refers to the proposed reorganisation of the RUC under a commission to be headed by the last British governor of Hong Kong, Mr Chris Patten. Mr Patten's commission will start its work this summer and is expected to complete its recommendations by spring 1999.
At present the RUC is a 93 per cent Protestant force and has little support within working-class Catholic areas. It is expected that reforms will address the imbalance of religious representation in the force.
The Ulster GAA representatives were particularly opposed to the lifting of the ban while the British army occupies GAA property in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, and while there is still active patrolling by British soldiers in nationalist areas.
Relatives of two young men, both GAA members, who were shot dead by the British army in highly-controversial circumstances, picketed the Burlington Hotel while the GAA conference was taking place.
Mr John McAnespie, whose son Aidan was shot dead as he walked through the British army checkpoint at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, in February 1988, said it was an "insult that they are even debating this". His son, a member of Aghaloo GAA Club, was on his way to work in Monaghan when he was shot by a soldier manning a machinegun at the post. No explanation was given to the family and no murder conviction resulted from the subsequent investigation.
Also present were the family of Fergal Caraher, of Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, who was also shot dead by British soldiers in December 1990. Mr Caraher, who was a member of St Patrick's GAA Club, Cullyhanna, was a passenger in a car when he was shot. No weapons were found in the car. Again, although there was an investigation no convictions resulted.
Mr Caraher's sister, Maria, said: "I think it is a disgrace that they should be even holding this debate. They are 26-county people and this is not going to even affect them. They don't have to cope with the British army and RUC coming on to pitches and club houses."
O Doirnin camogie pitch in Forkhill while a match was taking place, despite protests. She said that the association had also sent a report to the Taoiseach's office about another incident in which another British soldier, a member of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment had fired a shot into the air close to a bungalow at Larkin's Road, Carnona, in south Armagh last Tuesday week.
She pointed out that the British army maintained 31 look-out towers and fortified bases in south Armagh and that regular military patrolling was still taking place despite the IRA ceasefire.
According to Ulster GAA sources there was unanimous provincial opposition to the withdrawal of Rule 21. At a meeting of the Armagh GAA last Thursday night in Armagh city all 44 delegates voted against repeal of the rule.
After Saturday's conference, the GAA chairman, Mr Joe McDonagh, told journalists there had been a "forthright and comprehensive discussion".
He said the motion adopted by the conference, that the GAA "pledges its intention to delete Rule 21 . . . when effective steps are taken to implement the amended structures and policing arrangements envisaged in the British-Irish peace agreement" reflected the thinking of the conference.
He said the motion reflected the "unanimous wish of our association to remove Rule 21."
There was no other official comment from the GAA about the debate inside the four-hour conference. Journalists were kept well back from the conference room. One Ulster delegate said the debate was "dead even" and that it was clear by late afternoon that there was no two-thirds majority.
Cork delegates proposed the compromise resolution which was drawn up during a brief recess around 5 p.m. and then put to the conference.
The Labour spokesman on sport, Mr Michael Ferris TD, last night welcomed the commitment to remove Rule 21. He urged the GAA to act quickly to remove it.