Sir, – Dublin is a “county” that includes well over a million people in four local authorities, and as a consequence has access to vast resources in both GAA player numbers and money that other counties do not have.
It is competing in an amateur sport with counties that have much lower populations and resources. Co Dublin has approximately 40 times a greater population than Co Leitrim, for example.
The point has to be made that the GAA All-Ireland championships are based on counties that are local authority areas set up by the colonial power hundreds of years ago.
Because of the size of its population, the county of Dublin has been divided recently into four local authorities by a native government decision. If there is going to be any fairness, therefore, the least the GAA can do is follow the logic of the local authority model and divide Dublin up into its four local authorities: Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, South Dublin and Fingal.
Each would still have a much bigger population than the average of competing counties.
I am sure there would still be arguments about the fairness or otherwise of who was put off the pitch and why, but the GAA would be seen to be a bit more fair and a bit more logical in the administration of its most important competitions. – Yours, etc,
A LEAVY,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.