FROM THE ARCHIVES:The GAA came to the defence of the National Anthem and the Tricolour in 1978 in refusing permission to Cork hurlers to take part in local fundraising hockey matches, as GAA correspondent Paddy Downey reported. – JOE JOYCE
FOUR HURLING personalities, one of them the legendary Christy Ring, who is currently a Cork county selector, have been instructed by the GAA not to play in exhibition hockey games at Garryduff, outside Cork city, on Sunday. The games are being staged by the Munster Branch of the Irish Hockey Union to raise funds for the Irish hockey team who are competing in the World Cup in the Argentine in March.
Con Murphy, president of the GAA, told the players that they were not permitted to help in the fund-raising effort. The reason for the “ban” is that a flag bearing the emblems of the four provinces of Ireland and the Derry Air (Danny Boy) are substituted for the Tricolour and the National Anthem when the Irish hockey team play international games abroad.
After discussing the GAA and IHU policies with Con Lynch, manager of the Irish hockey team, Con Murphy said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon that the GAA could not give its support to any organisation or group which “compromised” on the issue of the Irish flag and anthem, because his association is “an all-Ireland, 32-county organisation” and is “committed to strengthening the national identity and functions on this basis only.”
Christy Ring and three members of the present Cork hurling team, Denis Coughlan, 1977 Carrolls All-Star and Texaco award winner, Tom Cashman and Dermot MacCurtain, accepted invitations to play in the hockey games at Garryduff several weeks ago. The other sportsmen who agreed to take part are the former rugby international Tom Kiernan, Noel Murphy, Phil O’Callaghan, Terry Moore, Jerry Walsh, Mick Sherry and current hooker Pat Whelan; former League of Ireland soccer players, Donnie Wallace and Jackie Morley; the former Irish international cricketer, Pat Dineen, golfer Hugh Mackeown and three leading athletes, Donie Walsh, Neil Cusack and Frank Whalley.
Con Lynch, the Irish team manager, made the following statement after his discussion with Con Murphy: “I respect the right of the GAA to formulate a policy in relation to the flying of the Tricolour and the playing of the Soldier’s Song and fully respect their views in terms as to how they would implement that policy. Equally, Mr Murphy generously accepted the IHU’s right to formulate its policy in these matters and our differences were accepted in mutual respect.
he IHU’s policy in regard to flag and anthem has existed for the past eight years. The GAA, apparently, were not aware of that policy until a couple of days ago – otherwise the instructions issued yesterday would have been conveyed to the players when they first received the invitation to play at Garryduff.