Madam, - Kevin Gallagher's letter (Dec 12th) is typical of its ilk - high on emotion, filled with ignorance and low on fact. Let's review the facts.
1 - Yes, some of our tax euros were spent on Croke Park, just as tax euros are spent on sports in general in this country.
This is because we are an enlightened country and believe that participation in sport is a good thing.
2 - Whilst there were tax euros spent on Croke Park, the vast bulk of the financing was raised by the GAA itself.
3 - The GAA does not have access to funds from World Cups, European Cups, internationals etc., as do rugby and soccer.
Yet the FAI (after three World Cups and a European Cup) does not have the ability to fund its own stadium.
4 - The various sporting bodies are in active competition against each other to get young people involved in their particular codes.
With this in mind, why then would the GAA, after having gone to enormous lengths to build a world-class stadium, solve the problems of other sporting bodies?
I personally would tend to agree that Croke Park should be run as a business and would therefore countenance rugby or soccer being played in Croker on a limited basis for purely monetary reasons.
However, neither the IRFU not the FAI has a God-given right to use the GAA's stadium. - Yours etc.,
SEÁN DOWLING, Ardmore Cottage Timoleague, Co Cork.
Madam, - Kevin Gallagher pillories Croke Park as "a symbol of a sectarian past and present still enforced by the officers of the GAA".
He calls for the organisation to open its doors to all games.
Firstly, I'd like Mr Gallagher to elaborate on what exactly is sectarian about the GAA these days.
It is an extremely serious allegation to make and he should substantiate such slurs or withdraw them.
Secondly, could he also elaborate on why exactly the GAA should allow a partitionist sport to be played in its finest stadium?
What was partition if not a crude exercise in sectarianism?
I fail to see how allowing a sport where its Northern fans hound out their Catholic players, whilst their Southern fans see no problem booing a Danish player and a Georgian player simply for playing with a Scottish club of Protestant heritage will help banish any perceived sectarianism from Croke Park. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN HUGHES, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.