Madam, - I was interested to read Michael O'Kennedy's views on the "social ban" on GAA games which he feels is imposed by rugby-playing schools (April 21st).
While Blackrock College, Roscrea College and St Pat's in Navan provide facilities for football, hurling and rugby respectively, in general it is surely a great pity that a more serious effort is not made by both rugby and GAA schools to offer facilities for the other sport, even though many pupils in these schools take part in GAA or rugby games outside their school.
For example, the captains of this year's victorious Belvedere College Senior and Junior Cup teams are both skilful GAA players and indeed two of last year's senior squad in this college played minor football with Dublin.
While I do agree that some parents may attach social significance to their sons playing rugby, I believe that the real problem in providing sporting facilities for different sports lies in the simple fact that very many parents who played rugby or GAA themselves want their sons to follow a similar sporting path. I presume that statistics will confirm, for example, that few if any rugby players of merit have emerged from St Kieran's in Kilkenny or St Flannan's in Ennis, unless they plied their trade in rugby clubs either during or after their studies.
What is unquestionably needed is for all schools to recognise that bans, social or otherwise, are unhealthy and restrictive. They also need at least to seek the views of parents on the feasibility of providing facilities for games not currently available. - Yours, etc.,
TONY TAAFFE, Finglas, Dublin 11.