DIRECTOR GENERAL'S REPORT: GAA trustee Noel Walsh has described as "very, very bad business" the decision that the use of Croke Park will not be debated at this year's congress. It emerged yesterday that the motion from St Joseph's club in Milltown Malbay had not been allowed onto the clár of next month's annual GAA congress in Belfast.
According to association president Seán McCague, the motion - to allow Central Council to decide on the use of Croke Park for other sports - had not been regularised after last year's congress, where it was debated and defeated.
"Last year I pointed out that the motion was out of order but decided to take it because I didn't want to be accused of not allowing a debate on the matter. The proposers have made no effort to correct the drafting."
Walsh denied this version of events. "The president was responding to someone else's opinion and didn't specify what was wrong with it. The motion was exactly the same as the Roscommon motion debated two years ago."
That motion came within a vote of referring the use of Croke Park to Central Council. For some reason - McCague denied that it was pressure from him - Roscommon didn't bring the motion again last year and Clare stepped into the breach.
"We decided the matter should be debated and the reason I pursued it," according to Walsh, "was the pressure being put on us to withdraw the motion. It became 'questionable' because they didn't want it put. Pressure was put on but we wouldn't back down."
A Roscommon motion this year, proposing a plebiscite among GAA members in order to mandate clubs and counties on the issue of Rule 42, has been referred to Central Council.
"That is ridiculous. It's a matter for congress not Central Council," said Walsh. "You do that with less important motions. To refer Rule 42 to Central Council is to diminish its importance.
"This is a serious matter that the whole country is talking about but it won't be talked about at congress. The public will see this as some sort of sleight of hand going on. A motion that was taken two years ago is now ruled out of order."
Questioned earlier yesterday about the desirability of leasing Croke Park for rugby internationals, particularly in the light of the onerous repayment schedules on the redevelopment, McCague replied: "There's a GAA congress coming up. It's up to it to decide if money is more important than core values."
Limerick captain Mark Foley, who was rumoured to have quit the squad earlier in the week, is named at centre forward in the team to face Offaly in the National Hurling League at Kilmallockon on Sunday.
According to insiders, Foley aired what were described as grievances with manager Dave Keane after the team's heavy setback at the hands of Tipperary - they are from the same club, Adare - but county board chairman Pat Fitzgerald is adamant there was never any question of the former All Star opting out.
LIMERICK (SH v Offaly): T Houlihan; D Reale, E Mulcahy, Maurice O'Brien; E Foley, B Geary, C Smith; P Lawlor, Mike O'Brien; J Moran, M Foley, O Moran; D Sheehan, T J Ryan, M Keane.
The Railway Cup hurling final is to be played in Rome next autumn. The idea of staging the match abroad was accepted by the GAA's Management Committee.
