The recent extraordinary surge of interest in hurling, provoked by several matches of remarkable quality, is to be greatly welcomed. The victories of Clare and Wexford in the All-Ireland finals of the last two years have stirred hurling hearts many miles away from the boundaries of the two counties.
The superb Leinster final between Wexford and Kilkenny, and last week's outstanding match between Kilkenny and Galway, are likely to become the stuff of legend for generations yet to be born. The advantage which these generations have is that they will be able to watch the games themselves and be in a position to make valid comparisons.
The word "valid" is used here deliberately to illustrate the fact that memory, tinged by time, can never be a totally reliable yardstick. Old fogies, whoever they may be, will probably always believe that the "olden days" were "golden days" of never-to-be-forgotten matches. It is probably the onset or the arrival of old age which inspires men and women to long for the glories of the past and to hanker after them. Oscar Wilde 's dictum that "youth is wasted on the young" comes close to encapsulating a truth.
Back in 1936 there was a widely-held view that the age of broadcasting would do serious damage to the GAA. In August that year 2RN, later Radio Eireann and later still Radio Telefis Eireann, made the first broadcast of an outdoor sporting event in Europe - the match being the All-Ireland semi-final between Kilkenny and Galway in Croke Park. It appears that Kilkenny won. What else is new?
The commentator on that occasion was one PD Mehigan (who, as `Pato', was the Gaelic games correspondent of this newspaper) and the the historic broadcast was the brainchild of P S O'Hegarty, the secretary of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, which controlled broadcasting in those days. In writing about that occasion, Mehigan recalls that he was conscious of the fact that his commentary from the press box upset his newspaper colleagues and he resolved to arrange a more suitable location for himself. Fifty one years later the same problem still exists in many GAA venues!. There was mixed reaction to that first broadcast. One man told Mehigan: "If they don't take that bloody contraption (the microphone) out of Croke Park they might as well close the gates." The man was right of course, because nowadays they frequently have to close the gates, but to keep people out.
The GAA president of the day was a more perceptive and far-thinking man. William Clifford of Limerick declared: "Those broadcasts of yours, P D, are £1,000 a year to the GAA as publicity." Make that £1 million now. Among Mehigan's memories of his early broadcasts from Croke Park were the Tailteann Games of 1928. Seated at his microphone he spotted four distinguished men being conducted to their seats in the VIP section. They were John McCormack, the great tenor, Colonel Fitzmaurice, the aviator, General Eoin O'Duffy, then chief of the Garda Siochana, and Gene Tunney, then world heavyweight champion having disposed of Jack Dempsey in the infamous long count.
Tunney was in Ireland to make contact with his relations in Mayo and Cork and the broadcast helped in no small way to make contact with his Irish roots. Mehigan managed to get an introduction to Tunney and was given an exclusive interview live on air. Huge strides have been made since then as far as access to games is concerned. One of the reasons is that transport, both public and private, is now so readily available that people can get to matches much more readily. In that respect it was interesting to meet followers of hurling from Tipperary and Clare enjoying themselves on the streets of Clones last Saturday before and after the matches. For many it was their first experience of hurling so far north of its heartland.
Another reason for the growth of interest now is, clearly, that the showing of top-class hurling on television nation-wide and further afield has boosted interest among people who might otherwise not have been exposed to the great game. Instead of keeping people away from the games the attendances have increased by huge percentages.
For instance, figures which will be made available later this week show that attendances as matches in Division One of the National Hurling League have increased by a massive 97 per cent over last year's figures. So what can the GAA do to cope with the new-found interest in it games? Much is already being done. Structures have been put in place throughout the country to encourage youngsters, boys and girls, to become interested in hurling and football. Before many of the big matches young players are given an opportunity to display their skills before big crowds congregating for the major matches of the day.
The GAA has instituted coaching courses in every county and, in spite of many other attractions, young people are responding. Many of the most prominent current players are now employed as coaches, and youngsters are flocking to coaching courses given by players with whom they are already familiar from television, radio and newspaper exposure. So the fears expressed by the man back in 1936, that broadcasting would close the gates on the GAA, have not been realised. On the contrary. The GAA owes much to pioneers such as Mehigan, O'Hegarty and ael Michael O'Hehir and, nowadays, to Michael O Muircheartaigh for the popularisation of the games of the Gael. So long as the players continue to provide the kind of excitement in hurling and, to a lesser extent, in football, that we have seen this year, the games will continue to prosper. That means that the GAA is faced with many new challenges and demands on its resources. One cannot but feel confident that the future will be every bit as bright as the past.
