The Ulster Council of the GAA has moved to fix matches in its under-21 championship for the weekend after next. The decision, taken at Tuesday night's council meeting, represents the first fixture-making at intercounty level since the foot-and-mouth crisis broke over a week ago.

According to provincial secretary Danny Murphy, the decision was taken after reviewing the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture guidelines and bearing in mind the growing pressures on the GAA games' calendar.

"Subject to the current position being maintained (i.e. no further outbreaks), and having spoken to various people in the last few days, the council decided to fix March 18th as the next available date on the calendar. Based on the MAFF (British Ministry of Agriculture) statement that the risk involved was low and unless there is a worsening of the situation, our view was that March 18th was a good date to resume on."

Guidelines issued by the North's Department of Agriculture will be reviewed today but are unlikely to tighten given there has been no further outbreak since the south Armagh case eight days ago.

The Ulster Council's decision will raise eyebrows - particularly as one of the under-21 matches is south of the Border, a home match for Monaghan against Antrim. Advice from the Irish Government's Department of Agriculture has been for greater restrictions and it is by no means certain the weekend of the 18th will signal a return to fixtures by the GAA as a whole.

St Patrick's Day, (Saturday, March 18th) has not yet been given the go-ahead for the club championships. Murphy does, however, make it clear the Ulster Council won't be conducting a solo run if Croke Park calls off its senior intercounty matches for the same weekend.

"We will be discussing the matter further in the light of any developments. The association has to take on board what advice it gets but it also has to take on board the pressure to get things going again and the pressure for games from clubs. All that has to be addressed. But the next date we could make fixtures for was the 18th and we did so but we understand that circumstances can change and change dramatically before then."