Croke Park and Rugby

It will be an historic occasion when Ireland plays France at Croke Park this Sunday. After much debate a “foreign game” will be played in this fantastic GAA stadium. There was lots of debate within the GAA about sharing this facility while Lansdowne Road is being developed. Much of it was about the old animosity that exists between rival disciplines, in some ways the rivalry could be compared with that between Rugby League and Rugby Union (especially in the days before Union went professional). The arguments continue even this week with those GAA fans who argue that the use of Croke Park was approved subject to Lansdowne road having planning permission – which of course has not yet been given – thus the GAA is in breach of its own mandate. The view of former GAA president Sean Kelly (who championed the opening of Croke Park is perhaps the best answer – he says it’s in the country tradition of giving a neighbour a dig out. He rightly says that it would have been a discredit to the country if we had to play our home internationals in England or Wales. Not that this is a GAA problem – but opening Croke Park is a popular solution – not least with Rugby fans. But that’s not the full story – not by a long way. The game against England – the old enemy – is what this is really all about. The history of Croke Park is deeply nationalistic. Not just because it is the home of our own unique sports, Gaelic football and Hurling, but also because of the events that happened on the 21^st November 1920, a year before the end of the War of Independence. This week the Daily Telegraph was an unlikly source to refresh the background story: "Old Foes". Hill 16 the uncovered terrace at the railway end is built on the rubble from the Easter Rising, and the Hogan Stand is named after Michael Hogan, the captain of the Tipperary football team who was killed by the Black and Tans on bloody Sunday. The singing of God Save the Queen by the visiting English fans on February 24^th will be a moment of growing up for Ireland as a nation. History is important, but in the end it is just that - History.