Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity. There has been a lot of focus on RTÉ in recent weeks. There has been a focus on RTÉ for a different reason in Kerry for practically all of this year. There is an issue for genuine supporters. Some are elderly and there maybe others who have problems for other reasons. Many parts of Kerry do not have broadband and people cannot access GAAGO. The witnesses are saying that RTÉ cannot put out all the games but the GAA is responsible for that part of it. It has the season condensed and all the big games are to be played out in four or five weeks. It is not fair on the supporters that traditionally supported the GAA over the years and who, like Deputy Gould said, looked forward to seeing the big games. Kerry was short changed this year as far as RTÉ is concerned because only one of its games could be seen on the channel. The rest were only if you could get GAAGO. We do not have the broadband and people are not able to use the technology. I am asking the GAA to look at this again. This year is practically gone. We hope that Kerry will survive the challenges it is facing, the first of which will be next Sunday. I hope it goes further after that. This cannot be allowed to happen for our major games next year. There are young fellows who are training all the year and they cannot be seen by a certain cohort and the people who have supported them over the years and who look forward to see the Cliffords and so on playing. They have not seen them except perhaps later in the evening when highlights of games are shown. That is not good enough.