Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not accept the Minister of State's assertion that there is no role for the Government in this matter. Hurling is not just another sport. It is our national game. It is part of our culture and tradition. It is what Irish people from the island of Ireland and all across the world associate with being Irish. To say the Government has no part to play in it, while other sports are on every television channel, is not acceptable. We must protect our game.

Hurling is a minority sport. Fewer and fewer people are playing it, especially at a higher level. For the past two weekends, there has been no senior Munster or Leinster championship game shown on television. That is the truth of it. RTÉ is a public broadcaster. Its job is, or should be, to show hurling. If it does not want to do that, other organisations should be allowed to do so. The Minister of State said there has been no decrease in the number of games shown. There was uproar last year when this happened. The review should have been finished earlier and the results should have been published.

There are solutions to be found. Will the Government increase funding to the GAA to ensure it does not have to sell its soul, and the souls of GAA members, for money? GAAGO will probably bring in approximately €4 million. Are we interested in promoting our national game or are we interested in profit? That is the question. I am really disappointed by what is happening. In every city, town, village and parish, the GAA was the mainstay of communities. It needs to go back to its grassroots and back to basics.

There is so much the Government should be doing. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister have made comments on this issue. We need less talk now and more action. I spoke on this matter last year, I raised it again this year and I speak on it once more tonight. What has happened is a disgrace and a scandal. I am thinking not of myself but about every person out there who ever played the game, ran a team, washed a set of jerseys or lined a field. I am talking about the people who are at the heart of our great association. I am really disappointed in the new president's comments. I believe, as a lot of people do, that he is a great man to bring about change in the association. However, he seems to be listening too much to the money men in Croke Park. We have to get back to where we came from and to what made the association so great. What has happened is wrong and it is time to reverse it.

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