Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also want to commend GAA pundit and journalist, Mr. Joe Brolly, on raising the very serious issue regarding Mr. Peadar Heffron, who was the first Catholic to sign up to the PSNI. A PSNI team played against a team from An Garda Síochána in Dublin behind closed doors. Prior to or not long after that game, a team from the PSNI played a team from the Oireachtas, which included former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, the former Minister of State, Jimmy Deenihan, former Deputy Conor Lenihan, myself and other Members of the Oireachtas, in a game at Kilmacud Crokes. There has a heavy Garda presence around that game. What happened to Peadar Heffron is outrageous. The GAA has sat on its hands and not apologised for what happened, even since this issue was raised by Joe Brolly. In fairness to him, it was courageous of him to highlight this issue. He has not done so on only one occasion. He highlighted the issue in articles on 29 October, 4 November and 5 November and still there is no response from the GAA.I am calling on the hierarchy at Croke Park, in central council, the president of the GAA, Aogán Ó Fearghaíl, and Mr. Padraic Duffy to apologise on behalf of the GAA for the way Peadar Heffron was treated.