Mr. Larry McCarthy:

The abuse that many players, volunteers and officials have been subjected to in recent years is absolutely unacceptable. Let us stop the cowardly attacks on people who are volunteering their time and talent for the betterment of society. Let us stop the unwarranted assaults on people’s characters and the nefarious condemnation of amateur sportspeople.

The question becomes what can the GAA, as an association, do about it. Given that we are at heart a sports organisation, I believe that the protection of amateur athletes and officials, in particular GAA, LGFA and camogie players, through legislation should be investigated. The legislation would penalise severe, personal and excessive criticism of amateur athletes and volunteers. A protection of volunteers in amateur sport Act might be considered by the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. This could entail the design and implementation of a means to initially identify, and then penalise, people who abuse amateur athletes and volunteer sports officials. One might ask: why only amateurs? Amateur athletes and officials return to their communities and are back at work shortly after their games and, unlike professional athletes, are not the beneficiaries of practised support when they are the focus of such criticism.The very nature of amateur sport suggests that they are the most vulnerable.

I acknowledge the difficulty involved in the identification process and that there may be a fundamental peril in the danger of restricting speech in a democratic society but is Irish society at a point where a formal, legislated deterrent of social media abuse is warranted? Are the amateur player and official and, by extension, the amateur ethos of the GAA, the LGFA and the Camogie Association worth protecting in a form that will prevent the continuation of abuse? Could abuse in online forms be treated in the same way that misinformation about political events has been? Without knowing the technicalities of the process, I would suggest that it is worth consideration at a formal level.

Next year, the association will celebrate its 140th anniversary. The desire to promote and grow our native games as espoused in Hayes Hotel in Thurles remains a guiding principle. So too, the commitment to our manifesto, Where We All Belong, where as many people play for as long as possible and that lifelong participation in the GAA is a right to be afforded to everybody.

I thank the Cathaoirleach again for this much appreciated opportunity to address the Seanad on behalf of the wider membership of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. Go raibh míle maith agaibh a cháirde.