Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today, and many times previously, I have spoken about the digital age and how it is moving at a pace that no one can stop. No one wants to stop it. It is a train that, unfortunately, not everyone is capable of buying a ticket for or getting access to. I have in mind those people who call to my office, including elderly people, who find it difficult to get a bus ticket as they have to buy it online and for whatever reason they are not capable of doing so. I was heartened this weekend by a story I heard about an intercounty GAA match in Letterkenny where Donegal was playing Fermanagh in a division 2 league match. I commend the local club there, which took it upon itself to set up a helpdesk at the venue. It printed off 60 tickets on the day for anybody who had difficulty getting access online or who found it difficult to handle it themselves or anybody else for that matter. It turned out that more than 135 people used the service on the day. I have spoken to a few people who used it and they told me it was a great service.

It is a message that should be sent out to other organisations, including Bus Éireann, and the GAA generally. It is an initiative that should be rolled out by the GAA. Perhaps it is something the GAA might look at rolling out to every intercounty ground in the country whereby people who for whatever reason find it difficult to access tickets can rock up on the day, pay €20 to get a ticket and go and enjoy the match. They are not depending on anybody and nobody is being discriminated against.