One poor dog’s comfort falls victim to ticketing frenzy in Galway while the Rules Committee have a lot, an awful lot, of reading to do.
Dog gone, shame
When the annual outcry over All-Ireland tickets kicks off, few ever think of the unintended victims of the rush for tickets. The odd hard luck story about a fan who has been to every league, Under 21 and Minor match since 1954 will surface but we can’t recall a dog ever being hounded (sorry) in the hunt for those golden tickets.
All of which brings us to Joe (good name), the faithful pooch of Galway Hurling Board Secretary Pat Kearney. Pat’s house has been besieged by Tribe fans looking for a ticket to Sunday’s showpiece and all the commotion has been too much for Joe.
“Joe became extremely upset when people started calling from seven o’clock in the morning until eleven at night and we’ve had to move him to another home until after the final,” said Kearney in the Connacht Tribune.
The sad part is that Pat had no tickets for sale and that all tickets are distributed through clubs. That’s no consolation for poor little Joe, but we hope he enjoys the game wherever he is and that he gets back to his own house soon.
The Football Review Committee have a lot of reading to do
The Football Review Committee looked for suggestions a few months back from the great Irish public on how Gaelic Games could be improved. The response, as chairman Eugene McGee told the Irish News, was ‘phenomenal’.
“The response has been overwhelming. We have over 2,500 responses already, which is phenomenal for any questionnaire. We also have about 1,000 emails because people had the option of elaborating on the questionnaire,” he said.
“And then we’d have about 300 letters from older people who have no access to the internet. There has been an avalanche of information.”
As to what people were looking for, McGee gave a few hints.
“A lot of people want a clock at Croke Park and other grounds, and it’s hard to argue against that. They have said in the questionnaires that this is something they would love to see. These are small things and if we suggest them, they could add to the enjoyment of the matches,” said McGee.
“Another big one from these questionnaires is that people are suggesting doing away with our current championship structures. A lot of people have been talking about the sin bin, for example, because they feel the yellow card isn’t worth a damn. And the possibility of a ‘tap and go’ advantage rule.”
All good ideas. No sign of my request though, in which I called for the introduction of a flaming football every three minutes, just to spice up boring games.
The force is strong in this one
And to round off with one of what is becoming a mini-avalanche of GAA photoshop pieces being sent our way, here’s Michael D Higgins, as Yoda, trumpeting Galway’s greatness. Obvious when you think about it.
Pic via Twitter/Bren Nestor.
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