GAA abolishes Rule 42
For abolition 227. Against abolition 97.

The papal election is nothing on this. There is only one story in Irish sport this month, a drama that has led the news on both the back and the front pages.

The GAA has finally voted Rule 42 into oblivion at the 2005 annual congress after what must be the longest sporting debate in the history of these islands, a debate dripping with emotion, brimming with controversy as delegates from all 32 counties voted by the necessary two thirds majority to no longer prohibit soccer and rugby from being played at GAA grounds, notably Croke Park.

Such was the impact of the decision that the BBC main news in London carried a piece on it, leading off with a picture of the new, enormous, magnificent Croke Park, perhaps the greatest stadium in Europe which was at last, like the China of the 1970's, opening its gates to the world. The final ban has been removed from the GAA rule book.

Yet if Ulster had its way, the rule would still be firmly on the statute books. Each of the six counties north of the border along with Monaghan voted absolutely no to change. This was in contrast to indications a few years previous when the majority of these were speaking in favor, but in the new age of republican Calvinism, it was seen as a sell-out to the unionists and their foreign games and, shall we say a case of ‘No Surrender'! Not an inch!

The debate followed expected lines of argument. Clare felt it would hasten the day of a United Ireland. Others, mainly from the North, claimed it would destroy the soul of the GAA and took in De Valera's Constitution, the Easter Rising, Bloody Sunday (1921), and various republican expectations of Irish history.

South of the border with the exception of Cork— always an exception—there was quite unanimous support for the change in a debate which lasted for 90 minutes followed by a secret ballot. This is a huge step away from the infamous occasion three years ago when the GAA authorities at the time panicked at the sight of a momentum for change from delegates before they the authorities themselves had thought it all out. In what was a dynamic bit of sharp practice, they called for a show of hands when delegates were outside in the hall or at the toilet and the momentum was killed on the spot.

As I suggested before on several occasions regarding Rule 42, change would only occur, and almost automatically when it was related to purely financial gain. Principle was only a factor as long as such gain did not enter the scene.

But what does it all mean in reality? It means that the GAA will be able to charge 2m Euro to the Irish Rugby Federation and the Football Association of Ireland for rugby and soccer internationals over the next three years while the rugby people upgrade the dilapidated Lansdowne Road.

It is estimated that several full houses every year—three rugby and three soccer—on top of the rock concerts and other non GAA attractions, will bring in up to 10m Euros. In fact the revenue generated by outside games will probably exceed the GAA's own Leinster and All Ireland matches in both football and hurling.

Nevertheless the sight of a game of rugby in Croke Park, like attending Mass in a Hindu temple, will be dislocating for many GAA people. But this will be balanced by the sense of pride felt when letting the French, Italians, English, Russians and others experience a stadium superior to anything in their own countries. In a sense, we are not just opening Croke Park to other games. The inner sanctum of the country is being revealed to the universe.