croker - waste of money

[deiseach]

that was not the rationale for pulling the plug on the charity game and well you know it. the GAA had to make the contribution because everyone in Omagh was so pissed off with them.

Ah right. The GAA couldn't have done it because its membership has many generous people, it must have been as part of some Machiavellian plot!

You really give the GAA too much credit . . .

[Fionntamhnach]

"the GAA had to make the contribution because everyone in Omagh was so pissed off with them." A few of days after the attack, it was announced that a proportion of the gate from the All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay between Clare and Tipperary (where the match was controversial in its own right) was to contribute to the Omagh Fund which made its way towards the end donation. I'm pretty sure this was announced before any news of staging soccer games in Healy Park was heard about.

[deiseach]

It was Waterford and Kilkenny. Des Fahy tore the GAA a new arsehole in the Irish Times for not postponing that match

[dublinfella]

"the GAA had to make the contribution because everyone in Omagh was so pissed off with them." A few of days after the attack, it was announced that a proportion of the gate from the All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay between Clare and Tipperary (where the match was controversial in its own right) was to contribute to the Omagh Fund which made its way towards the end donation. I'm pretty sure this was announced before any news of staging soccer games in Healy Park was heard about.

that never came to the half million ultimatly handed over though. CP dug deep to match funds iirc.

[never kickt a ball]

Did the GAA not raise £750,000 for the Omagh fund?

[Fionntamhnach]

"the GAA had to make the contribution because everyone in Omagh was so pissed off with them." A few of days after the attack, it was announced that a proportion of the gate from the All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay between Clare and Tipperary (where the match was controversial in its own right) was to contribute to the Omagh Fund which made its way towards the end donation. I'm pretty sure this was announced before any news of staging soccer games in Healy Park was heard about.

that never came to the half million ultimatly handed over though. CP dug deep to match funds iirc.

I never said it was and I never assumed. My estimation was that the monies raised came from fund-raisers from GAA clubs across Ireland.

On further investigation, the row over access to Healy Park for charity soccer matches didn't surface until late September that year, well after the hurling semis had been played, and NKAB, you're right - it was £750,000 and was the second highest donation made to the fund, and was presented in May 1999. Finally Deiseach, the Kilkenny vs. Galway game did have a contribution, but so did the Clare vs. Offaly replay.