If one wants to know why attendances are down this summer, then you could do worse than revisit the events of 26th June. That day illustrates better than any other attendances are down on 2015. At least according to Paraic Duffy.
On the 2nd edition of the Hard Shoulder, presenter Anthony Moyles told guest Johnny Doyle about an-all round miserable day. Both of them had reasons to curse events in Croke Park that day.
It was probably one of the most depressing days in living memory. I left the house going in to do a little bit of work for Newstalk. I left the house as the Ireland-France game was starting. And by the time I got in the car Ireland had scored. And I didn't realise on the radio until about five or six minutes in. Then I had the rest of that terrible game to live through. And then I got into Croke Park and I have to say, it was something I've never seen before. It was just the most depressing day. And never mind the football. It was just the day itself. They were showing the French game and there was hardly anyone in there. It was like a car park.
Listen below: 'Johnny Doyle nails a few of the myths about Kieran McGeeney on the Hard Shoulder'
The twin pincers of the Euros and Dublin destroying all before them in Leinster have curbed attendance figures, according to the DG, Paraic Duffy.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Duffy threw in the failure of Cork to reach the Munster football final, an outcome which led to a drastically reduced crowd for this year's Munster Final. This year's Munster hurling final - which contained the same combatants as last year - was also well down on 2015. This year the game was held in a smaller neutral venue in Limerick rather than Thurles.
Our attendances are somewhat down this year, but we’d hope that would recover as the summer goes on.
It was always going to be a difficult summer with the Euros and we haven’t had the best weather, but overall, if you take Connacht and Ulster, they’ve been absolutely fine.
It’s only around Munster, and Leinster, and part of that honestly is Dublin being so strong. And a big factor too is what teams come through.
If Cork don’t make a Munster football final for example you lose 20,000 people straight off. And Leinster has taken a drop because Dublin is so strong. So we accept that.
Read more: Kildare Legend Johnny Doyle Nails A Few Of The Myths About Kieran McGeeney
