Along with John Delaney and Philip Browne, Paraic Duffy took questions from the members of the Oireachtas committee on Transport, Tourism & Sport.
The questions weren't especially stinging. The members of the committee devoted a great deal of time to massaging the egos of the three lads. Most of the questioners devoted a portion of their time to talking about how great sport is.
Disgracefully inept questioning of John Delaney, Philip Brown and Padraig Duffy currently taking place live now https://t.co/AHFlk2bSaH
— Mark Horgan (@Younghorgan) January 18, 2017
John Delaney is like JFK in comparison to 90% of the TD's questioning him. Can't believe I'm tweeting that.
— Mark Horgan (@Younghorgan) January 18, 2017
Frustratingly, all the questions were asked in a block at once. There was no chance to follow up on the often unsatisfactory answers. Thus, some of the more interesting and pointed questions, such Imelda Munster's questions about the reduction in size of the League of Ireland Premier Division and Catherine Murphy's questions of FAI governance, were dispensed with in one sentence answers which weren't subsequently probed in any depth.
One of the more interesting things to emerge was Duffy on the occasionally vexed question of funding for Dublin GAA. Duffy asserted that much of the funding that the GAA had received was earmarked specifically for Dublin.
According the GAA Director General, this is a legacy of the premiership of famous Dublin supporter Bertie Ahern.
Just on the funding, and the funding for Dublin, that you referred to specifically. That money originally, when it was allocated to the GAA, was allocated specifically for Dublin, for the development of hurling and football, it was when Bertie Ahern was Taoiseach. And to be fair, it has been really successful in terms of broadening the participation of the games in Dublin.
Meath supporter Gavan Reilly has thus quite logically exhorted non-Dubs to blame Bertie for the current state of affairs.
Scenes. Paraic Duffy says GAA funding for Dublin was government funding directly for Dublin, citing Bertie Ahern's influence. Blame Bertie!
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) January 18, 2017
It's official: Dublin getting the lion's share of #GAA developmental funding, and having such strong seniors, is partly Bertie Ahern's fault pic.twitter.com/MyvUckIWeR
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) January 18, 2017
Back in the early 2000s, Dublin county board chairman John Bailey responded angrily to a proposal of the Strategic Review Committee that Dublin should be split in two by saying that the capital needed greater financial help.
I have repeatedly said that what Dublin needs to expand and develop the games is to get the necessary financial support from Croke Park.
They made €6.6 million from extra games in the championship last year, but all Dublin received was €44,000 which is useless to put in place the structures we need.
Dublin have received a pittance from sponsorships by the Bank of Ireland and Guinness and nothing from TV. If the GAA were serious about Dublin, they would invest proper money in the capital, but it will be over my dead body they will split my county which I and others passionately believe in.
In 2004, Dublin reached their low point when Westmeath beat them in the Leinster championship. Two days before that match, the Irish Independent reported that a Dublin loss would be a financial disaster for the Dubs.
Dublin have lost one Leinster championship match in the 12 years since. At the game that day was Bertie Ahern, attending alongside TV presenter and Meath-born irritant Hector O'Heochagain.
As of 2017, Bertie Ahern isn't riding so high, but his beloved Gaelic football team certainly is.
