FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Simon Coveney has described some scenes around Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park as “indefensible.”
And he admitted that Limerick and Cork supporters gathering without masks in large numbers while not social distancing was not what the Government expected when they negotiated plans with the GAA for some 40,000 fans to attend the showpiece.
Gardaí confirmed that several licenced premises in the vicinity of Croke Park were temporarily closed due to anti-social behaviour and a lack of social distancing, while alleged breaches of Covid-19 restrictions were also being looked into.
Mr Coveney attended the game and also witnessed first-hand the lack of social distancing in the stadium where thousands of supporters were also not wearing masks.
“We made a decision on the basis of a negotiation, effectively, with sporting organisation, in this case the GAA, to allow certain events to happen over the summer, including the All-Ireland,” he explained on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live earlier today.
“If I am honest, when you look at it, particularly the gatherings before and after the match, a lot of that is indefensible. In terms of large numbers of people meeting in close proximity, that isn’t how that was supposed to work.”
There was widespread anger over the weekend at what took place at Croke Park, with representatives from the live arts sector particularly aggrieved.
On Friday, Culture Minister Catherine Martin will make a presentation at a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 with a plan to re-open live events that will need to be signed off by Cabinet next week.
Speaking earlier on Newstalk Breakfast about the decision to make a “calculated risk” with the All-Ireland compared to live entertainment, Mr
Coveney explained: “Of course it’s a risk to have that many people in one stadium and more importantly meeting people before and after, of course, that’s a risk and it’s a calculated risk.
“And that’s why we have given a commitment that within a week we will give a timeline for the opening of the arts sector in terms of live performance and so on and the Government will follow through on that commitment.
“I totally understand the frustration here, the Government is trying to make decisions on the basis of public health advice and on the basis of working with sectors.”
