20 May 2015
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Former GAA President and MEP for Ireland South, Seán Kelly, has welcomed the announcement that Munster Rugby will open the gates of Musgrave Park in Cork to the GAA as the €70 million redevelopment Pairc Uí Chaoimh begins.
“I am delighted that Musgrave Park has been made available for the Sciath na Scol hurling and camogie finals. Along with the GAA, Munster Rugby is a pillar of Irish sporting tradition and I thank them for this great gesture in providing their world class facilities to the children that will playing next week.”
Kelly, who was instrumental in having the GAA’s famous Rule 42 modified in 2005 to allow Soccer and Rugby Union to be played in Croke Park during the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, light-heartedly referred to the announcement as “Rule 24” – the reverse of the GAA rule – and called for continued cooperation between Irish sporting bodies going forward:
“This announcement sends a strong positive message about the interconnectedness of Irish sporting traditions. There isn’t another city in Ireland that can match Cork for its success across all sporting disciplines and so it is fitting that it would be Musgrave Park that is opened up for Gaelic Games. I hope that, with this, a precedent is set for continued collaboration in future.”