Derry and Armagh go against abolition

Reports of bomb scares at two Derry GAA clubs following the emphatic rejection of president Seβn McCague's initiative to remove the fractious Rule 21 from the association's constitution yesterday highlighted how contentious the issue remains for those in the Ulster GAA heartland.

The Derry and Armagh county boards yesterday confirmed that, at counts held on Monday evening, club delegates had wholeheartedly endorsed the retention of the rule, which bans members of Ulster's security forces and the British army from joining the GAA.

"There was no discussion held at all," said Derry PRO Gerry Donnelly yesterday. "The votes were counted and my brief was to reveal that the result was in favour of retention without actually going into the mechanics. It really is such a sensitive issue that it would be imprudent to comment further until after the meeting of special congress.

"We really have no idea if the voting in the Ulster counties is going to influence the southern counties or whether Rule 21 will go anyway."

While the Derry board were not prepared to reveal the breakdown, sources close to, but independent of the body, revealed that the breakdown was approximately 75 per cent in favour of maintaining the rule.

The Armagh board was equally tight-lipped, stating only that the clubs had rejected the motion to erase the ban. It was reported that 45 of Armagh's 49 GAA clubs were represented and the result was not greatly surprising.

Several prominent clubs in the county, including recent All-Ireland champions Crossmaglen, Forkhill, Silverbridge and Cullyhanna have all repeatedly gone on record to express their discomfort with the progressive elements within the association that feel the time is ripe to delete the prohibitive rule.

In 1998, when the issue was last tabled at Congress under Joe McDonagh's presidency, the motion was defeated following a blanket rejection by the Ulster counties. Then, the southern delegates gave deference to their six counties colleagues on the principle that Rule 21 was, at ground level, an Ulster issue.

This time, it is anticipated that the province's delegates will split on the issue, with the southern counties more likely to push for a change, given that the reforms to Northern Ireland's policing service is thought likely to attract increasing numbers of Catholic applicants.

The entrenched positions of the Derry and Armagh clubs is not all that surprising given that GAA clubs there have borne the brunt of the association's wounds before and after the 1994 peace agreement. However, next week might well reflect a more moderate provincial position, with Antrim, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone all due to vote.

Monaghan, as Seβn McCague's native county, seems certain to adhere to the president's vision, while Cavan's relationship with Rule 21 looked to be turning three years ago, when the vote to retain it was carried by the narrowest of margins.

The Donegal clubs are also due to meet shortly and a swing may well be the outcome there. Down is the most likely of the six counties to back McCague's surprise motion.

The timing of the GAA's announcement, released just as the International Rules touring party - which included the president - recovered from jet-lag following a triumphant visit to Australia has baffled many Ulster members and some feel that it originates in some firm prompting from the Government.

The Ulster Unionist Party yesterday were scathing of the GAA as the Derry and Armagh positions became known.

A spokesperson for Sinn FΘin, meanwhile, declared that the party remained neutral on the issue of Rule 21 and that "it was an issue for the GAA and not something that Sinn FΘin would seek to influence".

Yesterday's investigations into bomb scares at Kilrea and Magheragh suggest that, despite Croke Park's call for a mood of enlightenment, Rule 21 represents much more than an olive branch to many of its Ulster members.

In order for Rule 21 to be abolished, two thirds of the delegates at special congress will have to vote for the motion on November 17th. With Ulster now unlikely to present a cohesive front on the issue, congress members might be less inclined to take on board the views of the reactionaries.

However, with Antrim and Tyrone also likely to vote in favour of upholding the rule, the passage towards a new chapter in GAA ideology may not be as smooth as Croke Park would have wished.