A proposal to split Dublin in two is included in a blueprint for the future unveiled by the GAA in Dublin yesterday.
The deliberations of the Strategic Review Committee (SRC) had taken over 18 months. If the proposals are accepted, Dublin will be divided by the Liffey, administered by separate county boards and will contest senior football competitions and championships with two different teams. Hurlers will continue to compete as a single county unit.
Last night the Taoiseach said the proposals to split Dublin "merits consideration" because of the growth of the capital's population. Mr Ahern said up to 600 senior GAA players are in action in Dublin every week, compared to about 50 in many smaller counties.
On the face of it, it's not a great deal for southside football, which until 1989 couldn't boast a single county title (aside from UCD).
That record has improved but the team that lost to Kerry in last August's All-Ireland quarter-final comprised 10 northsiders and five southsiders.
The SRC chairman, former GAA president Peter Quinn, said the division was only part of a package of measures designed to cater for the 1.4 million population in the capital.
Dublin's county board was informed of the proposal yesterday and although the officers were said to have "reacted positively" to the measures, Quinn said "there were some details they were less supportive of".
This review is the GAA's most comprehensive strategy document in 30 years. Many of the 1971 McNamee Commission proposals evaporated before implementation and it remains to be seen how this contemporary version fares at next April's annual congress or a special congress if such is deemed necessary.
One idea the reports have in common is 13-a-side teams. Thirty years ago the suggestion was made for hurling. This time it's football, with the National League in 2003 and 2004 suggested to test dropping two players to try to improve the game as an entertainment.
The 264-page report is sure to trigger plenty of discussion in the GAA's administrative units. Among its recommendations is that Central Council be delegated the power to lease Croke Park for use by other sports - once the new playing surface has "settled" - although the use of other GAA grounds would continue to be restricted.
The report also recommends that another stadium should be built in Dublin to take those matches that Croke Park can't accommodate.