Sir, - Some simple addition, based on your report of the allocation of grants to community-based projects under the new Sports Capital Programme (Sport, July 21st), produces a few alarming statistics.
Between them, 12 counties - Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Wicklow - got £1,687,000. Add £94,000 to that figure and you get the allocation of £1,781,000 given to, of all places, Co Kildare.
It is an absolute coincidence, we will be assured, that Kildare happens to be the constituency of our Minister for Finance. I am not assured. Ian Riordan's report states that "all of the applications [1,900] passed through similar measuring criteria before the final selection was made." No coincidence either that Co Donegal, constituency of the Minister for Sports and Tourism, Jim McDaid, got an almost equal share of the spoils at £1,671,000.
Let me declare my hand, lest I be accused of sour grapes. I was a member of a sub-committee responsible for submitting an application on behalf of Grange GAA club in Co Carlow. We got £3,000 in lottery funds a number of years ago towards the £100,000 we raised and spent on grounds and clubhouse. That we did not succeed on this occasion was hardly surprising.
If Charlie McCreevy or Jim McDaid can defend the grossly unfair disbursement of these funds, I would welcome their observations. - Yours, etc.,
Jimmy O'Toole, Kilkenny Road, Carlow.