Madam, - For the past decade the players of Waterford have lit up the hurling scene with their performances. This involved many sacrifices for the men and their families, not least the months spent in intensive training. After all, these are amateur players whose disappointments are not mitigated by monetary rewards.
It was sad, therefore, to see them go away empty handed - and demoralised - from the recent All-Ireland final. I don't think anyone in the vast crowd felt that this team, which could well have won an All-Ireland in the past 10 years, did itself justice.
In the light of this situation, I should like to make a suggestion regarding the awarding of medals. The winners of the All Ireland series should win gold All-Ireland medals, the runners-up silver, and the two other semi-finalists bronze. This would follow the pattern of the Olympic Games and give a wholly positive orientation to the immense effort of getting to an All Ireland final or semi-final. Olympic athletes celebrate a medal of any colour and, I believe, our Gaelic players would feel similarly. This mode of awards could be extended to all All-Ireland competitions, including, of course, the women's championships.
Finally, could this new dispensation be applied retrospectively to this year's championship, so that the gallant men of Waterford can be duly honoured? This is the ardent wish of this Kilkenny man - and I doubt if I am alone in such a desire. - Yours, etc,
JAMES O'HALLORAN, Lower Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9.