Ideals of hurling pioneers betrayed

Independence Day. Relations between the GAA and the US have encompassed a great deal over more than a century, such as the Polo Grounds All-Ireland and the more recent flourishing traffic in weekend players. But the most peculiar entry in the history of these transatlantic dealings has to be the "American Invasion" of 1888. Not to be confused with, say, the Fenians' actual invasion of Canada earlier in the 19th century, this was such a momentous event that it caused what to date remains the only blank year in the list of All-Ireland finals.

It was, in fact, 113 years ago tomorrow after a meeting at Limerick Junction that the GAA's Central Council decided to give the go-ahead for the invasion. Largely the brainchild of the association's first president Maurice Davin, the idea was that by sending a team of athletes and hurlers to the US the GAA could enhance relations with the large Irish-American community and raise substantial revenue from a series of exhibitions and fund-raising events. This would underwrite Davin's dream of a Celtic festival, the re-establishment of the Tailteann Games - enthusiastically promoted by Land League leader Michael Davitt.

Like many a cunning plan cooked up to generate cash, this one fell a bit short. For a start the membership whom Davin had been counting on to fund the venture, come up with the seed capital as it were, showed itself relatively indifferent to the whole wheeze. The clergy would have been counted on to drum up support for the venture as they had pushed the scheme of reconstruction that had bailed the GAA out of early difficulties. But they were none too happy with the rapprochement achieved between the GAA and the IRB. So the invasion had to be postponed.

Finally it departed in September after a frantic week of fund-raising exhibitions featuring the travelling athletes. This whistle-stop tour wasn't without controversy. In Cork Davin was upbraided with what was said to be an inadequate representation of the county on the hurling team. It was complained, according to Seamus ╙ Riain's biography of Davin, that "20 Corkmen could beat the 22 selected".

Anyway the seaborne invasion set off on September 16th. It arrived in New York to great acclaim and was fairly successful at the meetings organised. One lasting impact was that the tour established the GAA on a firm footing in the US. The other major impact was something of a setback. Far from filling up a fighting fund of £5,000 to bankroll the Tailteann Games, the invasion required a sum of £450 to pay for the return tickets.

This money was supplied from a subscription fund controlled "for national purposes" by Michael Davitt. The reasons for the financial disaster were varied. The weather was poor and despite impressive media coverage, projected income fell short. The Irish-American community was also distracted by the presidential contest between Democrat incumbent Grover Cleveland and Republican Benjamin Harrison.

The Tailteann Games which had been the objective of the whole expedition were not to materialise until 1923. By then the GAA had voted to relinquish its grip on Irish athletics, sports that increasingly had taken a back seat to football and hurling.

Politically the establishment of a Free State government was to assist in the project and £10,000 was advanced by way of grant to enable Davitt's dream of the games to take place.

This money brings us up to the present because it was used to build the original Hogan Stand at Croke Park and also the long stand that stood beside it until 1958. Nonetheless the GAA still had to reach into its pockets for the Games and is reckoned to have contributed about £1,000 to the staging of the event which had to be postponed as the country and the GAA coped with civil war.

As the new Croke Park rises eight decades later, there are ominous signs there for the hurling community this weekend. What was supposed to be a big occasion, the Leinster final, has now been completely overshadowed by the programming of All-Ireland football qualifiers the day before.

Admittedly the Leinster final is as much a symptom of hurling's ill-health - lack of competitive counties - as a cause for celebration but with only two high-profile provincial finals a year, the date would otherwise have been the centre of attention this weekend. In addition there is the practical consideration that if weather forecasts are accurate, we could have a downpour on Saturday. A soaking pitch with two football matches - and the possibility of extra time in each - is hardly the ideal preparation for a hurling final.

This is not the first time the Leinster showpiece has fallen foul of its tenants' status at headquarters. There was the Simple Minds fiasco of 15 years ago that left the surface looking like a patchwork quilt for the 1986 Offaly and Kilkenny final. The status of the Armagh-Galway match is a further rebuke to the standing of hurling. It had already become clear that the qualifier series was working out very successfully. Additional income, extended coverage and more matches for the public have all been features. Last weekend, the Kildare-Donegal match was as good a contest as we'll see this year and, now, the next round of the series is to include a capacity crowd at Croke Park for a very attractive double bill.

This success underlines the complaints made by hurlers that the qualifier format, accepted in principle for hurling, should have been applied this year rather than next. With so few competitive teams, it would have been no harm to recycle a few of them after one defeat.

Yet again the weekend brought grim news on that front. Granted Limerick delivered another gritty display but fell agonisingly short. If it weren't for Eamonn Cregan's team, the championship would have been far less compelling. As they head for the quarter-finals, all will hope that the team's rate of progress can be maintained and that the county has genuinely re-emerged as a force in the game.

The film Independence Day was a rousing piece of hokum in which aliens try to destroy the planet. At the moment hurling is shrivelling from within.

Email: smoran@irish-times.ie