Sligo set up poll on Rule 21

As several counties are making arrangements to carry out a survey of grass-roots attitudes to the proposed removal of Rule 21 from the GAA rule book the indications are that most units of the association are still undecided on the issue. Last week the Armagh county board indicated that it would consult all its clubs on the matter and Sligo is now about to do the same.

Four years ago Sligo was among a number of counties which supported the abolition of Rule 21 after passing a motion to that effect at its annual convention. The vote on that occasion was 45 to 28 and, given the present efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in the North, it would seem that this attitude would be copper-fastened at any other such meeting. The county board has called a special meeting to discuss the issue on May 6th and delegates to the Special Congress will be mandated to vote in accordance with the decision made by that meeting.

The secretary of the county board, Tom Kilcoyne, has expressed the view that the decision reached in 1994 will be repeated. The chairman of the board, Joe Queenan, agrees. "We all have great sympathy with the situation of our people in the North, but this rule does nothing to help. We are also sympathetic with the Crossmaglen club and their problem (army activity at their pitch) but that is a different matter," he said. The Armagh board also describe the Crossmaglen controversy as "a completely separate issue," while announcing that all the clubs would be consulted on the issue prior to the Special Congress.