THE DIRECTOR GENERAL of the GAA, Páraic Duffy, has slammed various news outlets for jumping on the ‘anti-GAA bandwagon’ in the wake of the violent scenes at the match between Dromid Pearses and Derrytresk.
Writing in his annual report, Duffy took aim at critics from the non-GAA press who peddled ‘the crudest forms of stereotyping,’ describing certain articles that appeared in the wake of the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship semi-final as ‘disgraceful.’
“Might it be that the lack of an international and professional dimension has created a form of condescension towards Gaelic Games, or that there is a metropolitan attitude in Dublin-based media towards games with a strong – although not at all uniquely – rural following?” Duffy mused.
“The gap between what actually occurred and the presentation of what occurred was conspicuous. The incident became an unmissable opportunity in certain quarters to target the GAA and to indulge in the crudest forms of stereotyping of supporters of Gaelic games.
“That said, one should not dwell at length on the disparaging caricatures emanating from the minds of the envious, the very coarseness of which is surely a sign of how much the popularity of Gaelic games enrages them.”
Duffy went on to slam the various ‘units, officials, managers and ex-players’ who don’t fall into line with every decision that comes out of GAA Headquarters.
“It’s as if to be interviewed by a journalist, or to have a regular media forum, necessarily means adopting a negative attitude towards the GAA, or that a balanced assessment of an issue is neither expected nor possible.”
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