Dr David Hickey, the former Dublin footballer, used yesterday's All-Ireland senior football final to draw attention to the United States blockade of Cuba.
As he walked on to the pitch at Croke Park to receive a commemorative medal for his part in Dublin's 1974 victory, he removed his jacket to reveal a shirt with the words "End Cuban Blockade" printed on it.
"I had no choice," said Dr Hickey, who is a consultant urologist at Beaumont Hospital. He said he felt morally bound to use the opportunity to bring public attention to what he described as the systematic destruction of "an exemplary medical system".
He told The Irish Times: "What surprises me is that nobody seems to know that for 40 years the United States has blockaded Cuba. There was a medical system there that was the pride of the Caribbean, but it is being systematically destroyed because of a lack of standard medical equipment and medicines.
"The children are dying now, but the Cold War is over. There is no threat to the United States."
"I also see our children being denied access to Cuban medical technology, for example the meningococcal vaccine, because of this illegal and inhuman blockade."
The General Assembly of the United Nations voted in 1997 by 157 votes to two (the dissenters were the United States and Israel) in favour of ending the blockade, a call which has also been echoed by the American Association of World Health (AAWH).
Dr Hickey added that yesterday's action was entirely personal and he had told no one about it beforehand.
He was, however, heartened that all his former team-mates had said that if they had known, they would also have worn similar shirts.
