Legal proceedings by a Co Donegal GAA club chairman who claims his club was wrongly prevented from advancing in the county championship have been further adjourned by the High Court.
The legal action by the St Eunan's GFC chairman, Mr Patrick J. Hoey, the club secretary, Mr Charles McAteer, and a player, Mr Eddie Brennan, first came before the court on October 25th and has been adjourned on a number of occasions.
In the interim, no further matches have been played in the Donegal County Championship.
Yesterday Mr Justice Kelly was told a defence had been received by Mr Hoey's side and he agreed to put back the matter for a week to allow consideration of the defence.
In the proceedings, which are against the Donegal County Board, the GAA, the Ulster Council and the Central Council of the GAA, Mr Hoey claims his club was wrongly prevented from advancing in the county championship after the Ulster Council upheld an objection by Ardara GFC to the transfer of a player, Mr Brennan, to St Eunan's.
The proceedings were initiated just days before the county championship quarter-final clash between Ardara and Glenties was due to be played in Donegal town. That game did not proceed.
Dealing with the matter on October 25th, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, expressed the hope that good sense would prevail as he did not like to see sporting organisations spend money on litigation.
The court has been told Mr Brennan was a full-time student in Letterkenny Institute of Technology at the time he applied for a transfer from Sligo to Letterkenny. On August 25th Ardara beat St Eunan's in the second round of the first leg of the county championship.A week later the clubs met again, and St Eunan's won.
Mr Brennan had played in both games The basis of the objection was whether he was a resident of Letterkenny or Sligo.
Donegal County Board dismissed Ardara's appeal, but the Ulster Council advised that the appeal should succeed on the basis that a full-time third-level student cannot transfer.
Donegal County Board lodged an appeal to Croke Park but the appeal was ruled out of order.
Mr Hoey said that, when St Eunan's itself appealed to the Ulster Council, the chairman of the appeal board intervened to say they had guidance from Croke Park that a student could not transfer.Mr Hoey contends no such rule exists within the GAA's Rule Book