The first victory of the New York hurling team since they joined the Ulster senior championship in 2001 could not have come at a worse time. With the US authorities cracking down on illegal immigrants, the questions about the status of up to half of the hurling panel are causing real concern within the GAA across the Atlantic, writes Seán Moran.
The team are now in the provincial final, scheduled for Casement Park, Belfast on June 4th, but against the backdrop of potential problems for players seeking to re-enter the US, New York are to request a postponement for a fortnight and the Ulster Council may also be asked to consider staging the final in America. Already, there has been action taken by the immigration authorities against individuals involved with the GAA in New York.
Seán McEvoy, originally from Cavan, and joint owner of a bar in Yonkers, New York has been charged along with Cavan taxi driver Peter Hennessey of McLean Avenue, Yonkers with encouraging another Cavan exile and New York Gaelic football player, Shane Lawlor, aka Shane Russell, to come into the US illegally.
Lawlor has been charged separately with entering the US illegally after he was refused entry on April 23rd, 2005. Phillip Reilly, a bar owner in Woodside Avenue, Queens and a GAA enthusiast, has been charged with setting up illegal immigrant plans for three Irish immigrants in New York and Philadelphia.
New York GAA chairman Séamus Dooley was asked about the status of his players on RTÉ radio but kicked for touch - uncertainly. "It's none of our business. We don't go to a player and ask how are you fixed here? "We all know where the problem lies. That would be a big concern of ours. We're not going to put any player under that pressure."
Ulster GAA Council secretary Danny Murphy said that while the request for a postponement had not yet been received it was expected.
There is exasperation within the GAA that this problem has arisen, as reservations already exist about having New York involved in the provincial championships. The venue for the Ulster final has been fixed for Casement Park since last October and New York would have been aware that should they defeat Derry they would have to travel to Belfast for the final.
The Government will be able to do little to ease the New York players' plight, though Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern is travelling to the US today to push the case of Irish "illegals".
Asked if Mr Ahern could do anything for the GAA in New York, one of his officials said: "Realistically, probably not. He doesn't have a magic wand. The US has its immigration law as a sovereign country and that has to be respected."