A chara, – Jennifer O’Connell takes issue with the Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes being awarded an All-Star (“Defending Kyle Hayes’s award takes All-Star level nerve”, Opinion & Analysis, November 9th). There are several issues here. The first is, of course, that while the GAA, the Gaelic Players Association and professional services firm PwC Ireland presented him with his award, he was selected as an All-Star by O’Connell’s colleagues in the media – the sports journalists who are Gaelic Games correspondents. They are as culpable as any in exacerbating this controversy by making a distinction between his actions as a private citizen and his exploits on the hurling field. It is sometimes hard to separate the art from the artist. Is Hayes a good hurler? Yes. Is he a good role model for young boys and men? Probably not. Is the GAA solely to blame for that though?
The second issue is O’Connell making a link between “the association’s blindspot about violence” and “strongman masculinity”. As recently as 2019, a Cork camogie player and three-time All-Star avoided a conviction for assault by agreeing to a judge’s order to pay compensation to her victims (“Ex-Cork camogie captain who assaulted two women told to pay €6,000 to avoid jail”, News, June 25th, 2019). A reference to this might have added some nuance to the article and made for a more balanced debate. Crime is a societal issue. Being a prominent sportsperson just highlights the particular case. – Is mise,
JOHN KELLY,
Bennekerry,
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Carlow.