Sir, – As a loyal supporter who spent large sums of money to follow the Boys in Green to France for Euro 2016, the article by Ciarán Murphy and the author's dim view of soccer fans like myself slightly rubbed me the wrong way ("GAA doesn't really need feed of pints to have a good time", June 29th).
Your writer’s holier-than-thou assertions that GAA fans do not need to drink to have a good time, and that Ireland fans in France were only there for the drink, are gross over-simplifications, as is his attempt to judge all fans based on a 24-hour spell in France.
A visit to any All-Ireland winning county on the night of the final will tell you that there is plenty of drink involved in the GAA. My own home town, Gorey, ran out of pint glasses when Wexford last won the Liam McCarthy Cup in 1996, I’m told. I’ve yet to hear a title-winning captain in soccer end a victory speech with “See you in Coppers”.
Ireland’s games in France were like All-Ireland finals for soccer fans, and of course a few pints were had, but that was not indicative of Ireland soccer fans in general. Many home Ireland games are played midweek in the Aviva, and often there is no drink on sale at all. Many families attend games in the Aviva, and indeed attended the games in France.
I would not attempt to judge a population of GAA fans on one 24-hour experience, and I would invite Ciarán Murphy to purchase a season ticket for the upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign if he wants to get a real sense of what it is to be an Irish soccer fan. – Yours, etc,
GAVIN NUGENT,
Gorey, Co Wexford.