DUP minister vows commitment to all sports as he attends first senior GAA game
Stormont minister Gordon Lyons has portrayed his attendance at his first senior GAA game as evidence of his commitment to promoting all sports in Northern Ireland.
The DUP Sports Minister was welcomed to the Athletic Grounds in Armagh on Saturday afternoon for the gaelic football match between All-Ireland champions Armagh and Derry.
Mr Lyons did not take his seat in the main stand until after the traditional pre-match singing of the Irish national anthem, Amhran na bhFiann.
Arriving at the venue around 40 minutes before throw-in, he was greeted by senior Ulster GAA representatives, president Michael Geoghegan and chief executive officer Brian McAvoy.
Mr Geoghegan and Mr McAvoy sat either side of the minister during the game.
The DUP minister had faced criticism for not having attending a senior-level GAA match in his first 15 months as Communities Minister – a portfolio that includes responsibilities for sports in Northern Ireland.
Speaking to reporters as he arrived at the ground, Mr Lyons said he wanted the focus of his visit to remain on the sporting action.
'Last week, I received an invite from Ulster GAA to come to the match here in Armagh today and I'm pleased to have been able to have accepted that invitation,' he said.
'As minister for sports in Northern Ireland I want to see more people get more active, more often, and I recognise the role that the GAA has to play in us achieving that ambition.
'I'm looking forward to engaging with officials, with players and with staff today, and I hope I am once more demonstrating my commitment to all sport in all areas, at all levels in Northern Ireland, and that's where the focus should be on today – on the sport.'
Mr Geoghegan said it was a 'great day' for both the GAA and the minister.
'It's a great day for us, it's a great day for the minister,' he said.
'I believe he's going to see a full house here and going to see a very exciting game in the all-Ireland series. So we're delighted to have him as our guest here today.'
Mr McAvoy said while it would have made it 'easier' if Mr Lyons had attended a game earlier in his time as minister, he acknowledged the issues he had coming to events on a Sunday.
'It probably would have been easier for both parties had it happened sooner,' he said.
'But we do understand the minister, that we play a lot of our games on a Sunday, and obviously due to his beliefs he doesn't attend any sporting events on a Sunday, and we respect that.
'So, it's good that we finally managed to synchronise diaries.'
Mr Lyons' attendance comes ahead of an expected funding decision on the troubled redevelopment of the derelict GAA ground at Casement Park in west Belfast.
Plans for a 34,000-capacity venue at Casement Park remain in limbo due to a major funding gap of around £150 million.
The £270 million project has faced years of delay due to disputes over planning and funding.
Last September, the UK Government ended hopes that the Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 soccer games when it said it would not bridge the funding gap to deliver the reconstruction in time.
The Stormont Executive has committed £62.5 million to the redevelopment, the Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million while the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million.
The UK Government has said it will decide if it will make a contribution to the build costs as part of next month's UK-wide Spending Review.
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has made clear that even if the Government does divert money to the project, the sum will not alone bridge the current funding gap.
Mr Lyons, who has oversight for the project, has rejected claims he is not prioritising the rebuild, while Mr Benn has also pushed back at suggestions the impasse is the fault of the UK Government.
The minister did not comment on the Casement issues as he spoke to the media on Saturday.
Mr Geoghegan expressed hope that the UK Government would deliver a funding boost for the Casement rebuild.
'We're hopeful, the GAA public at large are very hopeful that something will be coming our way,' he said.
'Because, as you can see, we have a full stadium here today. We had a full stadium there a fortnight ago in Clones (for the Ulster Senior Football Championship final).
'The crowds are coming and we need better facilities to host our games.'
Mr Lyons was not the first DUP politician to go to a GAA match.
Former party leaders Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster attended games, and current DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and former communities minister and current Education minister Paul Givan have tried their hands at Gaelic games during visits to GAA clubs.
Mr Lyons was also not the only Stormont minister at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday. Sinn Fein Infrastructure minister and Armagh fan Liz Kimmins was at the game, as were several other politicians, including Sinn Fein senator Conor Murphy and party MLA Cathal Boylan.
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