Keep Gaelic games Sky-free

IT WAS A FESTIVAL of sport yesterday on television in Ireland.

Premiership soccer live from England and Scotland. La Liga live through Sky Sport's red button, as well as golf and cricket. The United States' NFL had the Chicago Bears playing the Dallas Cowboys and, in the mid-afternoon, live on RTÉ came the GAA football final between Cork and Down.

For someone who dipped in out and out of the day's sport on TV, beginning with Celtic playing Kilmarnock which began before one, it was while watching the All-Ireland Final that I realised something was different – not wrong, just different.

Croke Park had the usual ads you sees for British field sports with Ethiad, O2 and others and looks to all purposes just a like any other top-flight ground in Europe... except for two important differences.

Firstly, it still is Croke Park. It's not the Aviva or the HomeBase or the O2 stadium.

Secondly, the Cork-Down match was also free-to-air, as were all GAA matches this year. Premiership soccer viewers in England not paying for Sky had to wait until late at night to watch Match of the Day 2, and then they only get highlights.

We have something special in our GAA coverage and it should be prized but nearly a million homes in the 26 Counties watch their TV either through Sky or UPC, which you pay a monthly subscription for and through which many watched the All-Ireland on RTÉ.

Sky stole away the Premiership, rugby, darts, cricket and many other sports Irish people enjoy. In two weeks, they will have a monopoly on Ryder Cup golf coverage.

We need to keep Gaelic games Sky-free – literally.