Northern Ireland

TUV accused of trying to 'suppress Gaelic games'

Casement Park
Casement Park

The TUV has been accused of to attempting to "suppress Gaelic Games coverage and crush" the Casement Park rebuild project after the unionist party criticised BBC output.

SDLP assembly member Justin McNulty hit out after TUV councillor and Coleraine FC director Allister Kyle reacted angrily to confirmation that the BBC has axed an Irish League highlights show and launched a broadside at Gaelic games.

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The half-hour long Irish League Show was screened last season but has now been scraped.

The news has caused a backlash in some unionist circles and led some to attack the BBCs coverage of Gaelic games.

The corporation also came in for criticism for broadcasting this year's All-Ireland semi-finals, including Derry's defeat to Kerry, and the All-Ireland Final.

It later emerged that 800,000 people had tuned in to watch the showpiece event, which was broadcast across Britain and Ireland on BBC2 for the first time.

Reacting to news that the BBC has cut it soccer coverage Mr Kyle said: "What makes the BBC decision to cut this broadcast all the more bizarre is that they just recently managed to find the funds to run live broadcasts at the two all-Ireland semi-finals, which only showed one county out of the four that can actually pay the licences fee.

"It certainly seems that there has been an ongoing agenda by the BBC to divert funds from a s many different areas as possible towards GAA," he told the News Letter.

SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty
SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty

Mr McNulty, a former All-Ireland winner with Armagh, said the TUV attack was aimed at the Casement Park project, which it is estimated will cost £168m.

“By trying to make unjustified comparisons between soccer and Gaelic games coverage, hardliners in the TUV are essentially challenging the backing given by the Irish Football Association to the Casement rebuild," he said.

“What makes the contrived and cynical commentary so lacking in credibility is that it fails to grasp the enormous benefits that Casement, as a key component of the joint British and Irish Governmental bid to 2028 UEFA Championship, represents."

The SDLP man said the "barely concealed bias against the development of Casement Park fails to acknowledge that the costs involved will in no way have any impact of the Northern Ireland Block Grant.

"These attacks are either massively misinformed or deliberately disingenuous," he said.

 Mr McNulty has sympathy for soccer fans.

“I have the utmost sympathy and understanding for followers of Irish League football who sincerely feel that they have been continually short changed by the BBC over the issue," he said.

“What I do reject however is the attempt by the likes of the TUV and hardliners within the DUP to implement a cynical smokescreen to try and suppress Gaelic Games coverage and crush the Casement project."

Alliance MLA David Honeyford
Alliance MLA David Honeyford

 David Honeyford, Alliance Party spokesman for sport said: "It is deeply disappointing the BBC has announced the cancellation of this highlights show. We need to see as much sports coverage as possible to encourage young people in particular to participate.

"However, it is reductive to attempt and turn this issue into a green and orange spat. Instead, all sporting codes should be pushing to help ensure extensive coverage of all sports."