MCS player writes to Minister over All-Ireland final heartbreak

Moate Community School footballer Shannon Mulvihill has written to Minister for Sport Catherine Martin - expressing deep sadness and frustration over the LGFA decision not to play their All-Ireland final.

And the Moate CS transition year student has called on the Minister to intervene in order to ensure the All-Ireland Senior 'A' final against Loreto SS, Clonmel is played.

Shannon (pictured above) plays her club football with Garrycastle and the talented forward is a daughter of former Garrycastle and Westmeath player Paddy Mulvihill.

At the outset of her letter to the Green Party's Catherine Martin (whose full title is Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport & the Gaeltacht), Shannon highlighted that the Leinster Schools SF 'A' boys final - St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge v Naas CBS - is going ahead tomorrow (Friday), July 17.

"The fact that this game can go ahead yet our All-Ireland cannot be played is disgraceful and seems completely and utterly sexist (characterised by showing prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination typically against women on the basis of sex) and discriminatory towards us, Moate CS, and Loretto SS, Clonmel. There seems to be a double standard between us and the boys since they can have their Leinster final played yet we cannot have our All-Ireland played," writes Mulvihill.

"This decision, made by the LGFA, is deeply upsetting not only for the two teams but women in sport in general as it shows that men once again are given priority over us, even when if right was right, the All-Ireland would have precedence over the Leinster final. This decision doesn’t give much hope to us or the generations of girls in sport yet to come as it appears that these notions apparently will never change.

"This is our school's first ever Senior All-Ireland to ever be in, and will be the greatest sporting achievement many of us will ever have, and one of the most high profile games in the country as it is the two best girls senior secondary school Gaelic teams in the country playing," Shannon continues.

The final should inspire the next generation of female players "which the LGFA are supposed to promote", Mulvihill states.

"We are now in the 21st century and I think it’s time that we are treated equally to our male counterparts; it’s heartbreaking as a player to see the boys getting to finish off their Leinster campaign yet we do not get a conclusion to our All-Ireland."

Shannon recalled how MCS defeated Loreto, Cavan on March 11, only to find out a day later that the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) was suspending all activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On May 24, the LGFA released a statement saying that all post-primary competitions for 2020 were cancelled.

"We were all heartbroken as all of our hard work throughout the year seemed to go to waste. We have also tried to get the decision made by the LGFA changed but unfortunately it hasn’t worked. However since then we have progressed to the stages of reopening the country and we are due to head into Phase 4 on August 10th. As of now we have resumed contact training and challenge matches with our clubs and our club championships are beginning in the next two weeks. In light of this I see no reason as to why this one match, this one All-Ireland final, probably one of the most important sporting moments of our lives, cannot be played, especially since the boys Leinster final is going ahead," writes Shannon.

"There are only two differences between our game and the boys game: 1. Theirs is a Leinster final, ours is an All-Ireland final; and 2. They are boys, we are girls.

"The fact that being a girl means that we don’t get treated the same or get the same opportunities as our male counterparts in life and in sport is honestly so disappointing," writes Shannon, who describes the situation "as deeply saddening".

"As I’m sure you Catherine Martin, as Minister for Sport, does not support nor stand for sexism and discrimination in sport, that you will do something about the decision to not have our All-Ireland played, since we are already back playing and training with our clubs, and that the boys Leinster final is going ahead. I will be waiting anxiously for a response as I’m sure you, as much as ourselves, would like to see justice for women not only in sport, but in general," Shannon adds at the end of her letter.

*See separate article on the LGFA decision not to proceed with the All-Ireland final HERE.