‘Disappointing’ TV coverage for Cork GAA teams

Just two of 25 games Cork teams will play in this year’s National League campaigns have been listed for possible broadcast live either on RTÉ or TG4.

While RTÉ plans to show Tipperary v Cork in Thurles on February 22, it may choose either Limerick v Wexford or Tipperary v Clare on Saturday, March 22, in preference to Cork v Galway.

Maidhcí Ó Suilleabháin, the executive director for Nemeton TV, which provides live sports coverage for TG4, said that the station would be broadcasting a rematch of last year’s All-Ireland final featuring Cork and Clare on March 9.

“We don’t put the list of matches out in advance because things can change from week to week,” he told The Echo.

“The games are chosen from week to week.”

TG4 head of sport Ronán Ó Coistealbha said that there were limits to games the station could broadcast, limits that had been imposed by the GAA in their contract with the station as well as limits that came as a result of the foreshortened season.

“We can only broadcast one game on the Saturday and three games on a Sunday, two of the Sunday games are live while the third is pre-recorded and broadcast as live,” he said.

In terms of ladies football and camogie, he said that TG4 would certainly be including Cork ladies football team in its coverage of the Lidl National League but that camogie coverage was the preserve of RTÉ, as the national broadcaster had those rights.

Cork North Central Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould has described the extent of coverage to Rebel County teams as “very disappointing”.

“This represents 8% of the games to be played by the four teams over the first weeks of their respective leagues,” he said, referring to the outings in their respective National League campaigns by Cork’s footballers, hurlers, ladies footballers, and camogie players.

“It is very disappointing that RTÉ’s announcement did not include any Cork camogie or ladies football.

“What message does this send to young women and girls coming up through their clubs?”

Clarification has also been sought from RTÉ on the matter.