Lord Mayor of Cork urges Taoiseach to issue visas for Palestinian GAA players

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Fergal Dennehy, has appealed to Taoiseach Micheál Martin to help secure visas for young GAA players from Palestine.

The group of 47 members of GAA Palestine — 33 young hurlers and 14 mentors — from the West Bank had been due to begin a tour of Ireland later this month, when their visas were refused by the Irish Immigration Service.

The group, who are members of the Moataz Sarsour GAA club in Ramallah, had been due to arrive on July 18.

Disappointed

Mr Dennehy told The Echo he had hoped to welcome the young hurlers and their mentors to Cork and was extremely disappointed the visas had been refused.

“I had planned on hosting a reception and extending a céad míle fáilte to the group here in City Hall on July 23,” he said.

“Cork has always stood for fairness and compassion, and we share a deep-rooted affinity with people facing hardship and injustice,” he said.

“The opportunity for Palestinian players to engage with our communities, play our games, and experience the solidarity of the Irish people is not only a sporting matter, it is a matter of human dignity.”

Mr Dennehy said he had met the Taoiseach earlier yesterday and had raised the issue with him.

“I expressed the strong desire among Cork people and the wider Irish public that this be resolved swiftly and justly. The Taoiseach listened and committed to looking into the issue.”

Hopeful

“I am hopeful that a solution can be found that honours our commitments to inclusivity and the values of the GAA.”

Earlier this week, Mr Martin said Ireland’s visa system was fair and impartial, with the Government, as a rule, not intervening in its operations.

“There is an appeal mechanism there. The fundamental issue, from what I can gather, is the wellbeing of the children,” he said.