Aontú Senator Sarah O’ Reilly is a vocal supporter of people’s rights and choice to use cash to buy tickets for GAA matches.
She has written an open letter to President of the GAA ,Jarlath Burns, outlining her deep concerns at how people who can’t pay digitally are being turned away from games.
She reiterates the fact that cash is legal tender and is the most democratic of all methods to pay for cash.
She urges the GAA to remember its roots and that it’s about community, not a corporation
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Jarlath a Chara,
I hope this finds you well.
I am writing to formally express my deep concern regarding the GAA’s ongoing drive to phase out cash as a method of payment for people attending matches.
I was very touched by a recent story of an elderly man from Roscommon, a stalwart of the GAA, and one, like countless others who has volunteered his time, energy and talents to build up the organisation he loves. He was turned away from a club match because he could not pay digitally.
This is something that the GAA has assured me would never happen.
This man was embarrassed, hurt and bewildered.
He had to leave without attending the match and make the long journey home.
Not only do I find this incredibly sad, I am also extremely concerned about the very serious potential consequences of this, namely the isolation and exclusion of people; the elderly and the digitally challenged of any age.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland, thought to number some 300,000, don’t have bank accounts.
That is their right.
Cash is legal tender and is the most democratic of all payment methods being the most inclusive way to pay for goods and services, allowing all to participate fully in society.
The continuing drive by the GAA to get rid of cash is exclusionary, short sighted and deeply unjust.
The GAA is a wonderful organisation, one that is in the very soul of Irish people at home and abroad. It is at the heart of so many communities and plays a hugely valuable role in every village in Ireland. Corporate GAA cannot be allowed to trump the very community it professes to represent and who built it up.
I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the GAA’s motto is ‘GAA, where we all belong’.
I respectfully request that this be made a reality for everyone, rather than just a catchy but ultimately meaningless slogan.
Le meas
Senator Sarah O’Reilly
Aontú
Leinster House
