Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín has welcomed the reports that Cork GAA are looking at ways to facilitate turnstile payments at county GAA matches this summer.

He told Meath Live, “This is good news.  Cavan Aontú Councillor Sarah O’Reilly started the campaign to return the ability to fans to purchase GAA tickets with cash well over 8 months ago. Our campaign has been gathering steam ever since with other political parties and community organisations following our lead. The petition set up by Nodlaig Ní Bhrollaigh collected nearly 12,000 signatures of people who believe the decision to stop cash payments was having a negative impact on older people and people without internet or smart phone access. Aontú was the first to raise this issue in the Dáil and to solicit support from the Taoiseach on this issue”.

“The GAA is a wonderful organisation. It is the most successful community organisation in the country. That’s why it was so disappointing to see this policy introduced. This policy is an exclusionist policy. Its hitting those who were isolated the most during the covid crisis the hardest. it has meant that many people, especially older people who cannot buy GAA tickets online or use technology are effectively banned from matches. I know of older people who have gone to matches. They have not been able to procure a ticket and they have had to go home. These are the people that built clubs in their local areas over the decades and now they are being turned away from matches. Age Action NI has recently come out publicly against this on the basis that it hurt older people the most. AIB was forced to reverse its cashless policy when they sought to get rid of cash in their branches in regional towns and I strongly believe the GAA should do likewise”.

“Aontú will continue our campaigning north and south for the reintroduction of cash in at  least one turnstile at each match. We urge wise heads in the GAA to do the right thing in each of the 32 counties”