Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games
On 26 June, the GAA announced its decision to cancel the 2020 Provincial and All-Ireland Club Championships, which had taken place annually since 1971, due to the need to "build in a rest period for people".[120][121] In mid-July, three GAA clubs in West Cork (Argideen Rangers, Ballinascarthy and Oliver Plunketts) suspended their activities due to uncertainty whether its members had had contact with someone found to have COVID-19.[124] The nearby Donegal GAA club Naomh Colmcille followed suit on 18 July, having played Glack in a challenge match the previous weekend.[136] A Galway Intermediate Football Championship semi-final was rescheduled at short notice when a player was informed that he had been a close contact of a COVID-19 case.Though often delayed due to such incidents as outbreaks of polio and foot-and-mouth disease, the All-Ireland Championships had never previously been cancelled, even during the two World Wars.[143] On 12 September, the GAA announced it would formally go ahead with the year's All-Ireland Football and Hurling Championships at senior, under-20 and minor levels from October after receiving a promise of government funding to help stage the events.[147] Donegal's footballers travelled the round-trip of 900 kilometres to Tralee in their own cars to play Kerry, a feat described in the Irish Independent as the "most eye-catching example of GAA expeditions in the Covid era".[149] One of those who tested positive, Aidan Breen, spoke publicly about his experience as Fermanagh unsuccessfully attempted to have their first league game postponed.[157] On 22 October, Waterford GAA indicated it would concede its football fixture against Antrim due to the deteriorating health crisis north of the border.[168] Following a sudden reintroduction of restrictions (announced on Christmas Eve and taking effect after the public holiday), the inter-county minor and under-21 championships, specifically in Leinster and Ulster, came to a halt once more.[171] The 2021 National Football League was regionalised to facilitate limited travel, with (for instance) Division 1 North consisting of Donegal, Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh.This came ahead of the scheduled league fixture against Kilkenny that weekend, with betting suspended in some cases due to uncertainty over whether the game would occur and all the other Wexford hurlers being tested for COVID-19.[142][174] The Kilkenny game was postponed on 22 May after a third Wexford hurler tested positive for COVID-19 on 21 May, with public health advice referring to the possibility of the virus circulating among the other players.[citation needed] Irish players based in the Australian Football League (AFL), including Conor McKenna, returned home following the suspension of play there.[192] In addition, the AFL announced on 5 April that they would not be travelling to Ireland for the planned International Rules Series in November 2020 due to the disruption that the virus had caused to their season.After a particularly negative reaction from the local media,[194][195] and a failure to replicate the initial result,[196] McKenna returned home and resumed his football career with Tyrone.[197] He made an immediate impact on his debut against Donegal and in his second game scored two goals that helped relegate Mayo, in what was that county's first time to be knocked out of the top flight in 23 years.[198][199] On 11 May, the Camanachd Association issued a statement that it had agreed in consultation with the GAA to cancel the 2020 Shinty-Hurling International Series between Ireland and Scotland, scheduled for October.
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