Some of its members may have caused the odd bit of bother for the British, but making the assumption that somebody was an revolutionary just because they were in the GAA was as ridiculous as supposing today that anybody seen entering a mosque is a terrorist.

Politics and nationalism were never far away from the Gaelic Athletic Association, and this chapter examines its relationship with the British authorities, and also with the rival codes of rugby and soccer.

But much as the different bans were controversial, is there anything unique about the GAA not allowing certain people to join its clubs or refusing certain sports to be played on its facilities? Other football codes have issued similar, and often far more polemic, prohibitions.

But from the infiltration of its board by members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the tragic events of Bloody Sunday, right through to both the England rugby team and Queen Elizabeth II visiting Croke Park, the history of the GAA is closely entwined with modern Irish history, and is a story worth understanding

8. GAA DAY SPORT: International rules and the possible Gaelic Australian connection