Gordon Lyons: NI sports minister yet to attend GAA game

The SDLP MP Claire Hanna said that for a sports minister “to overlook probably the biggest sporting organisation and an organisation that is the backbone of so many neighbourhood and communities just isn’t good enough”.

“We have seen the positive effective of leadership from other DUP ministers not least the deputy First Minister, who engaged in gaelic games, as do tens of thousands of people in Northern Ireland.

“It’s time the sports minister did the same,” she added.

Speaking to BBC News NI after taking up office, he was asked if fans of Gaelic games should be concerned about a DUP minister having responsibility for sport.

He said: “I will say this very clearly, I’m going to be the minister for sport. Not for one particular sport – not for one particular section of society.”

“I know the benefit of sport. I know it’s played in many different areas and in many different ways.

“I’m going to be a champion for sport in Northern Ireland and nobody should have any fear about me being in this position. That is the approach that I am going to take during my time in office,” he added.

In April, the minister told the Belfast Telegraph, external that he would “gladly” attend a GAA game but said he had not received an invitation from the association.

“We are dealing with hundreds of invites. I haven’t got one from the GAA. I’m not quite sure when games are being played or what they would like to invite me to, but certainly, if I get an invite…”

“This question is always asked, isn’t it, of Unionist ministers in particular, ‘Would you go to a GAA match?’ Well, of course. We consider all invitations that come in, but if there is a feeling that I would have an objection to doing that, I certainly don’t.”

Dozens of inter-county games have been played since that interview, but the minister didn’t attend any of those.

Mr Lyons said: “I don’t have my diary here, so I’m not going to sign up and commit, but I’ve no objection to attending, not at all.”

In May it was announced that Mr Lyons’ was distributing £36m to football grounds across Northern Ireland.

In 2008, the then sports minister Edwin Poots became the first DUP politician to attend a Gaelic football match when he accepted an invite to a McKenna Cup game in Newry.

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster attended the Ulster football final between Donegal and Fermanagh in 2018.