Large gatherings around All-Ireland final ‘indefensible’, says Coveney

Large gatherings of crowds before and after the All-Ireland hurling final last weekend were "indefensible," Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said.

Crowds of people socialising on the streets around Croke Park, with little social distancing and few people wearing face masks, "wasn't how it was supposed to work," he said.

Some 40,000 spectators were permitted into Croke Park for the game on Sunday, where Limerick beat Cork 3-32 to 1-22.

Large crowds gathered to socialise and drink along the streets near the stadium before and after the game, with videos circulated widely on social media showing a lack of social distancing and few people wearing masks.

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An Garda Síochána has said it is investigating alleged breaches of Covid-19 regulations at one licensed premises in the area near the stadium.

Gardaí also instructed several pubs to temporarily close on match day, due to the large crowds.

The scenes were heavily criticised by arts and live entertainment industry groups, who said they highlighted how current strict limits on numbers at music and other live cultural events were unfair.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Coveney said the Government “made a decision on the basis of negotiations with sporting organisations to allow certain events this summer, such as the All Ireland final.”

“But when you look at the gatherings before and after, a lot of that is indefensible, that wasn’t how it was supposed to work,” he told the RTÉ Today show.

The Minister said he could understand the frustration of the live entertainment sector at seeing the crowds attending the hurling final.

He said the game taking place with 40,000 spectators had been “a calculated risk,” following detailed discussions with the GAA.

The Government would provide certainty to the arts and events sector “within days,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.

“Within a week we will give a timeline to the arts sector and the Government will follow through,” he said.

Arts and live entertainment industry groups are to meet Minister for Culture and the Arts Catherine Martin on Wednesday, to discuss the reopening of the sector.

The Cabinet is to finalise a plan on Friday setting out timelines for the further easing of restrictions across several areas, including the arts and live entertainment sector.

Ms Martin is seeking Cabinet backing for the full reopening of indoor events for vaccinated people and the reopening of indoor arts, drama and dance classes in September.

However, it is expected her plan may face opposition from others in Government, as well as from public health officials, given the continued high rate of Covid-19 at present.