Boos from the Blues were 'despicable', says former county board chairman

The “cacophony” of boos and hisses coming from Dublin fans on Hill 16 during their recent Leinster SFC meeting with Westmeath was a disgrace, one Westmeath County Board official has stated.

The board’s Ard Chomhairle representative, former Westmeath GAA chairman Séamus Ó Faoláin, said that the behaviour of some fans was “highly disappointing from a sportsmanship point of view”.

The former county board chairman referred specifically to jeering from Dublin fans as Westmeath’s John Heslin attempted to take a number of frees into the Hill 16 end of Croke Park, behaviour which he described as “despicable”.

“It has no place in Headquarters or any pitch in the country,” Mr Ó Faoláin said. “A man should be allowed to take a free and concentrate on it without having to put up with that hissing and booing.”

“How come they can’t split the tickets and don’t give Hill 16 straight to Dublin?” one delegate chimed in from the floor.

Mr Ó Faoláin’s remarks came up in the context of a discussion over whether or not the recent quarter-final could have or should have been played in Cusack Park.

Fr Dalton’s delegate Donie Glynn wondered at why Dublin are always afforded the opportunity to play championship games at Croke Park, when Cusack Park is equally capable of holding such a fixture.

“I think it’s unfair on other counties in Leinster,” he said.