GAAGO and Kerry match coverage
Deputy Healy-Rae complained that Kerry supporters will have to use GAAGO to watch the championship match and questioned a possible conflict of interest involving Dee Forbes. The Taoiseach said it was unfortunate the match would not be on RTÉ or TG4 and said he did not know if there was any conflict.
The Kerry senior football team is to play Tyrone at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday in the quarter final of the football championship. However, thousands of supporters in Kerry who have paid their licence fee will not be able to watch this match on RTÉ. They will have to pay for GAAGO, if they can master the technology, and watch it on that. It has been pointed out to me that Dee Forbes, the former director general of RTÉ, was also a director of GAAGO. They are asking if there was a conflict of interests in this regard. If there are to be new appointments, I am asking that other people be appointed. I say to the Taoiseach that people who pay their television licence fee should be able to watch these matches on RTÉ.
Comment on this
It is unfortunate that the Kerry-Tyrone match will not be televised either on RTÉ or on TG4 this weekend. I appreciate that not all matches can be televised but I would have anticipated that the biggest matches and those that command the most interest should be. I understand that Ms Forbes has resigned as a director of GAAGO, but I do not know if there was any conflict of interest.