Now without wishing to offend the many fine chefs and cooks working in Ireland, AFR ventures to suggest that not even the best of them would merit the award of a BA for their soufflés or consommé. An Fear Rua enjoys his bacon, spuds and cabbage – and indeed, his tripe, drisheen and onions – as much as the next man, but he draws the line at handing out Diplomas or Degrees to the people that cook them. It all smacks too much of those American ‘universities’ you see advertising on the back pages of some the international business magazines or that even operate their own internet sites where you can buy an on-line degree. Ah, you know well the class of carry on: ‘Why not turn your life experience into a Master’s Degree in Business Studies? Just send $25 to the University of Tocahoma, Mississippi and receive your parchment by return of post!’ The prime example of this type of ‘university’ is the famous – or infamous - depending on your point of view, ‘Bob Jones University of South Carolina’ where Mr Paisley got his so-called ‘Doctorate’ in Theology.
Still, AFR supposes there’s not too much point in having a go at the Yanks for this class of behaviour when much the same thing is going on right under our noses at home in Ireland. The main culprits in all of this seem to be an outfit called the National Council of Education Awards (NCEA) who appear to be ready to grant to diplomas in almost anything from pigeon fancying to flower arranging. So, ‘twas no great surprise to An Fear Rua recently when he saw a picture of The Great Super Ref Himself, Mick Curley – clad not in his usual black jersey and shorts, but in a black academic gown - receiving the first ever Bachelor of Arts Degree in Police Management, if ya don’t mind! Mick was one of eighteen ‘mimbers of de Force’ who were awarded these degrees by the NCEA at the Garda Training College in Tullamore, county Tipperary. Some might say the phrase ‘police management’ was something of an oxymoron. And ‘tis hard to say what a degree in ‘Police Management’ would cover – presumably courses in how to fill out parking tickets clearly, to remember to call all your suspects ‘Mister’ as well as a good course in the repair and maintenance of Garda motorcycles.
However, there are many GAA fans – not least in the county and city of Cork – who would suggest that ‘twould better fit the The Great Super Ref Himself to be studying the Rule Book of the GAA than to be taking out fancy degrees in ‘Police Management’. Certainly, after Kerry’s recent defeat of Cork, the Rebel manager, Larry Tompkins, made probably the most outspoken condemnation of a referee that An Fear Rua can remember for many’s the long day.
It is not An Fear Rua’s purpose to single out any one referee for criticism. Indeed, far from it. But the fact is that poor or declining standards of refereeing seem to be interfering increasingly with the enjoyment of fans and causing frustration among players and managers. Mick Curley himself has been involved in several high profile controversies already. Another Galway referee, Des Joyce, came in for severe criticism after the recent Donegal v Fermanagh game. Willie Barrett, Aodhán MacSuibhne, Paddy Russell and even the great Dickie Murphy have all had their moments of controversy in recent times. Certainly, this development has become more noticeable over the past two years. AFR is not sure whether is this because of a genuine diminution in the standard of refereeing (following the introduction of red and yellow cards), whether players feel there is more at stake now in victory over defeat, or because – with many more games at all levels being televised – mistakes and controversies are just more visible. Whatever the reason, matters appear to have reached the point where something radical needs to be done. And the situation is set only to be exacerbated by Seán McCague’s presidential platform of a crackdown on rough and dangerous play.
Some may argue that is not possible to reform this area... that our attitudes to referees and other figures of authority are rooted deeply in the Irish psyche. There’s the old story of the Irishman washed ashore on the desert island who encounters a few bewildered natives. He enquires of them: ‘Is there a government here? If there is, then Begod, I’m agin it!’ Yet a foreign game like rugby in Ireland doesn’t seem to suffer the same controversies and that appears to be rooted in the respect for refereeing that is inculcated in rugby players from an early age. There may also be a recognition that, unless properly refereed, rugby can be a very dangerous game.
So, if it can be done by the alickadoos of rugby, why not by the GAA? An Fear Rua has thought long and hard about the solutions to this problem and puts forward ‘An Fear Rua’s 14 Steps To Better Refereeing’.