The names of GAA Ard Stiúrthóir, Liam Ó Maoilmhichíl and Press Officer, Danny Lynch, are in grave danger of joining that of Oliver Cromwell in the darkest annals of Irish history, if the GAA proceeds this year with certain previously unannounced proposals, warns An Fear Rua...

Now, An Fear Rua is well aware of the opprobrium attaching to the name of Cromwell in many parts of Ireland and that the jibes 'Go way ya' Cromwellian ya'' or 'Sure, all belong to him were Cromwellian planters' - in some parts of the country - are among the greatest insults that can be thrown at someone. So, it is with great reluctance that he even mentions that name in the same sentence as those of two decent men, and very fine servants of the GAA to boot, and readers will understand from this conjunction of names the seriousness of the issue being raised.

As many of AFR's younger readers will know, Oliver Cromwell was a man who straddled the destiny of both England and Ireland in the mid-Seventeenth century. He deposed King Charles I and instituted a dictatorship under the title of 'The Commonwealth'. He was a virulent proponent of the Reformation and saw Ireland as a back door through which his reforms in Britain might be undermined. In certain Left wing circles in Britain he is regarded as the harbinger of populist democracy and so is seen as a progressive figure in British history. In Ireland, however, his standing is a different pot of coddle altogether.

A Two Mark Question: Do the names 'Drogheda', 'Wexford' or 'Clonmel' mean anything to ya', enquires An Fear Rua. Answer: They are all Irish towns where the citizenry resisted Cromwell's sieges and paid with their lives until the streets ran red with blood. Waterford escaped Cromwell's sword because, although he had boasted beforehand that he would 'take the city by pelting its walls with roasted apples', he failed in his attempt and withdrew to the softer target of Clonmel. Substitute, say, Mostar or Sarajevo for Drogheda or Clonmel and you get the general idea of what he was on about. Indeed, Cromwell's infamous slogan of 'To Hell or to Connacht' was an early expression of the concept we now call ethnic cleansing.

The Royalists (not surprisingly) was the name given to the followers of the English monarchy, while - because of their habit of shaving their heads - Cromwell's followers were known as The Roundheads. However, within his crowd, there was a more extreme element. These were lads who not only put priests and faithful to the sword with impunity, but then went on to demolish statues in the churches, break the stained glass windows and generally wreak mayhem with the religious icons and buildings. They are known to history, logically enough, as The Levellers.

Now, based on information received from very reliable sources, An Fear Rua believes The Levellers are due to make a re-appearance at Croke Park, the GAA headquarters. Arrah hould your whisht, tis' nothing to do with levelling the old Hogan Stand and replacing it with a new one! Sure, that's a good thing. Ah no, it's subtler than that. This week - as his old pal Charlie Bird sometimes shouts on the RTÉ airwaves - An Fear Rua can exclusively reveal that GAA administrators intend to scrap the existing names of the stands when all the new stands have been built. No more Cusack … no more Nally … no more Hogan Stand!

Instead, the stands will probably be named by the points of the compass, North, South etc., and within them different floor levels may be given different names. The top level, running all the way around the new stadium, will be called The Corporate Level. In the light of the enormous influence 'corporate' Ireland now plays at GAA headquarters this is not the least bit surprising. Lower down will be The Cusack Level, The Hogan Level and The Nally Level - keeping them in their place, as it were, below the 'corporate' hierarchy. This harebrained way of identifying stands and levels in a stadium apparently is based on the approach used by the Yanks beyond in America, if you please. Yes, indeed, The Levellers have returned to Croke Park in a new guise.

A succession of young sporting scribes from the national media have been up to Croke Park recently to view progress on the demolition of the old Hogan. There was even some kind of a ceremony there recently when the last piece of the stand was being knocked down. This event was hosted by Messrs (or should that be 'Messers'?) Ó Maoilmhichíl and Lynch. Those two boyos are keeping mum about the new naming plan and none of the established GAA writers have so far sussed it.

What an insult to the memory of Nally, Cusack and, above all, Hogan, who gave his life on the soil of Croke Park on Bloody Sunday. AFR is sure the ordinary decent GAA fan and player will not like this idea. A mere 'level' in a fancy new stand is not the same as having the entire stand named after someone. These GAA heroes deserve better than this off-hand treatment. And, now that AFR has blown the whistle on this plan, there is still time for the lads and lassies in Ceannáras to mend their ways and restore their proper names to the new stands when completed.

Of course, when the lads in Gowlnacalley-John Redmonds heard of this idea in the 'shnug' of Ma Molloy's drinking emporium, one of the wags - in a heartfelt tribute to the indefatigable GAA PRO, Danny Lynch - suggested the new toilet facilities at Croke Park might be named The Lynch Level...