There were strong calls for change on WLR’s Sport Láirge as the ongoing inequality facing women in Gaelic games came under the spotlight following Mary McAleese’s decision to step down as chair of the GAA integration committee.

Host Seamus Barry was joined in studio by Suzanne Parker, new presenter of ‘The Weekender‘, and Darren Shannon Ball, former international basketball player with deep Waterford GAA roots. The discussion focused on the stalled bid to bring camogie and the LGFA fully under the GAA umbrella, a move intended to deliver shared facilities, funding and proper governance.

Shannon Ball spoke about the realities female athletes still face: inadequate facilities, lack of basic amenities at venues, and players making their own food and travelling at their own expense, while men’s teams benefit from county board structures and major private backing. She contrasted the millions spent annually on men’s inter-county setups with far smaller budgets on the women’s side, much of it self-funded.

The panel also highlighted the contradiction between Ireland celebrating Katie Taylor filling Croke Park and the continuing struggle for parity in the GAA’s ‘own natural cultural sport’. Parker argued that equality means comparing ‘like for like’ in terms of performance, sponsorship and contribution, not simply men versus women.

McAleese’s resignation, they agreed, is a stark warning sign. With no clear roadmap after the postponement of full integration, the guests insisted that both women and men must now speak up to secure fair treatment for female players across all Gaelic games.