Ulster Qualifiers to be switched from 'The Twelfth'?

July 01, 2014

Ulster Qualifiers to be switched from 'The Twelfth'
Croke Park is considering giving Ulster's teams a Qualifier amnesty on the Twelfth of July.

The Round 2B SF Qualifier matches between Down and Kildare at Newry and Tyrone V Armagh or Monaghan at either Omagh or Clones are both provisionally slated for Saturday week, July 12th. But the GAA's CCC won't confirm the dates and times for the four 2B games until Monday week.

As 'The Twelfth' is the date of the Orange Order's traditional parades across the province and a traditionally volatile day in The North, the GAA could shift both the games - especially if it's Tyrone V Armagh in Healy Park - to the 13th to avoid any possible problems.

A spokesman for the Association told The Irish News that "it is commonplace for the fixtures schedulers to consider civic arrangements anywhere on the island when arranging matches".

The Connacht SFC final and Munster SHC finals have been fixed for Sunday week but there are no games currently down for decision that day involving Ulster sides.

A common sense approach for the GAA would be not to stage major championship matches in either Newry or Omagh on Saturday week.

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