An underage rugby club in the affluent Dublin suburb of Foxrock has called on the Catholic Church to stop the sale of five acres of land to a local GAA club.

St Brigid’s RFC has urged Foxrock Parish to block the sale of its sports field and continue operating a charitable trust that permits it to use the grounds for the benefit of its 160 members aged between five and 13-years-old. It comes after Geraldines P Moran GAA club announced that it had reached an agreement with the Church to purchase the grounds which are located next to Dunnes Stores in Cornelscourt.

The site was purchased by the Foxrock Parish in 1959 and was made available, free of charge, to local sporting clubs. But even though all current users of the grounds will still have access to them, St Brigid’s Rugby Club are concerned that the GAA is attempting to impose conditions that are in breach of equality legislation.

“We were kept completely in the dark until the sale of the parish sports field was announced, and we are no longer playing on a level playing field,” St Brigid’s RFC chairperson Morgan Cassidy said.

“Their (Foxrock Parish) decision to favour one sport over another is clearly unfair, and it must be overturned.”

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