AS DUP leader Arlene Foster mulls over attending the Ulster Final between Fermanagh and Donegal on Sunday week, a former unionist MP says it’s still very much off the agenda for him.
The former First Minister took to Twitter to congratulate the Fermanagh team on their heroic win, which went down well with the Fermanagh lads and in a quick response, player Ciaran McBrien extended a personal invite to Mrs Foster from Rory Gallagher’s men.
When asked by the Herald if she would be taking up the offer and travel to Clones on June 24th for Fermanagh’s first Ulster final in ten years, the Roslea woman said: “There’s a lot of water to run under the bridge between now and then. Let’s wait and see.”
In 2010 as he was appointed Ulster Unionist leader, Tom Elliott famously said he would not attend a GAA match, a stance he repeated when he became MP for Fermanagh South Tyrone five years later.
Eoin Donnelly who scored Fermanagh’s winning goal against Monaghan in the Ulster SFC semi-final at Healy Park, previously played as a centre-half for Ballinamallard Reserves. Incidentally Mr Elliott has just taken over as the new chairman at Ferney Park.
Despite his fellow county men now eyeing up an Ulster title, Mr Elliott still hasn’t changed his mind.
“I would know a number of Fermanagh players and indeed the player who scored that winning goal lives not too far from here and was involved in this club so I know Eoin quite well. The reality of it is obviously from a sporting perspective, I think Fermanagh have done extremely well. Unfortunately just the GAA ethos and culture isn’t just about their sport and I think that is reflected within their rules,” he told BBC’s The View.
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