A report in Catholic News Service says that the 1920 Bloody Sunday massacre at Dublin's Croke Park took place during a soccer match. It was, in fact, a Gaelic football match. Croke Park was named for the nationalist Archbishop Croke (1824-1902) who urged the Irish people to reject English football, the game of the oppressive conqueror, and concentrate instead on native Irish games, such as hurling and Gaelic football. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded to promote native Irish sports. Archbishop Croke was a prime supporter of the GAA, and in recognition of the archbishop's patronage in 1913 the GAA named their principal stadium Croke Park in his honor. The match being played on Bloody Sunday was a fundraiser for the Irish Republican Prisoners' Fund.
Related: The estimable Dr. Oddie's thoughts on Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland here.
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