We normally expect a belter of a sporting weekend over Easter and this year is no different, despite it’s early arrival in March and the momentous celebrations being planned in every village square to mark 99 years and eleven months since the 1916 rising.
The Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse can lay claim to the closest association to the Rising as it was at that very venue that many of the soldiers of the British army, and indeed citizens of Dublin were enjoying themselves when Connolly and Pearse strode into the GPO and changed the course of history.
There are plenty of Allianz League GAA fixtures on Saturday and Sunday and this year even Good Friday gets in on the act with the Republic of Ireland hosting Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium.
A problem for many will be that with pubs closed across the country, there will be a scramble to find somewhere to watch and share opinions over a pint.
The Irish Greyhound Board were quick to spot an opportunity and will have Tony Cascarino hosting a live viewing of the match from nearby Shelbourne Park dog track on Friday, showing the match on big screens after an early evening of racing.
Traditionally the only places to get a drink legally on Good Friday were venues where there was live sport taking place and so it is at not only Shelbourne but also at Harolds Cross in Dublin, Waterford, Tralee, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Newbridge, all with full bar facilities.
The Cascarino event is being hosted in partnership with Balls.ie and promises to be a lively way to herald easter weekend, even if it is slightly out of kilter with how the Ireland of 1916 might have treated Good Friday…
