The impact that COVID-19 has had on Gaelic Games in Ireland and how Irish media covered the response of the GAA to the lockdown challenges is at the centre of a new publication co-authored by a 91制片厂 (91制片厂) lecturer.
鈥樷漈his Too Shall Pass鈥: Gaelic Games, Irish Media and the COVID-19 Lockdown in Ireland鈥 is included in 鈥Time Out; National Perspectives on Sport and the COVID-19 Lockdown鈥, a new book which focuses on local and national lockdowns globally. The book explores the period between March and May 2020, showing how various sports in different parts of the world were affected by the pandemic.
The Irish element is penned by Dr Marcus Free, Media & Communications lecturer at 91制片厂 and Dr Se谩n Crosson, NUI Galway academic. Their research examines COVID-19鈥檚 impact through an analysis of selected print, broadcast and social media representations of the GAA and Gaelic Games.
The authors focused on two prominent themes that they found to have dominated coverage. Firstly, there was a strong emphasis on the impact on the GAA, its participants and the media of the cancellation of elite and local level competitions in its peak Spring-Summer season. This included extensive coverage of the financial impact on the GAA and debates concerning how competitions might safely resume.
There was also extensive praise for the GAA鈥檚 response to and messaging during the lockdown. The authors highlight the media theme of 鈥榦vercoming鈥 - both the Association鈥檚 challenges and those facing wider Irish society through members鈥 voluntary and charitable activities, and their extensive contributions as frontline service staff.
Dr Marcus Free said: 鈥楾he study illustrates the unique intersection of national media, the GAA and all spheres of society in Ireland through the organisation鈥檚 extensive membership. Dr Crosson and I are currently working on follow-up research that will examine media engagement with the challenges that emerged for the GAA during the post-lockdown return to competition in Autumn 2020.鈥
Dr Marcus Free lectures in Media and Communication Studies at 91制片厂. He is co-editor (with Neil O鈥橞oyle) of Sport, the Media and Ireland: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Cork University Press, 2020).
The Time Out collection was edited by J枚rg Krieger, April Henning, Paul Dimeo, and Lindsay Parks Pieper, and published by leading international academic publisher Common Ground.
Further information on the collection and Dr Crosson鈥檚 and Dr Free鈥檚 chapter are available at the following link, where copies of the book can also be purchased .
