Take a look at the diagram for confirmed cases in the Covid tracker app on your mobile phone!
You will notice that the highest spike of cases since the pandemic reached Ireland is mid-October. They were above 1,200 a day then.
Now, recall when your county had its junior, intermediate and – in some areas – senior finals and remember what happened when the winning parishes, villages and towns celebrated.
Most finals were contested towards the end of September before restricted crowd numbers.
But when the celebrations started GAA fans forgot themselves and seriously let down the country.
Instead of parading the trophy through their home area where socially-distanced parishioners could safely share in the triumph, many winning clubs organised private functions in total breach of anti-Covid regulations.
So-called “wet pubs” were opened to limited numbers, and in some counties under Level 3 restrictions all pubs and restaurants were closed.
That didn’t stop revelling fans travelling to neighbouring counties not under Level 3 to continue their celebrations.
In the border area, some even crossed to Northern Ireland for their celebration in pubs that were still open to all customers at that time.
I have not the slightest doubt the celebrations were part of why coronavirus spread through the community and pushed the mid-October case figures to the highest of the year.
I mention all of this because in the next few weeks, the 2020 All-Ireland football and hurling champions will be returning to their own counties.
Ireland will, to a certain extent, be out of national lockdown by then but the celebrating counties must be alert against prompting another Covid spike over the Christmas/New Year period.
It’s imperative that the leaders of the GAA ensure that a repeat of September’s disgraceful behaviour by fans and club members is avoided.
It will be difficult enough to keep Christmas celebrations in some kind of control, without exacerbating the situation in the winning All-Ireland counties.
It’s no surprise that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly warned against “exuberant” GAA celebrations after the All-Ireland finals.
He told RTE radio’s This Week programme that celebrations after the club championship games in September had been a contributory factor in the spread of Covid-19.
He warned similar celebrations cannot be repeated after the All-Ireland finals.
Trouble is, Mr Donnelly, you will have to keep saying it for the next three weeks day after day after day – maybe even hour after hour.
Many GAA club chiefs participated with fans in regulations-busting functions in September celebrations.
The government and health chiefs must continue to constantly remind them of their past shame when the importance of life took second place to wanton celebration.
