Deputy first minister 'deeply saddened' after summer camp cancelled

The deputy first minister has said she is "deeply saddened that the organisers" of a cross-community summer camp "felt that they needed to cancel" the event over opposition to the involvement of children from a GAA club.

Emma Little-Pengelly said there was "legitimate discussion to be had" about the GAA's levels of inclusivity - but that this was not "the time or the place".

North Down Cricket Club said it had planned to host the event for young people from varied backgrounds, including some from East Belfast GAA.

But the club in Comber in County Down cancelled the camp, saying "some public comment has been made on social media regarding a cross-community initiative".

On the day the cancellation was made public, Goldsprings of Comber Orange Lodge said there were concerns about the "perceived move of the GAA into the local community", which it said had come from some local residents.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Thursday, Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said "cricket is a sport that brings people together" and summer camps like the one planned were for "children to get to know each other and work with each other".

She said she had spoken to the club.

North Down Cricket Club said it had hoped the event, which had been planned for Friday, would give young people from different backgrounds the chance to have fun by playing cricket.

It said 10 different local sports and community groups had been involved, including a "small group of children" from a GAA club.

How did the event come to be cancelled?

On Tuesday evening, North Down Cricket Club said it was calling off the camp.

In a statement, it said: "Over the last day or two, some public comment has been made on social media regarding a cross-community initiative we had planned to host."

It said the summer camp had been organised to give young people from different backgrounds a chance to enjoy cricket and build friendships.

It added that a " small group of children from a GAA club was just one part of that broader mix".

"As reaction to the event grew, we felt the spirit of the camp was at risk of being lost. With regret — and out of respect for all involved — we chose not to proceed," the statement said.

On the same day, Goldsprings of Comber Orange Lodge posted on its social media that "many local residents have raised reservations about the GAA's cultural and historical affiliations".

The lodge said residents had "made it clear that until the GAA takes meaningful steps to ensure it is fully inclusive and sensitive to the history and identity of the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist (PUL) community, its presence in Comber would be viewed with regret and opposition by many in the Comber area".

The lodge also said there had been "unease regarding aspects of the organisation [GAA] that have, in the past, celebrated or commemorated individuals associated with paramilitary activity".

On Wednesday, the Orange lodge issued a further statement and said the cricket club had taken the decision to cancel the event before the lodge published its initial statement.

The lodge added that "concerns expressed by members of our community" had been genuine.

It said messages had circulated on local WhatsApp groups which "regardless of their complete accuracy, prompted an important and sincere conversation".

On Thursday, the cricket club confirmed that it had cancelled the event "before any comment or statement from Goldsprings Lodge, and was not influenced by them".

It said it had made the decision on Monday morning "following concerns raised privately - and later publicly on social media".

It added that it had long-standing ties with the lodge and other local lodges and that it respected the "contribution these organisations have made to the fabric of Comber - and to this club".

Cricket Ireland said it hoped to move the event to Stormont in east Belfast in late July.

'Totally unacceptable' - first minister

Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly were talking on Good Morning Ulster at The Open in Portrush

Earlier, speaking to Good Morning Ulster First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the cancellation was disappointing.

"I am actually quite dismayed that anyone would think that young people coming together through the medium of sport, just because they come from a GAA background, that that is not appropriate," the Sinn Féin deputy leader said.

"I just think that is just totally unacceptable by anybody's standards."

She added "sport should be something that unifies people, no one should be excluded because they come from a Gaelic background".

Asked about the issue at an event in County Down on Thursday evening, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: "Sport has this extraordinary capacity to bring people together to give joy and to unite people and it can't be something that divides us.

"So I was very sorry to read what I saw in the newspapers."

Who are Goldsprings of Comber Orange Lodge?

Goldsprings of Comber LOL 1037 was founded in 1862 and is the town's largest lodge.

It was accompanied by the Goldsprings True Defenders Flute Band for the recent Twelfth of July commemorations.

The band was celebrating its 40th anniversary having been founded by the lodge in 1985.

The band has taken part in the annual Trevor King Memorial Parade, which remembers a senior Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) man who was shot dead in Belfast in 1994.

It has also taken part in a memorial parade for Belfast man Brian Robinson, also a senior member of the UVF.

What has East Belfast GAA said?

In a statement on Tuesday, East Belfast GAA said it was "disappointed" its youth academy members "won't be enjoying a planned community sports event".

"This was a great opportunity to engage with those who share our values of respect, togetherness, and inclusion," it said.

"The regrettable cancellation won't stop any of the organisations involved from continuing their great work in building bridges, promoting peace, and sharing spaces for sport."

The club said it looked forward to "future opportunities to collaborate with like-minded groups from Belfast and beyond".