RTE have denied claims their lack of coverage of high flying Louth’s Division 2 campaign to date, is related to a long running dispute with Wee County manager, Mickey Harte.
Gavin Devlin - Harte’s right hand man in Louth - believes the issue is down to an historic disagreement with Harte, and urged RTE to “see it through a Louth lens.”
Devlin - nicknamed ‘Horse’ - says he understands why leading figures in the county are annoyed that Louth are the only side in Division 2 not to have received any RTE television coverage this Spring.
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Louth go to Croke Park on Sunday to face Dublin, knowing that a shock victory would guarantee a third successive promotion and mean Division 1 football next year.
RTE insist the absence of coverage for the Wee County has “nothing to do with any individual and is purely down to resourcing, financing and logistics.”
They also point out that television cameras were sent to eight Louth games in last year’s League and Championship, including encounters with Laois and Antrim in Ardee.
Leading Louth figures including Chairman and local TD Peter Fitzpatrick are up in arms after Louth’s encounter with Cork at Ardee’s Páirc Mhuire last Sunday was the only Division 1 or 2 game not covered by RTE over the weekend.
It is believed ‘League Sunday’ presenter Joanne Cantwell’s weekend comment that Ardee is unsuitable for cameras related to the logistics and costs involved in setting up cameras at some venues compared to others, but it has annoyed figures in the local club and county.
RTE have also dimissed claims from Fitzpatrick that they are ‘boycotting’ the county’s games.
A spokesperson for RTE said: “Not every game can be covered.
“And while it’s unfortunate Louth have not featured to date it is simply impossible to cover all the games.
“Their game with Dublin at the weekend will be shown. As will their Championship games.”
Harte and RTE fell out over an skit on the John Murray show back in 2011.
The sketch, which is widely regarded to have been in bad taste, came shortly after Michaela McAreavey’s died on honeymoon.
Numerous attempts at a reconciliation involving various parties have all failed.
Harte has never spoken to RTE since and Devlin says he never will.
No Tyrone player conducted an interview with RTE from 2011 until 2020, when Harte stepped aside as manager.
Devlin, who was also assistant manager with Harte in Tyrone - and played in All-Ireland winning teams at minor, under-21 and senior level under the legendary figure - told the Mirror:
“Personally for me, and I genuinely mean this, it’s something I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at it, but I do get it.
“Look, that broadcasting channel needs leadership. We all live on a small island and whether you’re from Cork, from Tipperary or Donegal (you know) Mickey Harte and RTE has a situation.
“I am under no illusions. I am with Mickey seven days a week. There is a situation there that will never be resolved.
“I’d be quite confident in saying Mickey Harte will never, ever have any relationship with RTE.
“I’ll put that out there right away. No individual, no organisation or no one person will change that. But you have got to move on from that.
“That organisation has got to move on from that stance. Why can that not be set to one side?
“Because for me it’s not an issue with Mickey Harte or RTE.
“When we go out we are dealing with Louth players, the Sam Mulroy's and Ciaran Downey's.
“Boys putting their life on hold, going out five or six nights a week and representing their county.
“That organisation (RTE) need to put that front and centre rather than someone else’s relationship.
“Whatever they think they are doing to Mickey Harte or anything else, you must see it through the lens of Louth and Louth supporters.
“What did Sam Mulroy do to RTE I ask? What did the Louth supporters do to RTE?
"RTE can say whatever they want and put whatever narrative out there they want.
“I just can’t understand why they can’t get over it and why the camera is not facing behind the scenes. Do the right thing? Just do the right thing?
“It doesn’t bother me but I know why it would bother our players. I know why it would bother our supporters.
“We have won four big games back to back and come from Division 4. It is a big thing but yet with all it’s not being covered.”
The spokesperson for RTE went on to point out that the station are covering more games this year than any other year, in conjunction with TG4, BBC Northern Ireland and GAAGO.
In the region of 70 live GAA matches will be shown on RTE this year, up from 40 in 2018.
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