By 1920 the GAA had become the most prominent sporting organisation across the country and was closely aligned to the political aspirations of Irish nationalists.

Despite the ongoing troubles in Ireland (and the inclement weather) the GAA continued to organise games during the month of February. The GAA in county Tipperary was said to have delighted when martial law was postponed in February allowing them to organise games and dances in several county towns. Huge crowds attended a gold medal tournament at the Cork Athletic Grounds and in Croke Park where reigning all Ireland champions Kildare took on Wexford. Other matches including Dublin and Kilkenny in a senior hurling challenge were orgainsed for the Motor Strikers Fund in Dublin. The continued motor strike threatened the playing of a match between Cavan and Meath in Oldcastle, but the Cavan county board suggested the novel idea of the players travelling by rail on the previous day and staying overnight to allow the came to be played. In a debate which has resonance with Ireland and the GAA in 2020, the annual convention of the Kerry County Board considered the debt which the board had accrued most of which stemmed from the preparation of the county team. Costing £115 to prepare the Kerry senior team one newspaper reported that ‘it takes some money to train a team for all Ireland honours’. At the same meeting, Austin Stack was unanimously elected as the chairman of the county board underlining the connections between politics and the GAA during this period.

 Download Source: The Liberator (Tralee), 17 Feb 1920, page 3 &  Download Source: The Cork Examiner 19 Feb 1920, page 7;