There was a little bit of history created on Saturday night at the McKenna Cup final between Tyrone and Derry at Pairc Esler in Newry, as James Brokenshire - the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland - became (as the BBC report) the first British minister to attend a GAA game in Ulster.
The game finished with a fairly comprehensive victory for Tyrone, captain Peter Harte lifting the trophy after his side triumphed on a 2-13 to 1-07 scoreline. Nevertheless, Brokenshire said he enjoyed "the speed, the talent, the passion of the game".
While the McKenna Cup has traditionally been known as a way for Ulster managers to blood new talent, it has become something of a custom now for it to be used to blood new relations in the north. Edwin Poots attended a match between Down and Donegal in 2008, while Peter Robinson also enjoyed the unique experience of a Tyrone-Derry clash four years later.
Brokenshire isn't the first British politician to enjoy a GAA game. Former UK Minister for Sport Tony Banks expressed his enthusiasm for Kevin Walsh after the Galway-Kildare football final of 1998, while Neil Kinnock attended the 1989 hurling final between Antrim and Tipperary.
It's unknown whether Brokenshire was exposed long enough to catch 'McKenna Cup fever', but it is understood that he was overheard fiercely debating the merits of the 'blanket defence' with GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghaíl.
