As expected, there were no reports of men levelling counties in one second flat, nor of mythological giants going hell for leather, when Antrim met Westmeath in the Leinster hurling championship last weekend. For the first time since the 1994 All-Ireland final, a senior hurling championship fixture did not feature Guinness as a major sponsor. . The heyday of that relationship is well past but it still amounted to a significant milestone, the end of an era.
What started out as a spectacular marketing drive – catchy slogans, giant billboards, clever television ads – gradually became more restrained and withdrawn. Since 2008 Guinness no longer had the stage to itself, sharing with two other sponsors, and now Liberty Insurance has arrived as a replacement. The change comes against the backdrop of a debate in the Oireachtas over alcohol sponsorship in sport. A review group has recommended that alcohol sponsorship be outlawed by 2016. The GAA is ahead of the game if this was an influencing factor.
Source: Dermot Crowe, Irish Independent, 13/05/13
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