Caoimhe Hill McCann has been told she must pay €80 to bring her baby son Connla (left) to this year's All-Ireland final between Dublin and Tyrone.

A Tyrone GAA fan has been told she must buy an All-Ireland final ticket costing €80 if she wants to bring her 16-week-old baby to Croke Park - even though he won't need a seat for the game against Dublin.

Caoimhe Hill McCann has brought her son Connla to seven matches this season around the country in Carlow, Donegal and Tyrone, and until Sunday's semi-final against Monaghan had been able to bring him into games strapped into a sling.

However, when she tried to gain entrance along with her husband Johnny to Croke Park on Sunday, she was told that she would need to buy a ticket for her baby too.

"My husband was having the baby bag searched and I was having a bit of banter with the stewards about starting Connla early on going to games," Caoimhe told Independent.ie.

"Then when we approached the turnstile a young girl said that we would need another ticket for the baby. I laughed because I thought she was joking but she said she would have to get her supervisor. He was very dismissive and just said 'no ticket, no entry' even though I explained that he wouldn't take up a seat and would just be strapped to me. I just think it's really bizarre."

Caoimhe and her husband were eventually able to gain entry after a steward helped them obtain a third ticket, but missed the opening ten minutes of the game.

After arriving home from Tyrone's win, Caoimhe rang the GAA ticket office to enquire about the All-Ireland final and was told that if Connla was to attend, she would have to purchase a full price ticket for herself and another for him as there are no price reductions for infants for the decider.

"The woman in the ticket office said I'd have to buy an €80 ticket for the baby for the game and that there are no concessions," she said.

"I have to pay €160 to go to the game with my baby and will be sitting beside an empty seat. It's sad that the seat will go to waste and that a fan might not be able to go to the game because of it."

Caoimhe says she is exclusively breast-feeding Connla so cannot leave him at home with a babysitter if she was to attend the game.

On the GAA's website under 'Ticket Terms and Conditions' it says:

"For 'all-ticket' events every person (including infants) entering the venue must have a ticket. Please note all events in Croke Park are 'all-ticket'."

Independent.ie have contacted the GAA for comment and are awaiting a response, but speaking to RTÉ, GAA Director of Communications Alan Milton said that the reason why everyone in attendance - including infants - require a ticket is down to health and safety.

"It's a long-held practise and most people would be aware of it because we put it in the public domain every now and then.

"Every person coming to the stadium requires a ticket. It's for health and safety and it's just best practise. It has to be black and white for health and safety reasons."

In rugby, the IRFU have a policy that children under the age of two do not need a ticket to attend games at the Aviva Stadium.

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Online Editors