NOW that the pleasant but short-lived dream of the European Championships coming to Belfast has been destroyed by the don’t-come-here-with-your-superstars crowd, a space has opened up for a serious discussion about the future of Casement Park.

Had the stadium been on the other side of the motorway, we would today be excitedly wondering whether we’re going to see Italy and Germany or France and England take to the Belfast sward. Had the stadium been on the other side of the motorway, those comically ludicrous, astronomical estimates wouldn’t have been bandied about with all the factual rigour of a drunk at a bar. But the stadium is in Catholic West Belfast, and it is a GAA stadium, both of which mitigate strongly against rational debate in the local media. Since soccer has been removed from the equation, much of the heat has been taken out of the subject as the association football crowd forgets about GAA until the next angry phone-in. Which leaves the rest of us to start a real discussion about what the new Casement is going to look like and what it’s going to cost. 

GAA President Jarlath Burns has proffered a figure of £260 million to complete the project – a dizzying fall from the fairytale figures being suggested while the Euros were still a possibility. And he’s urged Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to do more to progress the project. Much as we hope this will come to pass, the record of  the hapless Minister during his relatively short time in office does not inspire confidence in his ability to effect positive progress in any of the areas for which he has responsibility.

“I think it would be very helpful if we could have a bit more action maybe from the Sports Minister Gordon Lyons in terms of the action points that we have agreed with him,” said Mr Burns. “It's unfortunate that he hasn't acted on those yet, but we are really looking forward to seeing what the British government commits to in their June spending review.”

With any other party except the DUP, that barbed reference to already-decided actions might prompt an attack of conscience, but we’re talking about a party which views dealing with the GAA rather as medieval circus folk with pointed sticks viewed dealing with bears.

And as if the infuriating, interminable wait for a new stadium hasn’t already drained us, Mr Burns has issued a new warning about running out of time. Planning permissions could lapse, he says, while construction costs will continue to spiral in the absence of movement.

Minister Lyons has spent a year as Communities Minister without attending a GAA match. And yet the GAA’s codes are the biggest sports on the island, the biggest sports in the North. It is against that frankly head-shaking background that we await his response to Mr Burns’ invite to do what needs to be done in relation to Casement.

Minister Lyons may surprise us. But we await him doing so in the same way we await Antrim winning the Sam Maguire