Nor did they go to the Abbey Theatre or the National Concert Hall. No; they went to Croke Park for the Leinster hurling final instead.

A uniquely Irish day out, a prime expression of the nation's culture and heritage and love of sport. Okay, it didn't prove to be such a great match, but by all accounts the ambassadors and their partners were enthralled. Such afternoons are part of who and what we are. They're also part of the reason why it's good that so much progress has been made in recent years in regard to obtaining financial recognition from the state for GAA players. The process has encountered choppy waters of late, but I'm hopeful that, notwithstanding the GPA's current unhappiness and its threats of strike action, the situation can be resolved. What's at stake is not a principle but a mechanism . . . and reaching agreement over a mechanism is far easier than reaching agreement over a principle.

To start at the beginning.

I've long maintained that our hurlers and footballers should be entitled to the same recognition from the state as our artists and writers. Once Charlie McCreevy introduced tax breaks for professional Irish sportsmen and women a few years ago, moreover, this entitlement became ever more immediate.

Why should the Gooch's skill not be recognised by the Revenue Commissioners in the same way that Robbie Keane's is? Why give a tax rebate to Padraig Harrington but not one to Dan Shanahan? It's not good enough to respond that Keane and Harrington are professionals whereas Cooper and Big Dan are not. Earning what they do, indeed, Keane and Harrington are scarcely in need of tax breaks. No, hurling and gaelic football are significant elements not merely of our sporting heritage but also of our cultural heritage. County hurling and football teams provide as much entertainment as the national rugby and soccer teams, of late far more. As such, it's incumbent on the state to do more for the practitioners of these games than simply pay them lip service. I defy anyone to claim, for instance, that that point of Henry Shefflin's shortly before halftime in the Leinster final wasn't a work of considerable artistic merit. And I bet the ambassadors will back me up on that onef But I can see why the GAA have been reluctant to thrust their heads above the parapet. Tax breaks for hurlers and footballers is essentially a two-way process between the players/GPA on the one hand and the state/Revenue Commissioners on the other. Be seen to be caught in the middle and the GAA will be viewed as condoning or conniving at professionalism.

I'm totally opposed to pay-for-play for the hundreds of reasons that have been trotted out in the past and that don't need to be repeated here. So yes, it's understandable that the GAA are wary. The thin end of the wedge is an obvious spectre. Unfortunately the situation has become unnecessarily complicated. Kiss: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Instead of getting Croke Park involved and adding to the miles of red tape, it should be possible to confine the matter to the Revenue Commissioners and the county board in each county. By which I mean this: on a given date every year (let's say 1 May for the sake of practicality), every county secretary would sign off on the county's championship panel and send the list of names off to Revenue, who would provide tax rebates to the players in due course.

Thirty players, no more, no less. If you break your leg the week beforehand, tough. If you were a panel member the previous year but don't make the cut this time around, tough. No exceptions, no excuses, no minors or under-21s. Doubtless the nation's camogie players and lady footballers would soon be demanding equal rights, but that's their business and their battle.

It's sad that events have escalated.

The GPA should be very wary of even mentioning the word "strike", as Dessie Farrell (left) and Donal Og Cusack did last week. Such a course of action is a weapon of last resort, a weapon that ought to be employed only after every other option has been exhausted. It's a big stick to wield, and in the current circumstances it's a stick that must not be wielded. After all, once the red button has been pressed, what do you do for your next trick?

The GPA say they've gone the extra mile. Fair enough. But now they must go the extra mile and a half. Broadly speaking, this particular battle has been fought and won. The GPA, the GAA and the government are all singing from the same hymn sheet. They now merely need to get their harmonies right. The money has been mandated by the government; it's the mechanism for disbursing it that requires agreement.

The GPA and the GAA are arguing over a shade of difference. It's time both sides realised just how small this difference is . . . and acted accordingly.