RTÉ have confirmed Tyrone will not take part in any media coverage with the broadcaster ahead of their All-Ireland SFC final clash with Dublin on September 2nd.
This continues the county’s boycott of RTÉ, which has been in place since 2011. It means RTÉ will not be able to conduct their traditional broadcast from the Tyrone hotel should Mickey Harte’s side lift Sam Maguire.
An RTÉ statement, released on Monday morning, read: “Last week RTÉ Sport extended the same invitation to Tyrone GAA that it has to Dublin GAA, and all previous All Ireland finalists with regard to participation in RTÉ coverage across television, radio and digital platforms.
“This included pre-match, day of match at Croke Park, and post match interviews.
“Tyrone GAA have informed RTÉ Sport that the Tyrone management and players do not wish to participate in any such media activity with RTE and we respect that decision.
“RTÉ Sport will now continue with its planning and preparation and we wish both Tyrone GAA and Dublin GAA the very best of luck in the final.
“We will be making no further comment on this issue.”
Tyrone's feud with RTÉ began after a letter Harte wrote to the broadcaster - about the absence of Brian Carthy from his role as a GAA commentator - was leaked to the press.
It also stems from a sketch on the John Murray show which Harte considered to be insensitive.
A statement from Tyrone GAA, released at the time, read: “A number of weeks ago the Senior Football Manager in conjunction with several other GAA managers wrote a letter marked Private and Confidential to two senior people within the RTÉ organisation.
"In this letter Mickey Harte expressed his own and a number of other managers' concern at the disproportionate absence of Brian Carthy from his role as a radio commentator. The contents of the letter made their way into the public domain and the managers' concerned can categorically state that they were not the source of that leak.
“Due to the portrayal of the said letter, at least one other broadcaster within the organisation acted in a most insensitive manner in the choice of their programme dialogue in a morning radio show soon after.
“Inappropriate references to the fact that the Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was associated with the Dali Lama conference in Limerick and the choice of the song “Pretty Little Girl from Omagh” will give you an indication of the complete lack of sensitivity the presenter in question afforded the Harte family and Michaela’s husband John McAreavey, in what remains for them a very difficult time.
“We hope that this statement clarifies for the general public why Mickey Harte, his management team and the players have chosen not to co-operate with RTÉ at this time.”
