Ray D'Arcy

And I heard a man saying that the stadium that holds 10,000 will be probably half full.

So a big game, but not a big game.

I was watching the news last night, I don't know if you were watching it, and they were reporting on the sentencing of Sean McGovern, the senior Kinahan cartel figure.

So he got 24 years sentence.

He's expected to serve at least 16 years of that because he's a trusted prisoner.

I did a bit of research on that.

It means that he's well behaved and as a result of being a trusted prisoner, they're going to reduce his sentence in the long run by a third, which brings the 24 down to 16.

Anyway, I thought I felt a sea change when I was looking at Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland.

He came out and he gave a statement and he was flanked by all his colleagues.

They're all suited and booted outside the Central Criminal Court, the Special Criminal Court, I should say.

And he said a lot of things, but he says, the conviction and sentence of Seán McGovern proved there are no untouchables in Irish organised crime.

Law enforcement is committed to the pursuit and prosecution of those who are the leaders, the decision makers and the facilitators.

And he was sending out a message, not only to the people who are leading these gangs, but also to the people who aspire to a particular lifestyle that they think is glamorous, with the cars and the expensive runners and everything else.

So he was making a statement.

Of course, the problem is twofold, isn't it?

It's not just about the crimes, it's about the communities where these people live.

So the root problem needs to be dealt with, as well as the actual crimes.

So why are young men attracted to crime?

So there needs to be state initiatives to get into these communities and provide them with alternatives.

And that needs to be done as well.