If only there were more Tom O’Donoghues...

ONCE in a lifetime you work with the best GAA chairman there is. Alas, it’s only the once.

The absurdly selfless one who does everything well and occasionally perfect — running up personal phone bills he can’t pay with a business failing because he can’t put enough time into it. Mainlined into the GAA’s bloodstream.

Amid all the hoopla about outside managers and the price of their advice, the importance of the club chairman frequently gets overlooked these days. A right one or a wrong one will invariably shape the mood, direction and structure of a GAA club. Get a good one to grab a town or village by the scruff of the neck and you can create a potent community movement that generates money and turnover without even trying. Everyone goes to the local for the sandwich and pint after a game because it feels right and proper to be there — even if you’ve nothing to do with the team or club.