Ex-president warns GAA structures must change
In essence, they must be made more relevant to what present society demands, says former President Peter Quinn - who accepts that this may not happen because the Association is “possibly too democratic.”
“Democracy is normally good in its own right. In some circumstances, benign dictatorships have proven even better. For the fulfillment of its potential, the GAA needs to strike a balance between the two,” he comments.
Quinn is one of over 20 GAA personalities, varying from some of the greats of Gaelic games to referees and administrators, who were interviewed by Derry-born school-teacher Seamus McRory for his book, “The All-Ireland Dream.” His views reflect the sentiments expressed in the Strategic Review Committee which he chaired. Most of their recommendations were cold-shouldered at the time the report was issued three years ago.
While his core view is that there is basically nothing wrong with the present GAA strategy, he argues that the structures now in place need to be modernised to deliver the needs of these strategies. Successful businesses must have “appropriate structures” to deliver their strategies, he points out.
“In the SRC report, when we criticised the way in which the Association was being run, by implication we criticised management - Central Council and the Executive staff. It’s hardly surprising that we recommended changes in all areas. That’s precisely why our report was not welcomed, because we were attacking those who were in the greatest positions of power.
“This is the greatest challenge. Changes in strategies do not affect people, but changes in structures do. Possibly the GAA is too democratic.”
Expressing confidence that, in time, most of the SRC recommendations will be addressed, he says that one of the more important challenges is to increase games penetration in urban areas. The fact that penetration in some parts of Dublin is as low as 5% shows that there is a “huge void” to be filled. “We would not survive if we were a business,” says Quinn.
While the interview does not touch on Rule 42 (the SRC favoured the transfer the power to make decisions on the use of Croke Park to the Central Council), Mr Quinn recalls a controversy which erupted in the early nineties during his Presidency. It related to a double-fixture - Gaelic football and soccer - which was to be promoted by the Dublin-based Clanna Gael Fontenoy’s club in the RDS grounds. Involving Dublin and Down, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians, it was planned as a fund-raising venture during the club’s centenary celebrations.
The GAA came in for a lot of criticism by withdrawing permission after first agreeing and Quinn himself took a lot of flak, even though he explains that he was not party to the decision.
“After initially sanctioning the idea, the GAA’s Management Committee and Central Council decided to withdraw permission for the game. This decision was based on the fact that conditions set out with regard to the fixture by the GAC had not been fulfilled. In other words, there was a lack of clarity about how the disbursement of monies from the RDS game was going to be allocated.
“Unfortunately, when these decisions were being taken, I was out of the country on pre-arranged business. Though I know that the buck stops with the President, I think it was particularly unfair on the part of some journalists who have continued to apportion undue blame to me for something I was not directly involved in.”
On a lighter note, he reveals that his interest in administration developed through being nominated (without his knowledge) for one of two positions of Fermanagh delegate to the Ulster Council. He impressed some officials of the county board by speaking in Irish after captaining his club, Teemore, to victory in the county final.
“At the time, I had forgotten that most of the previous winning captains in Fermanagh had not done so. Watching All-Ireland winning captains speaking in Irish made me assume that this was the normal thing to do,’’ he commented.
Mick O’Connell was the most talented footballer he ever saw playing and he says he could watch DJ Carey play “all day, every day!”
* “The All-Ireland Dream” is published by Wolfhound Press.
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