Forbes and Power set for Munster Council posts

FORMER Cork chairman Jim Forbes and current Tipperary delegate Michael Power will be elected PRO and Treasurer, respectively, of the Munster Council at tomorrow night’s annual convention in Ennis.

Forbes is the only candidate standing for the position of PRO vacated by Willie O’Connor after his three years stint and with ex-Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan confirming yesterday that he has withdrawn from the contest, Power will be unopposed for the position of Treasurer in succession to Ger Hickey from Clare. Forbes has had a chequered history in administration at county level. Over a 20-year period, starting in 1978, he was defeated in seven elections in Cork before eventually succeeding in 1989. That year he was chosen as Youth Officer, defeating Christy Cooney, who is one of three candidates in the upcoming GAA presidential election.

Subsequently, he was elected PRO before filling the positions of vice-chairman and chairman. Currently, he is chairman of the Central Appeals Committee in Croke Park.

Power is a former secretary of the Tipperary Football Board. One of Tipperary’s two representatives on the provincial council, he previously contested the treasurership in 2001, when he was one of four candidates in an election won by Dan Hoare from Cork.

Paddy Joe Ryan, who is one of the Waterford delegates to the Council, is a member of the National Hearings Committee. Previously, he was defeated by Sean Fogarty (another presidential candidate, along with outgoing Leinster Chairman Liam O’Neill) in the 2001 election for Vice-Chairman, losing by nine votes. He had also been nominated for the position three years earlier but withdrew in advance.

Jim Forbes was nominated for PRO three years ago but did not stand. In the event, Willie O’Connor defeated former Tipperary PRO Liz Howard to become only the second holder of the office in Munster. Fr Seamus Gardiner had filled the role continuously since 1978 before falling victim to the rule limiting the terms of officerships to three years.

*Wexford man Seamus Howlin will take over as Leinster Chairman at Saturday’s convention in the Ferrycarrig Hotel, succeeding Liam O’Neill — who has ambitions to follow in the footsteps of Nickey Brennan and be chosen as President-elect at the April Congress in Sligo.

Howlin, the outgoing Vice-Chairman, will be the fifth man from the county to fill the position.

There are four candidates nominated for Vice-Chairman, Paddy Kelly (Meath), Pat Toner (Louth), Martin Scally (Longford) and John Horan (Dublin).

Sligo-man Lauri Quinn continues as Chairman of the Connacht Council, while Tom Daly (Donegal) has two years to run as Ulster Chairman.