If at first you don’t succeed...

The GAA will today formalise Liam O’Neill’s election as GAA president after all other candidates pulled out for the first time in the modern era, Jim O’Sullivan looks into how it happened.

THE accepted wisdom is that Laois teacher Liam O’Neill has the distinction of being the first to assume the highest office in the GAA without having to fight an election.

It’s certainly never happened in modern times and it has come about this year because the three other nominated candidates withdrew over a period of 18 days.