Chairman sorry for ‘errors’ as Connelly and Holmes take Mayo reins

Mayo GAA chairman Paddy McNicholas has apologised for ‘errors’ made in the process to appoint a new Mayo senior management team.

Last night’s meeting of the Mayo County Board saw the joint ticket of Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes ratified as the new Mayo management.

However, McNicholas and other board officers were criticised for releasing a statement on Saturday last saying they had recommended Connelly and Holmes to a meeting of the executive, when no such meeting had taken place.

McNicholas himself came under pressure for telling the other nominee for the position, Kevin McStay, over the phone, that he was not the “preferred choice” just hours after an interview process had been agreed by the executive of Mayo GAA.

McNicholas told last night’s meeting via a prepared statement that an initial discussion with McStay saw the former Mayo star request the board “would not mess him around” and “leave him hanging” if he was not the preferred choice.

McNicholas said the three main officers of the board — himself, secretary Vincent Neary and treasurer JP Lambe — had told McStay in their first meeting that there was a problem with “his package”.

When asked why the executive were not told of that problem, McNicholas said that they had agreed a “confidentiality clause” with McStay but insisted “no man in this room would have accepted Kevin McStay’s package”.

He also said that in deference to McStay’s wishes, he decided to inform him last Saturday that he was not the preferred choice. He said he hoped McStay would withdraw his name but when he did not, he asked him to wait until later that day before making any statement on the matter.

However, as the news started to break on Saturday, McNicholas said the board were in “an evolving situation”.

“Hindsight is wonderful,” said McNicholas, and admitted releasing the statement on Saturday and referring to a meeting which did not take place “must appear clumsy”.

He said he had contacted the executive by phone instead. “I regret this error.”

He said he was misquoted by Liam McHale and that McStay’s package was not described by him as being too “radical”.

Ballina Stephenites’ delegate Padraig Prendergast said there was “a loss of credibility” for the county board because of the debacle, while Kevin McDonnell of Kilmaine said the situation had led to “the resignation of one of the finest GAA men in the county” in cultural officer Gerry Bourke.

McNicholas added: “We’ve made a mistake and I’ve apologised for it.”

However, when a show of hands was called for there were no objections to the Connelly/Holmes ticket.