Michael McDonagh defends ‘warts and all review’ of Clare GAA

Former Clare GAA chairman Michael McDonagh has defended his version of his “warts and all review” of the 2015 season, which he delivered at last week’s county convention.

At a county board meeting on September 3, the Fianna Fáil general election candidate said that he would deliver “a warts and all review” in December in his final act as county chairman.

The clear understanding at the time was that the review would primarily concentrate on the performances of the Clare senior hurlers and footballlers in the 2015 season. However this is not what transpired last week.

Last July former Clare hurler Brian Lohan had called for a review of the Clare hurlers performances, a suggestion backed by double All-Ireland winning manager Ger Loughnane.

McDonagh has told The Clare Champion his interpretation of the review differed and that it was his view it was to be broad and non specific.

“I meant a review of everything we did in the county board from when I came in as chairman in 2003 right up to date.

“I covered the schools, coaching and games, management and my own performance. I wanted to to be constructive more than anything else.

“It’s very, very easy to single out one issue but I think the county board has so many things that have to be looked at. I gave a broad outline on everything,” he replied, adding he accepts many people thought he meant a review of the Clare senior hurling teams 2015 displays.

“I’m a human being and I probably worded it badly. What I had meant always was I was going to give a review of the county board and how we were going.

“If you read what I said, I think it was substantial. I speak my mind and I say what I’ve to say. I won’t go around corners or I won’t go hiding around corners. I’ve never done that. Whatever I say, I do it and I will not go back on my word and that’s the one thing I have going through life since I was very young, right up to now.”

Regarding the county boards attempts to ban journalists from tweeting at county board meetings, Michael McDonagh says that it was a board decision.

“There was an officers meeting and there was a decision made. I have no problem with journalists. What happened there was, the comments that were coming afterwards.

Some of them were very, very disturbing. Ye have always stood behind yere comments and put your name down. But some people are not putting their names down to comments. I respect the journalists but I will speak my mind and never be afraid of speaking my mind.” McDonagh rejected the perception Clare County Board secretary Pat Fitzgerald is the most influential individual in Clare GAA, claiming that everybody in the county board executive has a say in what is happening.

“We had an officer board of 13 and we had regular meetings. Any major decisions were made by the officers. Like everybody else, Pat Fitzgerald had a say on it. The one thing I would say here is that there is a massive amount of counties that are burdened down with serious debt. While Pat Fitzgerald has been secretary, with all we’ve done between Caherlohan, Cusack Park, Clareabbey, Ryan’s Field and the Michael Cusack Centre, we have kept the debt burden down.

“Obviously Pat Fitzgerald is the face of everything but he has just a normal say,” the now former chairman asserted.