GAA to make firm pledge for integration at Congress

It is anticipated that GAA president Larry McCarthy will speak at Congress about intensifying plans to unite the Gaelic games organisations

Fri, 25 Feb, 2022 - 17:00

John Fogarty

The GAA is expected to make a firm pledge towards integrating with the Ladies Gaelic Football (LGFA) and Camogie Associations (CA) at Congress tomorrow.

As the Gaelic Players Association’s motion calling for the GAA to prioritise amalgamation talks with the two bodies is set to receive a resounding endorsement, it is anticipated before that vote GAA president Larry McCarthy will speak about intensifying plans to unite the organisations in his address in Bekan, Co Mayo.

At the launch of the annual report earlier this month, GAA director general Tom Ryan confirmed there are strong intentions to bring the GAA family closer together. “I think I speak for all three of us when I say there is a very keen appetite on all our parts to move to closer alignment. The precise shape and form of that alignment will emerge over time, but it cannot be unilateral. Camogie and Ladies Football are independent and distinct bodies.”

In their chief executives Helen O’Rourke and Sinead McNulty, the LGFA and CA have a non-voting representatives on the GAA’s management committee. While McCarthy has made several female appointments to his committees including Professor Ann Looney to the aforementioned body, Mary Judge to the Central Competitions Control Committee, Aoife Farrelly to the Central Hearings Committee and Julie Galbraith to the Central Appeals Committee.

On the eve of Congress, the Camogie Association confirmed their own central council has drafted a motion for their annual convention at the start of April that “will enable our members to reaffirm their ongoing commitment and support for integration”.

Their motion reads: “Recognising the leadership and constructive ongoing engagement demonstrated by the Camogie Association in recent years, Congress mandates the Uachtarán and Ard Chomhairle to continue working towards the integration of the Camogie Association, the GAA and LGFA to ensure that: I. Organisational and governance structures reflect an integrated Gaelic Games Organisation; II. Gender equity and its delivery is recognised as a core value of the Gaelic Games family, promoting it across stakeholders, Government and citizens; III. There is equitable access to full participation in Gaelic Games across all units of the Organisation; IV. The promotion of our Gaelic Games is strengthened on an equitable, diverse, cross community basis.”

“Congress requests that a formal progress update be provided to Ard Chomhairle on a regular basis and that the Uachtarán (Hilda Breslin) would provide a comprehensive report of progress at Congress.”

It was revealed earlier this week that Galway will table a motion at LGFA’s congress to amend a rule to include a commitment to “unite with the GAA with the aim of becoming a partnership of equals”.

Meanwhile, the GAA may be prompted to organise a Special Congress later this year if none of the under-age motions receives the required 60% support. As the Central Council-sponsored motion to replace U20 with U19 from 2024 appears to be facing strong opposition and clubs’ proposals to return U18 as minor could fall short, it is believed GAA leadership would be keen to address a stalemate as soon as possible.

Concern in some dual counties — the likes of Clare, Cork and Wexford — that a return to U18 could lead to burnout and fixture difficulty might scupper the motion put forward by the predominantly football counties of Down (Castlewellan), Tyrone (Errigal Ciarán) and Longford (Carrickedmond).

A year out from the next GAA presidential vote, no candidate has declared although Armagh’s Jarlath Burns, who lost out to McCarthy in 2020, and current Leinster chairman Pat Teehan of Offaly are expected to run. Kerry’s John Joe Carroll, who is a trustee of the association, has also been mentioned.