Jarlath Burns: I ask anybody who is reporting back, just examine your conscience

At a dramatic Mayo GAA meeting, president Jarlath Burns condemned abuse, praised financial reforms, and urged members to reflect on their roles

GAA Director General Tom Ryan and Jarlath Burns, President of the GAA at Knockranny House Hotel. Pic: Conor McKeown

It had already been a night full of startling revelations by the time GAA president Jarlath Burns addressed the room at a special meeting of the Mayo county board.

The meeting was preceded by the announcement that Mayo football manager Kevin McStay is stepping back from his role for the immediate future to deal with personal health issues. 

The county’s finances and allegations of an ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation were discussed and displayed via a slideshow presentation.

Delegates unanimously passed two special motions in Westport. The first was to unequivocally condemn the campaign of abuse. The second motion was a vote of confidence in the current officers.

For Burns, the controversy touches every corner of the association. Topics included adult safeguarding, the historic financial operations of the association and its future direction.

“I came onto the Armagh executive in 2010. If you go back to 2010, I’m sure many of you were involved, there was no such thing as cashless,” he said.

“Audits, audit and risk were not terms we had in the GAA. So we decided that we had concerns about some aspects of our own operation and we carried out an audit.

“Whenever we got the results back, the person who did the audit for ourselves said that we are going to have to introduce a new word into the English language. It is called ‘inauditable.’ 35% of our operations were inauditable. Every county was like that. This county was like that. Every county was like that because at that stage, the GAA was growing at a rate that we were finding it very difficult for volunteers (to manage).” 

The GAA moved towards a new policy of cashless access to its fixtures during the Covid pandemic. Match tickets are also available to purchase through Centra/SuperValu stores.

“As a result of that, audit and risk, governance, control, all of that became very important,” continued Burns.

“That is one of the main reasons we went totally cashless. Since we have gone totally cashless, I would have to say in virtually every county audit and risk controls are outstanding. None more so than this county. Michelle McAleer is here today, audited every county, she would say this county came number one in terms of audit and risk, financial control and transparency. It is important to say that.” 

Gripes are still inevitable. Much of that, when it comes to fixtures or suspensions or team performance, is understandable. Burns believes the current campaign crosses the line. The board also confirmed they reported the issue to An Garda Síochána and intend to seek legal advice.

The GAA president went on to address the delegates in the room. GAA secretary Ronan Kirrane had earlier given a presentation detailing a selection of the emails received.

Kirrane also focused on the prospect that current delegates were providing information to the unnamed party: ‘Maybe we should all look at ourselves and what we have done. Hopefully I am only speaking to one or two at the most, but if I am, and that is you when you look in the mirror, please leave.” 

This was a theme that Burns echoed as well.

“On Saturday evening, we had the DUP sports minister Gordon Lyons in the Athletic Grounds watching our game.

“He couldn’t get over firstly the crowd, it was packed, secondly the atmosphere, thirdly the fact no one was segregated, the fourth thing he said was I’m looking around at half-time, it is all respectable people who go to these games. That is what the GAA is. We are respectable people. We are people of decency and kindness.

“ I just ask anybody who is reporting back, in light of what Ronan has given a snapshot of here tonight, just examine your conscience. Just reflect. What is my role in this? What is my role if I am on the side of people who would be so vicious and nasty and bullying and intimidating and threatening?” 

Meanwhile, Connacht GAA CEO John Prenty hailed the breakdown of how Croke Park had acquired a €5m bank loan in 2015 relating to Mayo GAA. Director General Tom Ryan made a presentation about the terms of the agreement.

“That has been answered 100% by the Ard Stiúrthóir,” he said.

“Simple, precise language. I am amazed that at least two of the people who are keyboard warriors and are supposed to be highly educated, couldn’t read the balance sheet of the Mayo county board for the last ten years.

“The second thing is we have been 100% in this room tonight behind our officers, the current officers and some of the previous officers who got a lot of dirty abuse as well, but I think we need to be careful where we go from here. We are dealing with people who think in different ways than GAA people. We want to make sure whatever advice we get, we don’t bring down further abuse on our officers or members of our clubs.”