Derek Kent elected 42nd president of the GAA

Kent received 169 of the 277 votes at GAA Congress on Friday night. 

Derek Kent will be the third Wexford man to be GAA president when he takes up office next year. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Derek Kent has been voted in as the 42nd president of the GAA.

The former Leinster and Wexford chairman becomes the first uachtarán from his county since Michael Kehoe (1949-52) and third ever including Patrick Breen (1924-26).

Kent will succeed Jarlath Burns in February next year after receiving a strong mandate in the first count. With the quota being 139, Kent received 169 of the 277 votes (61%).

Former Munster chairman Ger Ryan of Tipperary picked up 76 votes, while ex-Connacht chair John Murphy of Sligo won 32 votes.

Speaking afterwards, Kent commiserated with his opposing candidates, describing them as “two great friends”. He insisted he will “always do the right thing for the GAA” and step into the background for Burns’s last year as GAA president.

Both Murphy and Ryan congratulated Kent in their speeches. “Democracy is a wonderful thing,” said Ryan. “It’s important that we had a contest.” Kent had been a strong favourite since he was nominated by his county board in November. He had aired concerns about the speed of the integration process.

Ryan had been hoping to become the fourth ever GAA president from Tipperary after Seamus Ó Riain (1967-70), Seamus Gardiner (1943-46) and the inaugural uachtarán Maurice Davin (1884-87).

Murphy was aiming to be the first from Sligo although Larry McCarthy was attached to the Sligo club in New York when he was took office in 2021.

Tubbercurry man Murphy was also looking to bridge the gap to the late Joe McDonagh (1997-2000), who was the previous president from Connacht.