Mary McAleese integration  replacement unveiled on Friday

There was a reluctance on the part of the Gaelic bodies to provide new timelines for integration

GAA president  Jarlath Burns arriving for the Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Leinster House. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Mary McAleese’s replacement as chairperson of the steering group on integration (SGI) is set to be named by Friday.

A candidate was identified and supported by existing members of the body on Monday. It must now be endorsed by the management committees of the GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Camogie Association.

Meetings have been called for as early as Thursday evening and the Irish Examiner understands the individual is a man.

“We met as a group on Monday,” said GAA director general Tom Ryan, replying to a question from Fianna Fáil TD for Wexford-Wicklow Malcolm Byrne. “We agreed unanimously on a nominee for that position and that person has agreed to take up that role.

“There’s a small process to be undertaken in each of the three organisations. Each organisation over the course of the next, I want to say, 24 hours will be meeting to formally ratify, appoint that person. We’ll be making that announcement very shortly.” 

 

Asked by Fine Gael TD Wexford-Wicklow Brian Brennan why he felt McAleese stepped down as SGI chairperson, GAA president Jarlath Burns suggested she did not accept the first deadline of 2027 would not be achieved.

“I think she resigned because she was very adamant that we would reach every deadline that we had, and once she realised we were going to miss the first deadline, I think she decided then that she wanted to walk away from the process, which was very disappointing for us and we regret that deeply.

“But we are still very much committed to integration. We really do want to make it happen and it’s up to us – we will make it happen – but we will make it happen in a way that our numbers are comfortable with and will vote for.” 

There was a reluctance on the part of the Gaelic bodies to provide new timelines in the wake of last month’s confirmation that next year’s deadline will not be met.

LGFA chief executive Lyn Savage said it was “a brave decision” to postpone the deadline of 2027, insisting “we needed to get it right”. She rejected the suggestion it was a failure.

In a response to a question from Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South-Central Aengus Ó Snodaigh about a date for full integration, GAA director general Tom Ryan was happy to say it would take “years”.

Labour TD for Tipperary North and joint-committee chairperson Alan Kelly said the Gaelic bodies would be invited to meet the deputies and senators again in December where he said he and his colleagues "will need to know" the revised timeplan.

In a press release last month, The Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said January 2028 as “the new “delivery date for the GAA to become the single NGB (national governing body) for all Gaelic Games”.

Burns said there had been disquiet among some in the LGFA and The Camogie Association about the structure proposed structure of vice-presidents working under one president. “That was taken by some people to be the GAA are getting the presidency and the poor LGFA and The Camogie Association are only getting the vice-presidents.” 

He admitted he and Molloy had different opinions on how the integration process should proceed. “I think we’re better going incrementally. Brian and I discuss this all the time. Brian feels we should start off with structures and then do the rest at a second Congress.

“I think incrementally is better, start off with structures, and even if we say ‘these are the structures we’re aspirationally going to have’ then all of the county implementation committees can do some meaningful work.

“We have actually found it very hard to get those (committees) into action because they’re saying to us, ‘What are we getting ready for?’”

Burns outlined some of the work the GAA already does for the Camogie Association including a €500,000 annual grant, ticketing, GDPR, vetting, safeguarding, broadcasting, advertising and commercial. “We do all of that together,” he said.

Burns added that they last week outlined the costs of integration to Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan and his department officials but he was not prepared to announce them for fear of them being perceived as “prohibitive” to integration. “If I do (reveal the figures), it will come across as the GAA throwing out costs and being prohibitive and not supportive of the process.” 

Burns did reveal they have provided a plan to the Government by which to fund to meet the requirements of integration. He later insisted GAA units should not be charging ladies football and camogie teams for use of their grounds.

The GAA wholeheartedly rejected suggestions of misogyny after McAleese’s claim that some within the organisation are “not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports”.