Challenges ahead for new GAA president

Last August, we had the good fortune in Enniscrone/Kilglass GAA club to welcome the then President-elect of the GAA, Jarlath Burns, as our special guest for the opening of our new clubhouse.

On a warm bank holiday Sunday evening, our distinguished visitor from county Armagh delivered a superb speech which mixed his passion for the association with his love of all things local, as well as his research on our own area, club and its people. Everyone in attendance was highly impressed by someone who made time for all and left a lasting impression.

Last week, Jarlath Burns' status changed from President Elect to President, as he officially took over from outgoing Uachtarán Larry McCarthy. He'll be in office for three years.

There are many pressing items on his desk as he settles into the big chair - not least the looming deadline of 2027 for the amalgamation of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association. There are also so many other issues besides that will need to be addressed between now and then.

Ireland is a society that has changed enormously - especially since Burns lifted the Anglo Celt Cup as Armagh captain in 1999, when he was at the height of his playing powers.

One of the things he has mentioned as he takes up his new position is the need to make football a more attractive game to watch - but I would suggest there are far more pressing issues to be addressed.

Last year, the latest Census figures painted an interesting picture of modern Ireland and its makeup.

Now, if you’re like me, a lot of the figures quoted by the statisticians and data experts will go over your head, but some of the headline ones stand out.

It was the first time the population surpassed five million people in 171 years. Every single county recorded population growth between 2016 and 2022.

So Ireland is growing and, with the economy booming, the macro-economic picture also appears particularly rosy.

Of course, we know when we dig into the minutiae of all of these figures, a different reality is borne out, particularly when it comes to rural Ireland.

And this is where we need to pay closer attention to trends in terms of our population in order to plan for the future of our club game.

It would be easy to conclude, based on the figures released last year, that clubs and counties around the country would be pretty happy; population increases across the board should mean more people, more players, more members and more revenue.

We all know it is not as simple a translation as that, with the population growth wildly spread. Most of it, as expected, is focused on the eastern part of the country where the likes of Meath (13.2pc) and Kildare (11.4pc) experienced pretty significant rises.

Closer to home, the figures are much more modest - Mayo showed a 5.7pc increase, Sligo 7.1pc and Roscommon 8.9pc.

We have all heard, seen or even experienced first-hand stories of clubs along the western seaboard struggling for numbers over the years. There was a hope that Covid would help stem the tide in that regard and, to some extent in some areas, it has.

But, major problems still remain. Readers in the more rural parts of Mayo will certainly subscribe to this theory as they witness young people, young players, departing for pastures new. Scores of those in their formative years have left for Australia since Covid restrictions eased.

Indeed, just over the weekend, Mayo’s motion at Congress relating to players playing for ‘group teams’ when their own Intermediate or Junior can’t field received the endorsement of delegates.

Even within counties now, there are large divides emerging.

It is just a fact of life that clubs based in urban areas will always have a larger pool of players to pick from, particularly if they have a good school-club link at underage level. This means certain clubs are now able to field multiple teams at certain age groups, maybe participating in two or three divisions at each grade.

This is brilliant, and maximises the amount of children playing sport, but consider too the plight of the rural areas without the access to similar playing resources. In many cases, clubs are left with no option but to contact the neighbouring club and see if it is possible to go down the route of an amalgamation, in order to give young boys and girls game time.

I don’t think anyone involved in any club set-up wants to amalgamate. It goes against pretty much every fibre in the body of a club person. At the heart of the GAA is a pride in your local area, a passion to represent the club to the best of your ability, irrespective of what resources are available to you. Defiance is a key trait of our games.

But, sometimes you just have to say it’s not possible anymore. And, in many cases for many clubs, it isn’t.

The question then comes - what is the GAA doing about it?

While the organisation, in general, has rightly been reluctant to become embroiled in day-to-day political issues over the course of its existence, surely there are grounds in terms of rural depopulation for the association to really roll up its sleeves and get stuck in.

What other group has the on-the-ground expertise and real-life experience of how rural life continues to evolve and change as the GAA?

The campaign for the role of GAA President last year resulted in success for Jarlath Burns and since his playing days, he has become a well-respected pundit and is often an articulate voice on many complicated societal issues, particularly those pertaining to Northern Ireland.

His comments surrounding the GAA's approach to a potential referendum on Irish unity around the time of his election were thoughtful, coherent and measured.

If the association can take a potential stance around such a complex and divisive issue as a united Ireland referendum, surely it is possible for the GAA to become more involved in addressing the issues affecting its rural clubs when it comes to employment and infrastructure in local areas.

There has been work going on in the background in various areas, but now is the time to accelerate that in partnership with government and other state bodies.

With such a strong presence across the country, in virtually every area, the association can offer its expertise to be put to good use in helping stem the tide and ensuring all clubs, rural and urban, can thrive and sustain themselves into the future.

In 2017, the then Director General Paraic Duffy said in his annual report:

“What we must do is to lend our voice to those of other organisations that are advocating the implementation of a clear national policy on rural Ireland.

“It is now time for urgent and effective action.” Seven years on, the same sentiment remains.