New Mayo GAA CEO set to be announced

A first ever CEO of Mayo GAA is likely to be announced next week.

The eagerly awaited appointment was due to be made at the end of the first quarter of 2026 but at last Wednesday’s March monthly meeting of the Mayo GAA County Board, delegates were told the top table needed a little more time.

South Mayo GAA Board chairman Donal Walsh, who with Daithí Gallagher has been leading the search, told the meeting that all the interview stages have been completed.

“We’re literally at a point now of crossing Ts and dotting Is. I’m sure you’ll understand the importance of the role, that we do this correctly,” he said.

Initial interviews of five candidates took place in February followed by a final three who were interviewed at the beginning of March.

Walsh said that recruitment agency Collins McNicholas, appointed by Mayo GAA, are currently finalising the appointment.

He added that next week (week beginning April 6) they will have a name before an executive meeting and, subsequently, a full county board meeting.

Walsh and Gallagher were the two-man committee who explored the need for a CEO last year and set-up an appointment framework.

Plans to appoint a CEO were announced last November and applications closed just before Christmas. Walsh and Gallagher are also now part of a five-person strategic leadership committee (SLC) which was revealed in November as central to how the CEO would interact with the board. The other three members are chairperson Séamus Tuohy, secretary Ronan Kirrane and treasurer Valerie Murphy.