THE 41st president of the GAA will be elected at Annual Congress in Croke Park tonight (Friday).
Using the proportional representation single transferable system, county delegates from throughout Ireland, Britain and overseas boards will cast their votes for one of three candidates: Jarlath Burns (Armagh), Niall Erskine (Donegal) and Pat Teehan (Offaly).
All three have canvassed for support at county, provincial and international level and while Silverbridge native Burns, who topped the poll after round one but lost narrowly on transfers in the 2020 election, is the favourite nothing is certain until all the votes are tallied.
Killybegs native Erskine is a former chairman of World GAA and will count on the backing of that sector. He may split the Ulster vote (50) which could play into the hands of well-known former Leinster Council chairman Teehan.
Whoever the new Uachtarain is, there are many challenges ahead for him. Some are already apparent and others will arise during his term in office and the chaos that erupted after last month’s All-Ireland senior club football final is stark evidence of that.
Silverbridge native Burns says a review of the GAA rules and appeals procedures is required to change what he sees as a culture of: ‘How can we get him off?’
“Our playing rules need to be easier to read, remember and understand and at the minute they’re not,” says Burns.
“However, the GAA rules might be a lot of things but they are fair, they’re fair almost to a fault in that they almost give too many opportunities. Let’s say you hit somebody and get sent off (in a club game in Armagh).
“You get a penalty and you can ask for a hearing, then you can appeal it and then appeal it to the Ulster Council, if that’s relevant, and then you can appeal it to the DRA (Disputes Resolution Authority). There’s always another role of the dice and in many instances we have to look at ourselves in the mirror on this and realise that we have developed a culture where, if somebody does do something that is wrong, it’s not ‘let’s make sure this player doesn’t do this again’ it’s a culture of: ‘How can we get him off?’
“Not everything about the GAA is wonderful. There are cultural changes that need to occur in the GAA and that is one of them. There’s a work group in Croke Park working on that at the moment and I would certainly like to build on that.”
Clubs throughout Armagh and Ulster have backed Burns’s candidacy. Paul McArdle, chairman of Armagh GAA said: “We wholeheartedly support and wish Jarlath every success at this weekend’s Congress when the next GAA President will be elected.
“A leader both on and off the pitch, he fully understands the challenges facing our association and will undoubtedly address them with vigour and fairness.
“We believe Jarlath is the standout candidate for the position and sincerely hope he is the next Uachtarain CLG to take up post in 2024, exactly 60 years on from our previous president, the late Alf Murray – it certainly would be a proud and poignant moment for our county.”
