Battle for top Galway GAA post is on a knife edge

Date Published: {J}

Dara Bradley

THE battle for the top position on the Galway County Board is on a knife edge with former government minister of state, Noel Treacy, going head-to-head in a full-blooded contest with Hurling Board vice-chairman, John Fahey, for the role of chairman at convention tonight (Thursday).

Treacy, a long-serving former Fianna Fáil Galway East TD, who decided not to contest February’s general election due to “medical advice”, told Tribune Sport that he is fighting fit again after overcoming illness. He has both ‘medical clearance and family clearance’ to contest the election and would relish the chairmanship role, he said.

Treacy is better known as a politician but has had a long involvement in the GAA. Thirty conventions ago he was defeated in a County Board chairman election by 12 votes by David McGann and six months later he was elected to Dáil Éireann. He was elected secretary of his club Pádraig Pearse’s in 1970, a position he served in until 1983; and he is currently in his fourth officer position with the club with over forty years of unbroken service.

Treacy served as county youth officer between 1970 and 1981; served as vice-chairman of the County Board from 1981 to 1983; and was Connacht representative on the national youth council from 1972 to 1983. He was a Galway minor hurling selector between 1971 and 1978; and is a founder member of St Kerril’s football club.

Fahey served for six years as Hurling Board secretary, from 2005 to 2010 inclusive, and has been the County Board delegate to the Connacht Council for the past three years. He first became involved in administration at club level in St Thomas’ in 1976 and at county board level as youth officer in the early 1980s.

He is well known in Galway and beyond for his hard work at schools level in the GAA, having been chairman of the All-Ireland Vocational Schools body for 10 years, and he has just completed his third year – a full term – as chairman of the Connacht post-primary schools body.

Fahey stressed his vast experience of serving the GAA at administrative level for decades, his long involvement at post-primary level provincially and nationally and emphasised his recent experience at the coalface at Connacht Council level, as reasons for seeking the position.

Fahey and Treacy are two popular figures and most neutral observers say it’s ‘too close to call’ the outcome. Both men were actively canvassing delegates at last week’s Hurling Board Convention.

The winner will replace outgoing chairman Gerry Larkin, whose five year term is up. Larkin (Tynagh/Abbey/Duniry) has been nominated as the Board’s coaching and games development officer.

There will be no contest for the position of vice-chairman – Annaghdown’s Michael Curley has been nominated for the position but confirmed to Tribune Sport this week that he will be withdrawing his name on the night, paving the way for Tadhg Ó Conghaile, the only other nominee for the role.

Ó Conghaile is currently outgoing County Board Public Relations Officer (PRO) and will perform both roles. The An Spidéal clubman has served for the past five years as the Galway juvenile football chairman.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.