Galway go diplomatic to get fairer deal for hurling teams

GALWAY had two big battles to fight at the annual GAA Congress at Croke Park over the weekend – the first ended in a heavy defeat, while the second was abandoned due to the weight of opposition lined up against them.

It had promised to be a landmark Congress for Galway GAA, but there was a sense of anti-climax and disappointment after it was over. The tone was set by Frank Burke’s bid for the presidency of the Association which surprisingly ended on the first count last Friday night.

In fact, the election to succeed Aogán Ó Fearghail was over with indecent haste. With five candidates in the field, delegates assumed that there would be at least a second count and possibly a third. Instead, Dublin’s John Horan swept to a landslide win.

With a total valid poll of 278 and the quota at 140, nobody envisaged that one candidate would attract more support than the other four put together. Horan, who will now become the first Dublin-born GAA President since the early twenties, was the front-runner but the margin of victory even stunned his most loyal followers.

The former Chairman of the Leinster Council, who has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks, polled 144 votes, a distance clear of Burke and Kerry’s Sean Walsh, standing for the second time, on 46 each. Longford’s Martin Skelly came in fourth on 22, with Clare’s Robert Frost bringing up the rear on 20.

Burke was visibly disappointed afterwards, but still had the good grace to be the first of the defeated candidates to publicly congratulate Horan on his triumph. “It’s an outstanding success and I wish John well. I want to thank the Galway County Board, my family and everyone who helped me on the campaign trail.

“While disappointed, I was happy to fly the Connacht flag and it was the first time in four elections that the province had a candidate. I am pleased to have contributed to the debate about the future of the Association,” added Burke.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.