Gallagher begins legal action against Burns and GAA
Former Derry county football manager Rory Gallagher has begun legal action against the GAA and its president Jarlath Burns after he intervened in Mr Gallagher's potential appointment to a Kildare team.
In January, Mr Gallagher was offered a coaching role with senior club champions Naas but the offer was then withdrawn after details of the appointment were made public.
It later emerged Mr Burns had contacted the club to express his concern at the proposed appointment.
In a statement to BBC News NI in January, Mr Gallagher said Mr Burns' actions were "unprecedented" and "misguided" and threatened legal action if the remarks were not retracted.
Mr Gallagher stepped down as Derry manager in 2023 just weeks before the team played in the Ulster Senior Football Final.
It followed allegations of domestic abuse made by his estranged wife Nicola Gallagher, which he denied.
When news of the appointment at Naas appeared in the media, the association's president spoke to the Naas club chairman before sending an email which was then read at a meeting of party officers at which it was decided not to proceed with Mr Gallagher's appointment.
In the email, which was seen by the BBC, Mr Burns said he felt compelled to share his perspective given the "potential implications for Naas GAA and the wider association".
He said decisions made by the club "reverberate far beyond your immediate community" and send a "message about the values we uphold and the standards we set for our members and supporters".
He also warned of the implications for the GAA's Game Changer Initiative which was launched in November to challenge the "social and cultural norms that contribute to domestic, sexual and gender based violence".
At the time, Mr Gallagher called on the GAA president to withdraw his remarks.
"I have never asked for sympathy or support. I do however ask that this action is formally withdrawn and the contents of the correspondence is retracted," he said at the time.
"The president should lead by example and accept when he has overstepped the mark.
"Absent such a retraction, I will have no other alternative but to take legal action to cure the irreparable damage done to me and my family in my ability to continue to work as a manger in the years ahead.
When the accusations against Mr Gallagher were made, it emerged that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had investigated reported incidents.
Two files were submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), which decided against pressing charges due to insufficient evidence "to provide a reasonable prospect of a conviction".
After Mr Gallagher resigned as Derry manager, he was "temporarily debarred" by the GAA in September 2023 when an independent panel was asked to investigate the claims made by his estranged wife.
Mr Gallagher successfully challenged that debarment in February 2024 and a statement from his solicitors in September said there was no "legal impediment" to prevent him returning to a senior role in the game.
Gallagher accuses GAA president of sabotage over Naas intervention
How the Rory Gallagher-Jarlath Burns row exposes a deepening GAA divide
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Announcement due over UK government's Casement funding
The government will announce later on Wednesday whether it will make a financial contribution towards the redevelopment of Casement Park. Rebuilding the west Belfast stadium is estimated to cost about £260m - of which £120m in funding is jointly in place from the Stormont Executive, the Irish government and the GAA. Pressure has been building on the government to make a decision, which is now anticipated as part of the Spending Review. The review will allocate money to day-to-day public services for the next three years. It will also set infrastructure budgets for the next four years. The review will directly affect what Stormont ministers have to spend on public services in Northern Ireland. Ministers are also expected to find out if they have succeeded in persuading the Treasury that Stormont's finances require a more generous "needs-based" top-up. Last week, Finance Minister John O'Dowd said he believed the Treasury was in "solution-finding mode" when it came to reaching agreement on funding for Casement Park. Days later, a senior figure in the GAA said the association was "cautiously optimistic" that an announcement on funding was coming this week. The Stormont executive is contributing £62.5m to the project, the GAA will pay £15m, while the Irish government has pledged about £43m. The GAA has acknowledged it will need to increase its commitment. "We are prepared to step up. It would be premature to start mentioning figures here. I think it will be higher than £15m", said Stephen McGeehan, the project lead for the stadium redevelopment. Casement Park, with a proposed 34,500 capacity, had been earmarked to host football games at the Euro 2028 football tournament but, with the project on hold, the plan was shelved. Stormont's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has defended his handling of the planned Casement redevelopment and insisted the hold-up is not his fault. He has said the GAA will need to make its plans for the stadium more affordable if the government fails to cover the gap for the current proposed rebuild. "What we do need to make sure is that any additional public funding that comes forward for sport is done on a fair and equitable basis," he said. When devolution was restored in 2024, Stormont ministers persuaded the Treasury that Northern Ireland's public services were being funded below an objective level of need. As a result any additional funding Stormont gets from Westminster now comes with a top-up - an additional 24p for every pound. That will be worth more than £800m over five years, the independent Fiscal Council has estimated. The Treasury also left the door open for a bigger top-up if there was credible, independent evidence to support it. Stormont ministers believe they have provided that evidence in the form of an analysis by the devolution finance expert Prof Gerry Holtham. The Treasury's response to that will come as Chancellor Rachel Reeves lays out the government's Spending Review in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon. Spending Review: When is it and what might Rachel Reeves announce? UK government in 'solution-finding mode' on Casement Park
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ryan Fox birdies fourth playoff hole to win RBC Canadian Open over Sam Burns
Ryan Fox two-putted from 10 feet for birdie at the par-5 18th hole of TPC Toronto Osprey Valley to beat Sam Burns on the fourth playoff to win the PGA Tour's RBC Canadian Open on June 8. Fox missed birdie attempts of 15, 12 and 39 feet on the first three playoff holes, all at the par-5 18th. Burns missed birdie attempts from 5 and 15 feet, and chipped to within 3 feet and made a par putt on the third playoff hole to extend the proceedings into the gray Canadian eventing. Advertisement On the final hole, both players hit good drives in the fairway and elected to go for the green in two shots. Fox, first to hit, landed his fairway metal shot on the green, with the ball rolling to 8 feet. Burns did the same, but was 27 feet away from the hole and sent his eagle attempt 8 feet past. Burns, who led the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained Putting entering the week, nicked the edge of the cup with his 8-foot birdie attempt and Fox was able to two-putt for the victory. What did Ryan Fox earn for his victory? Fox, a 38-year-old native of New Zealand, won his second PGA Tour title this season and took home $1,764,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points. He is projected to move up to 26th on the money list with $3,329,215 and to 25th on the FedEx Cup points list. Ryan Fox of New Zealand putts on the 10th green of the TPC Toronto Osprey Valley North Course on June 8 during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open. He also earned exemptions to the Masters, Players Championship and the PGA Championship, and has two years of eligibility on the PGA Tour. Fox has previously won eight international events. Kevin Yu makes a late run Kevin Yu birdied three of his last five holes for a 66 and finished solo third at 17-under. Cameron Young (65) and Matt McCarty (67) tied for fourth at 16-under. Advertisement Young was in position to join the playoff when he was in the fairway with his drive at the par-5 18th hole, one shot off Burns' lead. But Young blew his second shot over the green, failed to advance his third shot, got his fourth shot on and missed a 10 foot putt for par. U.S. Open begins this week at Oakmont It's now on to the U.S. Open for many of the players in the RBC Canadian Open field. The season's third major championship begins on June 12 at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Fox, who was 75th on the World Golf Rankings before the week, earned a spot in the tournament with his victory but likely would have gotten inside the top-60, the final criteria for playing at Oakmont. Burns was already eligible for the Open. Sam Burns, who shot 62 in the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on June 8, watches his shot from third tee of the TPC Toronto Osprey Valley North Course. Sam Burns had a long wait Burns birdied the 18th hole on a putt of nearly 10 feet to post his number nearly two hours before Fox finished in the final group. Burns made a mix of long and short putts, with the longest at 22 feet at the par-3 11th and virtual tap-ins from 3 feet at Nos. 10 and 12. Advertisement Fox posted a bogey-free round but through 13 holes, had only one birdie. He then dropped a 21-footer for birdie at No. 14, tapped in from less than 3 feet at No. 15 and knocked in his tying putt at the last, after hitting the fairway and laying up. Matteo Manassero of Italy, who was tied with Fox for the 54-hole lead at 14-under, shot 69 with a bogey at No. 17 to take himself out of the running for a playoff. The tournament was competitive throughout in the first year at the TPC Toronto. There was an 11-way tie for the lead at one point in the third round and eight tied for the lead during the fourth round. Six players finished within three shots of the playoff duo. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ryan Fox gets second PGA Tour victory in a four-hole playoff with Sam Burns
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
PA House passes bill requiring American-made steel in tax-payer funded projects
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Monday requiring American-made steel for all tax-payer funded projects. State law already requires government projects to use American-made steel. However, H.B. 1018 would extend this requirement to private entities receiving public funds or tax incentives. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'This is one way to bring back good-paying, family-sustaining jobs – by leveling the playing field for hardworking people and industries that were economically steamrolled by unfair competition,' said Rep. Frank Burns (D-Cambria), who sponsored the bill. The bill, which is a part of Burns' larger 'American Made Jobs Plan,' passed the House 200-2. It will now move to the Senate for concurrence. Mexican aluminum, steel exporters say sales in US down 63% due to tariffs The bill comes as tariffs have driven down the demand for foreign-made steel. In February, President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum imports. Exporters of Mexican steel and aluminum said that has led to a 63% drop in sales to the United States. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
