27-05-2025
Mayo executive suffering criticism for matters that pre-existed them
With overwhelming 96.7% support, the GAA endorsed a new adult safeguarding motion at their Annual Congress in February.
The top table were keen to see the proposal to sail through, the presentation precise and choreographed.
Julia Galbraith, chairperson of the association's adult safeguarding and cultural review taskforce, pressed it upon delegates that the GAA has a responsibility for the well-being of adults involved in its activities.
A partner in Eversheds Sutherland law firm, Buncrana woman Galbraith was followed by outgoing Ulster chairman Ciarán McLaughlin who said province has experienced cases that necessitated the rule change.
Ex-Armagh chairman Paul McArdle said it was needed so that the GAA could defend decisions.
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Mayo GAA reveals €7.8m debt and garda complaints over online abuse at heated county board meeting
A review of the GAA's safeguarding policies preceded Ulster GAA's debarment of former Derry manager Rory Gallagher in 2023, which was later ruled out of order by the Disputes Resolution Authority.
Gareth McGibbon was commissioned to conduct the probe and Galbraith now leads the implementation of its recommendations.
In Westport on Monday evening, adult safeguarding came to the fore again when it was revealed the online abuse some members of the Mayo GAA executive have been subjected to.
'Given the seriousness of the situation, a decision was taken to inform club delegates of the nature of the campaign against Mayo GAA, which constitutes an adult safety issue for all Co Board officers,' read the county board statement.
'The Co Board confirmed it has reported the matter to An Garda Síochána and that it intends to seek legal advice on the matter in the next week.'
Serious matters indeed and potential serious repercussions. However, what has been thrown at the Mayo executive shouldn't and doesn't hide the fact that off the field as well as on it the county has been underperforming.
On the Irish Examiner Gaelic football podcast last week, two-time Mayo manager James Horan spoke of how the infrastructure for the county teams are 'farcical' and so far behind others.
A centre of excellence was supposed to be in planning stages eight years ago. For a 'big brand' which Horan describes Mayo as which they most certainly are, the inertia is unacceptable.
On Monday, there was a tacit acknowledgement by GAA president Jarlath Burns that how the GAA used to handle money was not okay as it was 'inauditable'.
As a prime example of that, he would cite the financial mismanagement that existed in Galway GAA in the mid-2010s, a matter which the Irish Examiner covered extensively.
Unapproved credit card use, unsupported expenses and unaccounted for complimentary tickets were among the findings of one of a number of audits carried out.
There was no formal reconciliation of payments received per the ticketing system and payments received per the accounting system. Commissioned by the GAA, Mazars made a total of 39 findings and adjoining recommendations were provided, 17 were listed.
There are some mitigating factors but in the financial year of 2017 gate receipts were €609,051. In 2019, they were recorded as €977,662 and last year came in at €982,482 having been €1.13m in 2023.
As they did Galway, Mazars visited Mayo in 2020 and provided a list of recommendations that basically spelt out the county's oversight protocols left a lot to be desired. It was another Connacht county where post-Covid gate receipts ballooned.
Several of the claims now being made about the handling of money in Mayo are historical and predate some of the current executive. Since the pandemic, the GAA's governance controls have undoubtedly improved with the advent of cashless policy at matches as much as they have been discommoding for older people.
There remains problems for the current Mayo executive such as the aforementioned dearth of facilities and tax liabilities but they appear to be suffering excessive criticism largely for matters that pre-existed them.
In a time-poor world, volunteers willing to put in the hours are becoming harder to find never mind those who continue to do so under fire. In the face of intimidation, the GAA can't afford not to take care of its own.
