Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Comhairle Connacht An Chomhdháil Bhliantúil 2020 Ionad Chonnacht CLG, Cloonacurry, Beacain, An Deardaoin 28 Eanair 2021, Clar Chlainne Mhuiris, ar 8.00 a chlog Co Maigheo. Oughterard joint-captains, Eddie O'Sullivan, left, and Ronan Malloy of Oughterard lift the cup following the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile Kilmaine – Connacht Junior football champions, 2019 Sarsfields players celebrate with the trophy. Photo: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile Connacht GAA Council Annual Report 2020 2 Comhdháil Connacht CLG Áras C.L.G Chonnacht Sráid an Chláir, Béal Átha h-Amhnais Co. Maigheo. 3 Eanair 2021 A chara, Tionólfar an Chomhdáil Bhliantúil don Comhairle Connachta Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ar an Deardaoin, 28 Eanair, 2021, ar a 8.00 a chlog san Ionad Chonnacht CLG, Cloonacurry, Beacain, Clar Chlainne Mhuiris, Co Maigheo. The meeting will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams An Clár Time 1. Address of Welcome 8:00 pm 2. Miontuairiscí Comhdáil 2019 8:05 pm 3. Adoption of Standing Orders 8:09 p.m. 4. Óraid an Uachtarán 8:10 pm 5. Tuarascáil an Rúnaí 8:25 pm 6. Tuarascáil an Cisteoir 8:45 pm 7. Tuarascáil ó na Coistí Éagsúla 8:55 pm 8. Tógadh an Uachtarán, Leas-Uachtarán 9:00 pm Cisteor, Oifigeach Caidreamh Poiblí 9. Aon ghnó eile. 9.:30 pm 10. Críoch 9:40 pm Ainmniúcháin Uachtarán: Seán Ó Murchu (Sligeach) Leas-Uachtarán: Uinsionn Ó Nearaigh (Maigheo) Cisteoir: Mairtin Mac Cartain (Liatroim) Oifigeach Caidreamh Poibli: S. S. Ó hAllmhurain (Gaillimh) Rúin There are no motions on the Clár Connacht GAA Council Publication Connacht GAA Council Annual Report 2020 3 Connacht GAA Council Annual Report 2020 Report GAA CouncilAnnual Connacht COROFIN – TREBLE ALL-IRELAND CLUB CHAMPION 2020 4 HISTORY: Corofin celebrate with the Andy Merrigan Cup after their istoric victory at Croke Park. Photo: Seb Daly / SPORTSFILE. COROFIN: B Power; C Silke, K Fitzgerald, L Silke; C Brady, K Molloy, D Wall; D Burke, R Steede; M Lundy, Michael Farragher, J Leonard; G Sice, Corofin joint-captains Martin Farragher, I Burke.Subs: C Cunningham Micheál Lundy, left, and for Wall (35), D McHugh for Molloy (48), G Burke Jason Leonard lift the Andy for Brady (58), C McGrath for C Silke (58), D Silke Merrigan Cup following the for Martin Farragher (65), D Canney for I Burke AIB GAA Football All- (67), Martin Farragher for Silke (69), C Newell for Ireland Senior Club Lundy (74), K Molloy for Martin Farragher (76), R Championship Final. Mahon for L Silke (77). Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile *I Burke returned as 15th player for extra-time. Comhairle Cuige Chonnacht CLG Minutes of An Chomhdháil Bhliantuil 2019 Connacht GAA Centre on Thursday, 30th January, 2020 EAROID Mac Samhrain, Uachtarán, presided Convention and wished them well in their at An Comhairle Bliantúil held in the Connacht deliberations. GGAA Centre, Cloonacurry, Bekan, Claremorris, Co. Mayo, on Thursday, 30th January, 2020. Standing Orders The following members were present: Leas Uachtarán, Seán Ó Murchu; Martin MacCartain; Standing Orders were adopted on proposition of Cisteoir; Seán Ó hOibicin, Oifigeach Caidreamh Poibli; Maire Ni Breithuinigh (Gaillimh); seconded by S.S. Ó S. Ó Muilbhigh, P. Ó Fitchellaigh (Liatroim), G. Ó hAllmhurain (Gaillimh). Concubhair, S. Ó Niolain (Sligeach); P Mac Niochlais, G De Burca (Maigheo); Antaine O Flathertaigh, S. Ó Minutes Maoileannaigh (Ros Comáin); S.S. Ó hAllmhurain The Minutes of the 2018 Convention were adopted (Gaillimh); Mairtin Ó Dubhthaigh (Reiteoiri); Aodh Ó on the proposition of: Seán Ó Moileain (Gaillimh); Rodain (Scoileanna Dara Leibheil); Pádraig Mac seconded by Seán Ó Maoileannaigh (Ros Comáin). Dorcaidh, Leithsceil, (Triu Leibheil), Geaeroid Ó Gara (Cumann na mBunscol); Cathal De Creig, PGDM; Adrian Hasaid, Operations Manager agus an Rúnaí Oráid an Uachtarán Seán Ó Pronntaigh. Also present were: Iar Uachtaráin, Micheal Mac Carraighe, Pronnsias Ó Cionnaith, and auditor, Michael McHugh. Friteadh leithsceil o Introduction Criostoir De Brun (Gaillinmh) and Iar Uachtarain, Dr A Iar-Uachtarán, Oifigigh M. Ó Laghtuis, P.S. Mac Craith, P. Ó Murchu, P. Ó an Chomhairle, Oifigigh an Braonain, T. Ó Cuinneagain. Chontae, Oifigeach eile, Officers and members of the various county agus a dhaoine uaisle go committees were represented as follows: leir. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a fhearradh romhaibh go Gaillimh: S. Ó Grada, C. Mac Lanncaidh, Comhdháil Bhliantúil Maire Ui Breithuinigh, Tomas Ó Comhairle Chonnacht 2020 Ceallaigh, Seán Ó Moileain. anocht. It has been a great Liatroim: Eanna Mac Stin, Deaglan Ó honour and privilege for Buichean. me to hold the office of Connacht Council Sligeach: Breandain Ó Lonain, Bernadine President for my second year, and I’m delighted to Mac Samhrain, Seosamh Ó have the opportunity to address you here tonight. Bradaigh, Pádraig Ó Dubhthaigh, Looking back over 2019, Gaelic Games in the Diarmuid Ó Geannain. province are in a very healthy state. We had a very Maigheo: Liam Mofaid, Pol Ó Cuineain, entertaining Connacht Championship in all grades Maire Ni Pronntaigh, Liam Ó and all codes, with the minor and under-20 football Ceallaigh. championship really stealing the headlines. I want to pay a special tribute to the Corofin GAA Ros Comáin: Séamus Mac Suibhne, Baleri Ni Club, All-Ireland Club Champions for their enormous Murraigh, Éamonn Campion, Seán achievement in completing three All-Ireland Club Ó Corcorain, Aodh Ó Loinn. Championship successes in-a-row. Corofin you are a Other attendees included: Larry McCarthy, New credit to your Community, County and Province. York. Sincere Congratulations to everybody involved. Likewise, heartiest congratulations to Oughterard Welcome to Delegates on winning the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship. This was a huge achievement for Oifigeach Caidhream Poibli Comhairle Chonnacht, Oughterard and I extend to them our heartiest Seán Ó hOibicin, welcomed delegates to the congratulation. Connacht GAA Council Annual Report 2020 5 The St Pat’s (Lacken Cross) and the Colaiste Phobaill Acaill Junior Hurling sides pose together after their recent tie in the Mayo Post Primary Junior Competition in Ballina. In the end it finished 3-3 to 1-2 in favour of the Achill school, but Lacken Cross fared very well in their first-ever hurling match. This speaks for the standard of club football in county officers. If this trend is to continue the very Galway with two clubs winning Senior and grassroots of the association will crumble and decay Intermediate Club All-Irelands. as nobody will want to do the job. We all know the All our provincial representatives, St Thomas’s, effects that this will have on our association. Tooreen; Michael Breathnachs, in hurling, and I believe the GAA, as an organisation, has evolved Kilmaine, our junior football champions – while not so much, that it has out grown the administration reaching the final stage, all performed very well and template that has served the association so well for did themselves, their clubs and their counties and our so many years in the past. province proud. Governance 2019 Governance will always be an issue for the GAA at Unfortunately throughout the year there were both club and county level, and I urge club and county occasions when some units within our province got officers to apply due diligence to the running their much unwanted criticism in the national and on Social affairs. With the huge increase in the annual budgets Media. This is wrong and very unfair, particularly required to administer the activities of both clubs and when the units in question were doing nothing wrong. county committee’s, finance is always the main area These units have acquitted themselves very well, and of concern. However, there are many other areas of should not be subjected to torrents of abuse to which concern in relation to policies and procedures, in the they were exposed. This type of abuse is not running of a GAA Committee that require constant acceptable. attention. Volunteers Operations/Finance Manager We must remember that the people who run our However, with all the pressure that is on county county boards do so in a voluntary capacity. When we boards, I believe the time has come that each county consider that, on election, they take on responsibility should have an Operations / Financial Manager. It’s of a multimillion Euro business in a voluntary important to differentiate between Operations/ capacity, and are expected to run the business in their Financial Manager and a Commercial Manager, spare time. Don’t forget all our volunteers have to do because all pressures that I refer to are not of a their day job and a life to live. financial nature. In reality, the role of a Commercial Manager is to raise money. Pressures As I said, not all pressures are of a financial nature, Continuously there are growing pressures on the but the assistance of a qualified Operations Manager officers of our county boards. I believe it is becoming would greatly ease the pressure on already ever increasingly difficult for volunteering officers of overworked county officers as they would have the county boards to take on the very onerous assistance and guidance of a qualified person to deal administrative tasks that have now become an integral with the many difficult situations that arrive on their part of running our organisation. As a result of these desks on a daily basis. A person qualified to deal with growing pressures and workloads, very good potential these issues would be a huge benefit to both county officers are walking away; they don’t want to get and indeed club officials I’m not saying that county involved. Unfortunately this applies to both club and Board officers are not capable of doing this job but I Connacht GAA Council Annual Report 2020 6 think that assistance of this nature would leave their players, to the extent that players are not enjoying job much easier to do.