29Ú EANÁIR 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 05 TUARASCÁIL AN RÚNAÍ “In the worst hour of the worst season Of the worst year of a whole people....” The words of the poet Eavan Boland It would be remiss not to pay the told and a sense of fear engulfed the in her famine poem ‘Quarantine’ hold most glowing of tributes to the health community as the rising daily death true for the year that has just passed. staff and frontline services for their tolls brought the harsh realities of 2020 certainly was ‘a year like no response to the pandemic. Despite this pandemic into sharp focus. But other!’ It’s a year we will never the obvious risks to their own health the GAA put its best foot forward and forget. – and some paid the ultimate price – responded to the needs of society in they unstintingly gave of their time a manner which vividly demonstrated Words like ‘lockdown’ (the close (and lots of it) and professionalism to the community values of our great relative of ‘quarantine’), ‘social do their utmost for the greater good. Association. distancing’, ‘super spreader’ and They are owed a debt of gratitude that ‘self-isolation’ became part of our can never be repaid. We are proud of All over the country GAA club everyday vernacular and indeed you all and can take pride also in the volunteers were at the forefront of how poignant it was that Eavan fact that many are members of our community relief efforts, delivering herself would die at the height of the great Association. goods and pharmaceuticals to the pandemic (though not from COVID-19) most vulnerable, many of whom were at a time when we didn’t really know At the outset of the pandemic no one confined to their houses. GAA units the scale or depth of what we were knew what to expect and being told to placed their facilities at the disposal facing. ‘stay at home’ was alien to everything of health authorities, north and south, we were accustomed to. The elderly and in our counties of Cavan, Donegal Last January we were watching and and the most vulnerable were most and Monaghan GAA facilities were listening to news reports of a new susceptible to COVID-19 we were used as COVID-19 test centres. coronavirus strain that was sweeping through the Hubei Province of China, but when we held our Annual Convention in Silverbridge on the last day of the month little did we know what lay in store. Indeed, that was the very evening that Brexit took effect and this was much more of a side topic of conversation amongst the delegates than anything than was happening in far-off Asia. 27 days later came the first reported case of COVID-19 on the island of Ireland – the rest is history! Within a fortnight, restrictions were being placed on our everyday lives and before the end of March we were all in ‘lockdown.’ Initially we hoped that things would soon return to some sort normality but how wrong we were as the ‘new normal’ became another addition to our lexicon in 2020. AN CHOMHDHÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 Ulster GAA established a COVID-19 Advisory Group under the Chair of Stephen McGeehan, who also sits on the National GAA Advisory Group. Each of our counties had their own working group which linked to the Ulster Group and strong relationships were established with the NI Executive and with local authorities on both sides of the border. As the numbers of cases and deaths increased the NI Executive asked Ulster GAA, the Irish Football Association and Ulster Rugby to have a cohort of volunteers on stand-by in the event of the civic authorities being so over-whelmed that they would need additional support. Thankfully we never reached that stage but once again the GAA was ready and able to assist had that need arisen. The GAA can be rightly proud of its community response – but we did what we always do, albeit never before on this scale. I thank everyone who played their part - it was a real team effort and I know the depth of gratitude is appreciated by so many across the entire island. It was the GAA at its very best! Additionally, GAA players and units across the country leant their support to coronavirus messaging initiatives that were in place across both strict conditions. Although a concept being driven by the Health Service jurisdictions. which was an anathema to the GAA Executive and the Public Health membership it was excellently Agency. This continues to happen as On Friday 13th March the GAA called observed by our members throughout we move into the next phase of the a halt to its activities – it was one of the country. pandemic. the first sporting organisations to do so. Spring then rolled into summer Having been devoid of games Ulster GAA also established its own and the GAA pitches lay idle – and at for over four months, the club dedicated COVID-19 microsite which a time when they should have been championship games captured was a vital source of information for at their busiest. June brought better the imagination and interest of our members and units. Incorporated news and by mid-July games were the nation like never before. With within this was a dedicated funding permitted, albeit in front of a couple severely reduced attendances at page which signposted clubs to of hundred spectators and under games, ‘live streaming’ became the various support programmes AN CHOMHDHÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 05 There was also much media coverage our armoury to fight this dreaded surrounding events at two Senior coronavirus. What is clear however football finals in the province. For the is that we will continue to endure record it should be noted that there restrictions for some time to come were no reported positive COVID-19 and it is difficult to see the country cases resulting from either of these moving to Level 2 or below any time games. soon, so the prospect of club games resuming in the near future appear to Following the incidence of social be remote. gatherings following County finals the GAA moved quickly and on 5 FIXTURES TASKFORCE REVIEW October the GAA paused its club At the end of November 2019 the programme until further notice. A Fixtures Calendar Review Task Force fortnight later Ireland moved to published their proposals in relation level 5 restrictions which called a to the GAA fixtures schedule and, in halt to all sporting activity except at line with their terms of reference, ‘elite’ level. For the GAA this meant outlined a series of recommendations senior inter-county only with all such in relation to competition structures games having to be played with no and dates. spectators permitted. On 2nd December the country moved out of Level 5 – further restrictions remained in the north until 11th December – and while the country briefly returned to Level 3, increasingly popular and indeed club games are not allowed to be presented counties with a welcome played under this level of restriction. revenue stream when regular income However, as the daily numbers of channels were suffering severely. positive cases reached record highs across the island, measures akin to County finals co-incided with the Level 5 restrictions took effect in the relaxation of some of the lockdown north on St. Stephen’s Day and on measures that had been in place 30th December the Irish Government and unfortunately there were a small announced a full return to Level number of cases where post-match 5. Both Governments announced gatherings led to the emergence of further restrictions in the first week COVID-19 clusters. These essentially of January. While things can change related to County Finals in both male rapidly, it is difficult to envisage any and female codes. We all know the club games taking place prior to joy of having our club playing in a Easter 2021 and, indeed, any club County Final and it was regrettable activity during April will probably be that some post-match activities a bonus. led to a rise in COVID-19 cases but it should be stressed that many While we hope for better times there thousands of games took place is no doubt that we will endure more without any issues – and all our pain in 2021. There is renewed hope clubs and their members should be now that a vaccine for COVID-19 is commended for that. in place but this is but one tool in ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION 2021 Some of the ‘less difficult’ six months to club activity was to play. This happened and when recommendations were adopted at explored by the Task Force but they the club season was complete the the GAA Congress in February 2020, concluded that it wasn’t the best fix inter-county season took centre while it had been the intention to solution to the fixtures issues and stage. Moving forward however it hold a Special Congress in September no recommendations were brought makes much greater sense to play to consider the more far-reaching forward in this issue. the county season first. Non county proposals put forward by the Task panelists can play leagues and other Force. Then COVID-19 came along – and non-championship games during the the world changed! Given the small inter-county season and then clubs Three options were put forward in playing window open to the GAA in will have their full quota of players relation to the senior inter-county 2020 it had no option but to adopt available to them for championship football championship, one of which a split season so both club and games.