TURASCAIL AN RUNAÍ 2018 / COUNTY SECRETARY REPORT 2018 How should we evaluate the year Association. The fact that they ground and lose consciousness. 2018 for Down GAA, how would might take place within the the report be signed off, would it be confines of GAA property is not The perpetrator has in 10 seconds a must improve comment, would it excuse for acceptance of and maybe gone from watching a game be a case of fair to average with turning a blind eye to such on a Sunday afternoon or a Friday more commitment needed, would incidents, if these incidents were evening to being someone who we say can and must do better, or happening on a public street after a now faces a charge of Murder or a case of potential but hard work Saturday Night out they would be Manslaughter. That is reality there needed. There were good things deemed to be assault and is no dressing it up or no happened in Down GAA in 2018, Grievous Bodily Harm. They would minimising the damage that can be occasions when we hung out our lead to prosecutions and possible caused when we forget that we are brightest colours and showed how sentencing all of which can have a at a GAA Match. One Punch can can deliver to the highest standard. huge impact on the life of the victim have such an effect on the victim and the transgressor. on their family, their community There were other occasions when and in the reverse One Punch can mediocrity was the norm and we Someone will get badly hurt in have a similar effect on the became very good at mediocracy some of these incidents if they are Perpetrator, their family and their and then there was the ugly when to continue at our Grounds, The community. No one in the GAA we showed the Country our poor One Punch message has been should be subject to either, in the and unacceptable side. Yes, for part of a campaign by the GAA and North of Ireland the GAA has Down GAA it was a year of mixed the Authorities in recent times and witnessed enough heartbreak for feelings and mixed emotions, pride it is a very real message. Facts are its members in our troubled history, and shame shared equal space in that One Punch could kill and that we do not need to start now to 2018 in the world of Down GAA. is in honesty something none of us bring this back upon ourselves. would ever dare to dream of Stamping this type of behaviour out The eyes of the Country and happening at a GAA game but at our games is within our own gift, indeed if we take Social Media into reality is that it could. For a we need now to seriously address account the eyes of the world were moment let us think of the the matter, and our Rulebook focused upon us when images repercussions and the offers us sanctions that permit us from one of our fixtures went viral consequences of such for one to deal with such incidents at our and everyone was shocked by person it could mean the end of games. Yes, we might need to take what they saw. The images their life and all because they account of societal changes to represented all that should not be attended a GAA game or they allow us to fully deal with matters about the GAA, physical violence made a throw away comment or but we need too to look at our Mind has no place in our games or were too vocal for someone else -set. indeed at any level in our and they are struck, they fall to the DOWN COUNTY GAA - 2018 ANNUAL CONVENTION 8 In the GAA world today when a then it can follow down to Clubs, the penalty is offered by the CCCC at Club Chairperson or Secretary has County, Provincial or National Level to be strong enough to say No, we the first inclination is to immediately did wrong and we are accepting the launch a request for a Hearing. penalty. Failure to do this by Even when guilt is apparent and Counties and Clubs going forward obvious, even when supported by will only mask the situation until that video evidence, the inclination is to day that none of us want when go on the offensive and to find a someone will find themselves facing loophole that gets our Man Off. a custodial sentence for their actions on a GAA Pitch or within the We go to arm ourselves with confines of a GAA Ground. Solicitors and Barristers who will scan the rulebook and also seek to The scenes that we witnessed this delve in the archives to see if there year are not what we encourage our was perhaps a DRA Judgement that young people to see when we look might in some obscure way get our for them to join our Clubs, we have Man Off and sure we will have him in my mind the greatest games in the next day and we will win that the world why would we let them game. There might also be the become tarnished when all we defence whereby really it was the really have to do is treat people with CCCC fault in the first instance or respect. indeed the fault of the Match Officials. We have all seen The fact that we have the greatest instances of these events games in the World was particularly happening where something flashes evident at the end of June 2018 up on the great Arm of Social Media when Down along with Louth and You Tube, we see evidence of Meath hosted National Féile. What wrongdoing and then we hear later an occasion that proved to be as that everyone was cleared and any the Clubs of Down responded to the proposed action was overturned. call and proved to be outstanding hosts. The fact that Féile was under There is an onus on Counties in the leadership of the National first instance and I say Counties in Chairperson Diarmuid Cahill was that I believe that the leadership going to be a huge factor in its must come from the top to start to success for we in Down are indeed say, No, our man did do wrong and privileged to have a man of his we are accepting the penalty. calibre in our ranks. Counties must be prepared then to say to the Team Manager that the Thirty-Eight Clubs played host to particular player was guilty and that visitors from every County in Ireland the proposed penalty is being and Beyond, Contacts had been accepted. Do I believe that Counties made weeks and months in will take that stance? Well I believe advance, clean ups had been that if we are to be leaders in our organised and all of our Grounds Association then we must be and Facilities were looking prepared to do so. magnificent in anticipation. I am not saying that we just accept When it came Friday Afternoon on everything but I am saying that if we the 29th of June Down GAA and the look at the Official Guide and we Clubs of Down had hung out our genuinely feel that we have brightest colours and were ready to evidence that would be welcome guests and ready to open incontrovertible in overturning an their homes to fellow Gaels. It was error by a match official then yes, to be a fabulous weekend for the we seek a hearing that is permitted visitors and also most importantly in the GAA Process. for the Down Clubs who were acting as hosts. If Counties take the lead in such 9 www.DownGAA.net #OfficialDownGAA COUNTY SECRETARY REPORT 2018 No stone was left unturned as pay tribute to the Men of 1968, 50 back in 1968, they were National everyone rolled up their sleeves years on from their All Ireland League Champions, All Ireland and made a he effort to ensure that success over Kerry. This was a Champions and lest we forget Féile 2018 would be long special occasion and with the World Champions, they were a remembered as one of the best Ulster Bank Club Awards to be breed apart. ever and as a highlight of the GAA presented it was a night where year in Down. Club and County were coming So in evaluating 2018 yes we had together as one. How great it was lows, we were relegated to Division Everyone has their own particular to have so many of the Team and Three, we tamely exited the Ulster memories of that weekend for me Management with us and to be Championship and our inter county visiting grounds on the Saturday joined as well by greats from Kerry season was over in June, we lost and seeing the smiles on people’s and Cavan, we spared a thought to some great people from our ranks, faces as everyone was genuinely for those of that era no longer with taken too soon from us. Our lowest embracing the spirit of Féile, of the us, Our Captain Joe Lennon, Team ebb as a County was though in the Parade in Newcastle on the Manager Gerry Brown and disgraceful scenes in a Club Saturday evening as we walked stalwarts Brendan Sloan and Pat Fixture in October of this year, along the Main Street on an McAlinden all great men who scenes that should never ever be occasion when the GAA came to played their part.