Jarlath Burns: Armour takes over as GAA president, something that always seemed destined

Jarlath Burns will take up the role of GAA president at Newry on Saturday, a move that seemed destined ever since his days as an inter-county player with Armagh.

The Silverbridge man's intelligence was evident from the first conversation I had with him, and his ability to articulate his point of view led journalists to believe in the early-to-mid 1990s regarding Armagh footballers who barely made it. He became my go-to guy when I was looking for articles.

On the field, Barnes competed in the orange jersey for 13 seasons, finally getting his moment in the sun in 1999 when he captained the Clones and led his beloved county to their first Ulster football title in 17 years. visited.

A few months later, shortly after the clearly disappointing defeat to Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final, his decision to retire from inter-county football at the age of 31 was made as if he still had much work left to do. It surprised many people because it was visible.

Three years later, TV pundit Burns left an empty chair at BBC Sport Northern Ireland's studios in Croke Park on his way up to the Croke Park lawn to celebrate Armagh's first All-Ireland win. Ta.

Burns was appointed as the first-ever player representative to the GAA Central Council in 2000, by which time he had already climbed the ladder to the Croke Park board.

In 2009, while serving on both the Armagh and Ulster GAA Management Committees, Mr Burns was appointed to chair the committee organizing events to mark the association's 125th anniversary.

In 2010, he began a five-year term as Armagh County Committee's central council representative and subsequently chaired the committee that devised new football playing rules, including marking.

During that time, he held senior positions within his Silverbridge club in south Armagh, including secretary and chairman, but also had a busy working life, being promoted to headteacher of St Paul's High School Bessbrook in 2013. . He is deputy headteacher at one of Ireland's largest primary schools.

Apart from his work and GAA activities, Mr Burns is involved in the Consultative Group on Northern Ireland's Past, set up in 2007 and co-chaired by former Church of Ireland Primate and Archbishop of Armagh Robin Eames and Dennis Bradley. He was one of the representatives of He submitted his report two years later.

Burns, who has often spoken of his fascination with and interest in British and union culture, said on the GAA Social Podcast last year: “The Orange Order is always talking to young people in our schools and trying to get them.'' I'm trying to do that,” he said.to understand what it is [unionist culture] It's about what a parade is. ”

He first embarked on the GAA chairmanship in 2020 following an offer from his own county, but despite running a strong campaign and being keen to win the role, the GAA delegate He narrowly lost to New York State Representative Larry McCarthy. First foreign president.

Mr Armagh described Mr McCarthy's election as a “great achievement for the GAA”, but while he congratulated the Cork native, his own disappointment was clear.

However, in November 2022, Mr Burns launched a different policy to take office, winning the first round of elections with 158 out of 277 votes in last year's annual parliament, defeating Alf Murray. A key factor in his success was that he was the first Mr Armor to be handed the role since then. Term from 1964 to 1967.

“Tonight is Silverbridge night,” said an emotional Burns, hugged by his wife Suzanne and sons Conall and Jarlath Og. He has followed in his footsteps and played for Armagh.

“There was a two-hour wait between the count and the announcement. There was a lot of speculation, but in those two hours it almost became a surreal world.

“It's certainly something we don't want to go through again, but when you see how emphatic the victory is, you'll know it was worth the wait.”

Since then Mr Burns, a fluent Irish speaker, has remained largely in the shadows, although he regularly takes on co-commentary duties for the GAA with TG4, as does the protocol-abiding incoming GAA president. He was even spotted at the athletic field last year wearing a high-visibility jacket. In the role of volunteer steward.

But he will have to get serious after he is sworn in as the association's 41st president at a council meeting at the Canal Court Hotel on Saturday.

Former Irish President Mary McAleese is driving the project and her relationship with Mr Burns will be crucial over the next three years to ensure the merger of the three GAA bodies becomes a reality. Some believe that this will be proven.

Even before running for president for the first time, Burns spoke about the “huge” problem of spending more than €40 million on inter-county teams in 2023, and where to start in tackling it, and whether clubs should actually He also talked about the issue of paying brown envelopes to managers. The Silverbridge man may have already had a sleepless night.

Mr Burns and his director general, Tom Ryan, have also had to deal with growing calls for the GAA to come up with significantly more than the £15 million it has set aside. Tom Ryan will at least have to deal with other issues, such as promoting hurling in weaker counties. He was instrumental in rebuilding Casement Park even as project costs soared.

Mr Armour, 56, will take a sabbatical from his headteacher position during his three-year term, logging miles as he travels across the island and even overseas to meet the Irish diaspora.

But the GAA chairmanship is likely to be much more than a ceremony, as he will be the first man from north of the border to hold the role since Peter Quinn in the early 1990s.