Galway’s double Congress quest: GAA Presidency and all hurling teams in Leinster
THIS weekend could be a watershed moment for Galway GAA as it not only seeks to have Ardrahan native Frank Burke elected as the 39th President of the GAA, but also endeavours to secure equal rights for all of its inter-county hurling teams by having them embraced into a single provincial structure.
On Friday evening, all eyes will be on former Galway County Board chairman, Burke – one of five candidates contesting the GAA Presidential election – as he puts himself before the delegates at the annual GAA Congress at Croke Park.
“Things have gone well and I have a chance,” Burke told Tribune Sport this week. “Obviously, the election is very keenly contested with five candidates but I have made a huge effort and I am looking forward to it.
“It is difficult to predict an outcome but I have a strong level of support and if I can hang in long enough (in the election) there is a good chance that I could succeed. I will have to maximise my vote though on the first count and hopefully be in the top two. After that, I will be hoping to garner transfers.”
In fairness to Burke, who has held all of the top positions at both county and provincial level, his time on the GAA’s National Management Committee along with serving as Chairman on both the National Hurling Development Committee and Coaching & Games Development Committee, which he still chairs, marks him out as an extremely meritorious candidate.
Indeed, his 11-point election manifesto, touching on a myriad of topics, painted a very concise vision for the GAA and he says the feedback from other counties to this has, by and large, been positive.
“Club fixtures is a big issue. It is the cloud on the horizon, really. I have got a lot of support on that. The plight of rural clubs is another. Right around the country, the clubs in rural communities are in difficulty. So, there is a need to revitalise the rural communities and that needs to happen or there will be another generation lost. They would be the two big issues.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.