*GAA President, Jarlath Burns. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
WINNING Cups is “the icing but not the cake” according to GAA President Jarlath Burns.
The man who handed the Liam McCarthy to Tony Kelly last July was in Clare GAA’s headquarters to attend the recent launch of the Clare GAA Youth Committee.
The committee will be made up of Transition Year students from schools throughout the county and is the first of its kind in the country. The committee will act as a part of Clare County Board and be chaired by former Clare camogie selector Eoghan Hanley.
Senior Clare GAA figures such as Paddy Smyth (Éire Óg), Tim Crowe (Sixmilebridge) and Brendan Bugler (Whitegate) will also be involved in the committee.
Uachtaráin Jarlath Burns spoke on the positives of the committee on the same day draws were held for the Clare football and hurling championships.
The Armagh man had the honour of presenting the Sam Maguire to his native county last year but insisted winning trophies is not what the GAA is about. “This doesn’t necessarily end up with the cup being presented to another Clare man. That is the icing but it’s not the cake. The cake is the daily stuff that we all do with the GAA in our county”, he told The Clare Echo.
Burns, who captained Armagh to an Ulster Championship win in 1999, stressed that it was the GAA’s priority to grow the game as much as possible as youth level in order to ensure the success of Gaelic Games.
“I know we criticise that young people aren’t involved in the administration of the GAA, I don’t really want young people involved in the administration of the GAA, I want people playing games. Participation is number one at whatever level you can find, play at that level and after you’re finished playing and you go into coaching in your thirties, that’s what we want the thirty somethings involved in. Coaching the game for the next generation to come along because at the end of the day, we want to promote the games”, the President continued.
In his opening speech, the current President made reference to the GAA’s motto “Where we all belong”, and later explained to The Clare Echo that there was a place in the world’s largest amateur sporting organisation for everyone. “That’s why we want people to get interested in Scór (the GAA’s cultural organisation) and administration. I think this is something that firstly you’re able to understand it and then action on it. I’ve always enjoyed being in administration with my club and when I’m finished I will continue to do it”.
The Silverbridge Harps clubman concluded by mentioning the positive mental health impact the Clare Youth Committee could have, saying “I think that’s what gives you purpose. One of the biggest problems we have in terms of mental health issues with young people is when you ask them they say that they don’t see a purpose in life. The GAA can do that for you and that’s why this is so important”.
