Live updates: Donegal GAA Annual Convention

The latest updates from the Donegal GAA Annual Convention, which is taking place at Jackson's Hotel in Ballybofey. For latest update, please refresh the page

9:30pm - Cieran Kelly, St Naul's, and Four Masters' Sean Dunnion confirm they have withdrawn from the race to succeed Fergus McGee, so it means Maty Coughlan is the new chairperson

9:27pm - The election of officers is (definitely this time) about to start

9:25pm - Connie Maguire, St Eunan's, tells Fergus McGee "some of the delegates had no respect for you" and "thank you for your services. We're glad to see you back on the St Eunan's executive"

9:24pm - The election of officers is about to start

9:23pm - Fergus McGee gains a heartfelt applause from the floor as he steps aside.

9:20pm - "For the new chair (Mary Coughlan) I am here to help, all she has to do is ask."

9:19pm - McGee: "I'll be stepping down from this privileged position. Many members of management worked with me. However I found it difficult to operate. There were those who took exceptions that I called in Croke Park. I believe in the gAA. Respect is important. I had no agenda. I felt I had the support of the clubs."

9:17pm - McGee says he believes that footballers and hurlers can move to the next level, with the Academy. "It was a tremendous honour" McGee says of his one-year. "I know not everyone believed it was best to call in Croke Park. I believe it will leave Donegal in a better place. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I didn't intend to."

9:15pm - "Mistakes were made in the past and I made some myself," McGee said. "I appeal to everyone to put all differences behind us and work together for the good of Donegal. The Croke Park review committee said 'everyone they spoke to had a deep love for Donegal'."

9:14pm - "The Donegal GAA Academy will be back up and running in 2024," McGee said, while saying an operations manager will be a huge benefit. 

9:12pm - "Having worked our way through, we must look to the future and not have a repeat of the issues," McGee added before thanking all who helped the process of getting a senior inter-county manager in the form of Jim McGuinness. "This lifted the county," McGee said. 

9:11pm - Donegal sponsor, Donagh Kelly, "stood by us" McGee said, reflecting on a conversation that took place in March, when things were tough going.

9:10pm - McGee, very magnanimous, compliments a list of bodies as long as his arm, those involved, "too many to mention individually" - committees, sponsors "who stayed with us when the name of Donegal GAA was not in a great place"

9:05pm - Pat Walsh, the referees' administer, is thanked by McGee, who suggests clubs try to promote even two per club. McGee thanks everyone at Convoy, MacCumhaill Park, and O'Donnell Park. Fr Tierney Park will be back in action this Sunday as Donegal face Roscommon in a charity match.

9pm - McGee thanks Declan Bushell and other coaches who tried to keep things on the road with the Donegal U-15 and U-16 panels. At U-17 and U-20, Luke Barrett and Leo McLoone were thanked by McGee, who also congratulated the hurlers from Donegal and Setanta, Ulster IHC winners.

8:59pm - The outgoing chair is discussing the Croke Park review, which took place earlier this year. 

8:57pm - McGee said there are things from 2023, that cannot be "sugar-coated" and thanks Karl Lacey for his Academy work and says he hopes Lacey has something to offer Donegal in a future. McGee also thanked Paddy Carr, Aidan O'Rourke and Paddy Bradley for taking the team in 2023. 

8:56pm -  Outgoing chairman Fergus McGee believes there is optimism after "a difficult year"

8:54pm - Fiona Shiels, PRO, is stepping down, as she confirmed previously, and reminded clubs that they need to reinforce their social media policies

8:53pm - Fiona Shiels report is here

8:52pm - Mickey McMahon, Bundoran, says Edward Molloy, Ardara, and the stewards at matches deserve a round of applause. It follows.

8:49pm - David McLoone, vice-chair, pays tribute to both Ed Byrne and Alan Boyd, as well as Charlie Kerr.

8:46pm - Byrne says "nationally, the CCC have forgotten the clubs" and thanks those who helped him, as well as the clubs who facilitated neutral venue fixtures. Byrne thanks Sharon McGinty, Glenswilly, who looks after underage fixtures.

8:43pm - Ed Byrne, CCC secretary, has in regards to a Donegal Democrat report, no county board official asked Mark Dorrian to change his match report of the Donegal 2022 County Final. Here is the article. 

8:42pm - John Haran, St Eunan's, says clubs are struggling to field reserve teams and it has lost "prestige" but admits this might be a discussion from another night. David McLoone agrees it is worth taking about, perhaps again, to help find some sort of solution.

8:41pm - David McLoone, CCC, says "some of the clubs are doing great work" but admitted that only seven out of 36 clubs entered the U-21 Football Championship, thus making competition formats difficult

8:38pm - McConnell said that Donegal GAA need to "look at the gap" that's developing between the bigger clubs and the rest

8:35pm - John McConnell, Ardara, is saying that there will be continual struggle for rural clubs, where of 72 underage Division 1 titles in the last 10 years, 59 have been won by just six clubs.

8:34pm - David McLoone's report is here

8:33pm - Basically, Brady described the responsibilities of the audit ...

8:31pm - Brady: "Management Committee is required to prepare financial statements for each financial period which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the County Board and the surplus or deficit of the County for that period.

"In preparing those financial statements Management Committee is required to: - select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards, identity the standards in question, subject to any material departures from those standards being disclosed and explained in the notes to the financial statements; and - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the County Board will continue its activities.

"Management Committee is responsible for ensuring adequate accounting records are kept which correctly explain and record the transactions of the County Board and enable at any time the assets, liabilities, financial position and surplus or deficit of the County Board to be determined with reasonable accuracy and enable the financial statements to be audited.

"They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the County Board and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. the Management Committee are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the organisation and inancial information included on the County website. Legislation in Ireland governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions."

8:25pm - "The statements give a true financial view, as of September 2023, and have been properly prepared. We were only appointed recently, and, independent from the county board, and have fulfilled our responsibility. We have no identified any material that is of uncertainly," Brady says. 

8:24pm -  The audit report from Manus Brady, Cashel Business Centre, Block A, Cashel Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12 ...

8:23pm - Alan Boyd's tenure as Donegal GAA treasurer is over

8:22pm - "... and I almost forgot my assistant treasurer, Frankie Doherty," Boyd concludes.

8:22pm - Alan Boyd: "Hopefully we've turned the corner. We're not the basket cases. The social media and stuff going out ... it has been a difficult time. I did not enjoy this year. I wish the county well and I will try and help. But I just want a break".

8:20pm - In his closing address, Alan Boyd thinks Donegal "have done pretty well" and said it was "a difficult year and he is glad it's the end of the road." He says he's had 118 meetings this year. "I'm glad to get a break."

8:18pm - Michael McMenamin from Naomh Padraig asked why it says in the accounts that Donegal have 28 employees, to which Enda Bonner said that's the average employment to balance out the numbers over the years, which would be high in summer with the Cul Camps.

8:25pm - Fergus McGee's hope that this will be done by 9:30pm seems optimistic.

8:14pm - Jim McGlynn from Letterkenny Gaels asked Donegal GAA do they have an overdraft facility. Boyd says they do and the Donegal had no fundraising this year, which the "next executive" can look at. He added the pitch five at the Donegal GAA Centre "put a strain on it". 

8:10pm - Alan Boyd, the outgoing treasurer is taking questions from the floor.

8:06pm - Alan Boyd has just discussed the treasurers' report, which you can view here

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