Tipperary County Convention vote condones what is major blight on hurling

Once upon a time county conventions were an item of real interest. You might have several ballots for board positions, with all the canvassing and background capering that went with such contests. Contentious issues might see feathers ruffled and sparks flying.

Not anymore. Your best bet for sparkiness last Sunday was watching Glen and Kilcoo go to war in the Ulster Club Football Championship final. By contrast the boardroom was boring. Convention exchanges nowadays are about as saccharine as a Ryan Tubridy interview.

In fairness to the departing County Secretary, Timmy Floyd, he did fire a few well-aimed volleys in his annual report. Critics of the split season took a hit, as did the abusers of match officials. All of which was well-timed and necessary.

The County Secretary received a standing ovation following his final address to convention. For sixteen years he’s been the guiding hand at the tiller of Tipperary GAA and, by general consensus, proved a highly efficient administrator. His term coincided with some major glory days for the county.

Interestingly, Timmy was the first full-time paid secretary of the board and, in a sense, he’s the last. The new appointee, Murtagh Brennan of Loughmore, takes up a redesignated role as CEO, which is the pathway being followed now by all counties under the direction of Croke Park.

I guess, in a sense then Sunday’s convention was a notable one, marking a significant changing of the County Board guard. Treasurer, Michael Power, also stepped aside due to the seven-year rule in his case, with Killenaule’s Eleanor Lahart replacing him. She becomes the second-ever female to fill the post.

There were no elections. It’s a sign of the times when people are less willing to challenge for positions and you get a deal of sideways shuffling instead. Michael Bourke moved aside after completing his five years on Central Council and John Doyle took his place, the latter having completed his term on the Munster Council. Joe Kennedy moved to Munster Council, with a year of his chairmanship still to go. It’s the GAA’s version of Lanigan’s Ball.

Watching John Doyle move on to Central Council I couldn’t help recalling his late father and namesake, and the annual jousts he had with Mick Maguire back in the day when men weren’t shy of ballots. There was plenty of intrigue back then to enliven these winter gatherings.

On the motions front, the big disappointment for me was the defeat – albeit narrow - of the Nenagh Eire Óg proposal on the handpass in hurling. This is a well-aired topic by now, with Conor O’Donovan championing a suggestion to ban the handpass from the hand that is holding the ball. Conor was unavailable to attend convention but John Tooher tabled his proposal, with the backing of the Nenagh club.

At a time when there is almost universal agreement that the handpass in hurling is a major problem, I don’t understand why people are so reluctant to give a proposed change a run-out. You don’t need to be fully convinced that the suggestion will work, but at least give it a trial and if it fails then we go back to the drawing board and come up with another solution. Until it’s tried, we’ll never know if it works.

Voting against a proposal like this is effectively endorsing the status quo and I’ve no doubt that those in authority interpret this vote as justification for doing nothing on the subject.

It was a missed opportunity by Tipperary. Even if the motion got a majority at the Tipperary Convention it probably wouldn’t have got onto the agenda for Congress because it’s a playing rule. However, it would have brought publicity to the issue and Tipperary would be positioned as leaders in the push for change. Instead, we’re now condoning what is a major blight on the game.

The other significant proposal that got full backing was that tabled by Clonoulty seeking a return to an Under 18 minor grade at club level. There appears to be major momentum behind this now, with the Cork Convention passing a similar move at their AGM.

Notionally this entire age-grade debate seems to be a mess. I doubt if those who initially sponsored the change of minor grade from Under 18 to Under 17 foresaw the unintended consequences of their move. The reluctance to admit to an error is probably the biggest obstacle now to be overcome. Sooner or later the organisation will have to concede that Under 18 and Under 21 are the best options at both club and inter-county levels.

A whole swathe of motions went through without much comment. These related to the Tipperary by-laws and in particular the tightening of the Parish Rule, something which became topical during a transfer controversy in recent years. These now have to be approved by Croke Park so it will be 2024 before they come into effect.

Interestingly, on the same occasion that this was happening, the Loughmore club proposed a motion seeking a review of the Parish Rule.

Their worries relate to the problems faced by rural communities, especially with declining populations. The motion was a bit vague and the club agreed to the chairman’s proposal to set up a committee to look into the issue. Good luck with that.

The issue of drugs arose, with a Drom/Inch motion seeking to extend the present inter-county testing programme to include adult club players. Once again, I suspect the practicalities weren’t thought through here. The sentiments might find an echo with many people but implementing such a programme is a different matter. It was all a bit unclear at the end, with the motion going through as a recommendation or with some adjustments.

An interesting issue glanced at by John Costigan was the present status of our Intermediate Hurling Championship. He referred to Lorrha, this year’s champions, as being in limbo, with no outlet beyond the county. At present the premier intermediate winners go forward, as do the junior A champions (assuming it’s the club’s first team) but the intermediate champs have no outlet.

John was being subtle and very diplomatic in his comments here because this is a touchy issue. Remember, our Seamus Ó Riain winners were rebranded as premier intermediate champions but it proved a contentious item with some clubs who felt they were deprived of their senior status with the stroke of a pen.

Well, the logic of this process is that our third grade, nominally intermediate, should now be rebranded as junior – or maybe premier junior - in which case Lorrha would have gone forward this year into Munster. There’s obvious logic to it but, I suspect, John is well aware of the sensitivities, hence his gentle treatment of the issue. It will eventually have to be faced.

Finally, last week’s column was filed away when I got word of the passing of former long-serving South Board Secretary, Michéal O’Meara. One of Michéal’s successors, Sean Nugent, paid a fine tribute to the man at Convention on Sunday; his sentiments would find approval with all who knew the Clonmel man.

In the GAA world, Michéal was regarded both as an officer and a gentleman. He was South Board Secretary for thirty years, which is an incredible stint of service. The smooth running of the division during that time owed most to his stewardship.
He spearheaded the publication of the South Board History in 2007, which is a monumental work covering 100 years of the division’s existence.

Incidentally, I was delighted to receive a copy at the weekend of the Fr Sheehy’s book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the rebranding in 1972 of Bourncourt and Clogheen under the priest’s banner. It’s a beautiful production, especially the extensive photographic element. I mention it here because Michéal O’Meara’s south history is usefully referenced in the written account of the club’s story.

Michéal began his working life, of course, with The Nationalist and researchers of club histories and the like will find many match reports back the decades with the by-line MOM.

His reports always read as fair and generous. He wasn’t one for controversy or courting the limelight. Instead, he seemed happy to work away in the background, always efficient, always meticulous. As Sean Nugent pointed out, he could have succeeded at any area of life he chose, be it journalism, finance or administration.

The South Division was blessed to have had him and I feel very lucky to have known and admired him. To Nora, Vincent, Grace and the extended family we offer our deepest condolences.

Our sympathies too go to the O’Regan family, Cashel, on the very sad, sudden and premature passing of Joe last weekend. The King Cormacs have lost one of their staunchest devotees.