Uachtaráin under fire at Kildare Co Board meeting and clampers come to town

From expressing unhappiness with An tUachtaráin, to a concern over cars being clamped; a call for two referees to oversee games and a worry that new rules on club trustees were being forced on clubs at a pace that is proving challenging, to say the least.

Yes you guessed it.

Another all-encompassing gathering of the grassroots of Kildare GAA club.

County Board meetings, once monthly, now a few short of a dozen in the year, and one just never knows what will come up.
Some items have about as much relevance to Kildare County Board as a wet Bank Holiday Monday has with the previous GAA day's action and results.

Of course many relevant items are raised, and were raised, last Tuesday at the June gathering of delegates at Cedral St Conleth's Park in Newbridge.

It was a gathering that initially at least, looked it might break former chairman, Mick Gorman's record of getting proceedings all done and dusted inside 30 minutes.

The June gathering is traditionally a quick, quiet and non-controversial affair and it looked like that again as delegates were scarce as the clock ticked within minutes of the throw-in.

Outside, cones were in position on the pitch, another training session about to get under way; the after-training grub lay in wait in the Cedral Lounge as a sudden gush of delegates lined up to sign-in.

Chairman, Mick Mullen, may not have had a time limit on the proceedings but the sight of Rathcoffey delegate, John Flood sent the odds of breaking Mr Gorman's record breaking meeting time, soaring.

Now the bauld John is a true GAA gent, passionate about all things Kildare; and even more so when it comes to looking after the interests of his club, Rathcoffey, not afraid of asking what some might believe are awkward questions, for the want of a better word, and of course the former referee would never use ten or fifteen words when he could get in sixty, seventy or even more.
God bless him.
Always good for a bit of copy.

And it didn't take him long to get into the swing of things, enquiring if the Co Board were taking their eye off the ball when it came to reduced funding from Croke Park for the Coaching & Games programme.

Chairman Mullen was very quick to dampen down that particular suggestion.

“Nobody here is taking their eye off the ball” he insisted quickly and decisively.

The Bursar, aka Alan Dunney, gave a six month up-date on the state of the finances, with his usual Whitney Houston warning ( One Moment in Time) but with an income of some €1.369m and expenditure of €1.066m giving a nice surplus of some €322k, even taking in the Whitney Houston scenario, the coffers are looking healthy, to say the very least.

Strange, I often say to myself, when such figures are issued, rarely, if ever, are there any questions or queries; no doubt much to the delight of The Bursar whose handling of the finances continues to be impressive.

On a separate issue the Rathcoffey delegate queried why the schools finals were not played at St Conleth's Park, as promised (his words) this year just as in counties such as Dublin, Kerry, Cork and others are all played in their county grounds.

The chairman was in with an emphatic reply.
“Not true.”

Adding, “we never ever gave a commitment they would be played at St Conleth's Park; we said it was hoped they would be in the future; we have a newly laid pitch, it has got a lot of games in recent times and the schools finals were never ever penciled-in for Newbridge this year; hopefully they will be when things settle down.”

Niall Sheridan informed delegates, again, that a change in the role of club trustees would come into force by the end of December.

It was something that got a few delegates somewhat irate, some insisting the time limit was too short with one club delegate saying her club has been in the process for some time now and is still way short from finalising the procedure. The papers, she told one and all, have been with the club's solicitors for some time yet showing no signs of being finalised.

And while the chairman gave an undertaking to bring her query to Croke Park, maybe putting pressure on the solicitor in question would be more beneficial, but then again, solicitors are solicitors, regardless of the query or the problem, they only do things in their own time, regardless.

A few bits of information saw delegates reminded the Annual Club Kildare Golf Classic, again in the K Club, will be held on 6 August; Operations Manager, Louise Conlon, said it was hoped to have the pitches in Hawkfield back in prime condition along with a second score board in operation before the club championship gets under way, following a query from Mr Flood.
The meeting was informed U20 football manager, John O'Dea has stepping down after two years.

Changes to club insurance are also on the way with the news that a survey of all clubs is being undertaken, country-wide, as regards facilities, usage, etc. and Alan Dunney said that this would see some club policies increasing and others decreasing, depending on their facilities, and, importantly, their track record.

To date 2,000 games have been played in the county and one can only imagine the pressure that puts on referees. In total there are some 80 referees in Kildare (another 20 or so from outside) and it is hoped to add to this number with another referees' beginner course being planned.

Not sure if that piece of information stirred Sallins delegate, Tom Cross, who said he felt it was time that games should now have two referees — a suggestion that did not get much of an airing it has to be said.

Lorraine Wolfe (PRO) told the delegates that Croke Park had changed the title of all club and county PRO's and they will now be known as Communication Officers.
Fancy or what!

Next, Any Other Business (AOB) which usually comes up with the unexpected and last week's gathering did not disappoint.
Our friend from Rathcoffey was to the fore here (again) when he said he “was not happy, not happy at all” with comments from Uachtaráin Lúthchleas Gael, aka GAA President Jarlath Burns, who on a recent visit to Mayo for a 'chat' with members of the county board, a board that has been in the headlines, and not for good reason, of late, but what ired Mr Flood was the President informing one and all of confidential financial matters of the board's accounts.

Mr Flood said what while he “liked Mr Burns, he felt he overstepped the mark on this occasion, that after doing something similar when he spoke about the appointment of a new coach at Naas GAA.”

Jarlath won't be happy and that's for sure.
But the best was yet to come.

That wise man from Allenwood, Sean Malone, a long standing and highly respected GAA man, informed the meeting that some “fifty or more cars were clamped during a recent game at St Conleth's Park.”

Not sure how the double yellow lines work in the Allenwood area but I can certainly confirm — from experience — that parking on a double yellow in Newbridge is guaranteed to get a clamp at worst or a dirty black and yellow sticky notice on your windscreen at best, telling you that you have 28 days to pay a fine that starts at some forty notes and goes up substantially if you ignore it.

A bit of puzzlement on the faces of top table delegates, I have to say.

Not our problem being the main sentiment, with the chairman adding “we inform all visiting counties that parking is available at local schools, local clubs, at Ryston and at Whitewater SC.

End of query.

In no time the pitch was cleared of training cones; the Cedral Lounge clear of after-training meals and the stadium clear of
club delegates.

And Mick Gorman's record meeting of under thirty minutes firmly intact, never really came under any threat, once You Know Who was on the premises!

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