Limerick star says GAA integration delay ‘disappointing and unhelpful’

THE GAA stepping away from the agreed timeline regarding integrating the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association into the body has “undermined” the work of the steering group, according to a star Limerick camogie player.

Sophie O’Callaghan is on the Gaelic Players Association’s National Executive Committee and admitted she was surprised to see former President Mary McAlesse leave her role as head of the committee.

The former president was appointed to the steering group by ex-GAA president Larry McCarthy four years ago to oversee the amalgamation of the three Gaelic games bodies.

The path forward for integration is now unclear, the Limerick woman on the GPA’s NEC warned.

“The overall sentiment is one of disappointment,” said O’Callaghan. “There's a huge, currently there's a huge lack of clarity around deadlines, timelines, certainty and structure.

“It seems like the whole thing has kind of been delayed and obviously Mary McAleese came out with the comments (criticising the GAA). But just the news yesterday has totally undermined the work for the last four years.

“It's very disappointing and very unhelpful that the overarching organisation aren’t, it seems, going to be in a position to integrate in the next couple of years anyway, at a bare minimum.”

With AGM season around the corner, O’Callagan acknowledged that 2027 was feeling a “bit unrealistic” but the lack of an updated timeline is a concern for the GPA.

“From Tom’s (Parsons, GPA CEO) point of view and from Gemma's (Begley, Head of Equality and Player Relations) point of view and everyone in the GPA, I think it's just frustration.

“I think they've essentially not had all the information. We were all of the understanding that they were pushing forward towards integration, but obviously that's not the case now. It’s just hugely disappointing, kind of hard to see where we go from here.

Limerick LGFA chair Aidan Mannix admitted Mary McAleese leaving the committee “wasn’t on the cards” but said the Shannonsiders are ahead of the curve when it comes to integration.

“I suppose it's unfortunate, by all accounts, it wasn't on the cards what happened,” Mannix said of her exit.

“From our own perspective with Limerick ladies football, we’re in a very unique situation with the GAA in Limerick with Seamus McNamara (Limerick GAA chairman) and Mike O’Riordan (secretary). We are viewed as an integral part of the decision making going forward, be it for pitches or whatever we are looking for.”

The topic of integration came up at September’s Limerick GAA county board meeting in Adare on Tuesday night, emphasising the relationship between the various Gaelic games bodies in the county.

“We have a fantastic relationship and I know I can talk to Seamus any time,” Mannix outlined. “We are viewed as partners with them. I think we are probably ahead of the posse compared to other counties.

“We have embraced integration already and I suppose it's just getting it over the line in other parts of the country. Our relationship with the camogie is fantastic,” he added.

Limerick camogie manager David Deady agreed that the change at the top of the committee was “very much unexpected”.

“There was no mumbling or rumours going around that this was going to happen,” added Deady who is preparing for a second season in charge of Limerick.

Accessing pitches is one of the areas that camogie and ladies football have long said was an issue that would be fixed only when integration arrived.

“Look, as an inter-county manager, it is one of the main logistical issues that we run into,” noted Deady. “From our own side of things, it's very difficult to access pitches and very difficult to liaise with different clubs or different institutions around gaining access to fields for training and it’s a constant battle each year because you're competing with every other inter-county team, both male and female, in terms of getting that access.

“Having that one model and that one association would alleviate that. There would be a more coherent approach to everything.”

Like Mannix, Deady says there is a line of communication between the three organisations in Limerick.

“There is engagement with ourselves and Limerick GAA and the LGFA so hopefully we can continue to move forward ourselves.”

Despite local efforts of moving collectively, having three separate organisations fixing matches at national level causes issues as was seen earlier this year.

“We've seen that ourselves with the All-Ireland minor (hurling) final this year and our own last-round fixture against Dublin in the Glen Dimplex Championship where there was a time clash and venue clash,” Deady said.

This clash was due to be the first Limerick camogie game of the year at the TUS Gaelic Grounds but instead the match took place at nearby TUS an hour before the All-Ireland minor final win, meaning supporters couldn’t attend both matches.

This clash was typical of the issues that all involved were hoping would become a thing of the past after this year. But that wait goes on.

In a statement, the GAA commended Mary McAleese for “her leadership, commitment and contribution” to the steering committee.

“The next phase of the project will be to distil the substantial and constructive feedback received from a wide range of stakeholders into a refined set of key principles and structures, and to derive a detailed and sequential workplan, all of which will be advanced in 2027,” the statement said.

“The GAA remains firmly committed to building a single Association that honours the identity, heritage and contribution of each of our sports while creating a stronger and more inclusive future for the entire Gaelic games family.”