Cavan's Ulster President
December 30, 2010The superlatives trip off Aogan Farrell's tongue as he describes his life on the road as Ulster Council President over the guts of the past year.
He describes his experiences to date in the role as being "fantastic", "incredible", "exciting" and "very heartening and positive."
One senses the Drumgoon Eire Og clubman is living the dream of the quinntessential GAA volunteer as he takes a tour of a large chunk of the 660 or so units of the Association in Ulster.
The experience and knowledge he has garnered in 2010 from his role as President has helped insert a rod of steel at the back of his long-held beliefs.
A man known for his vim and vigour as much as the passions he has in life, the Dernakesh national school principal suggests his journey to date as President has been enlightening if a tad surprising.
"I had been vice-President of course but I have been amazed on my travels to see just how much fantastic work is being done across the province.
"It's been a more exciting and revealing journey than I could have imagined. The range of facilities and quality of coaching is amazing.
"Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time to date in the office of President even if I wasn't quite prepared for how demanding the role is.
"For instance, as President of the provincial council, I am automatically a Vice-President of the GAA nationally and sit on the management committee."
Aogan is wont to wax lyrical about the top notch club facilities that pock-mark the province and says clubs in Cavan are keeping up with the posse in that regard.
"Switching on the floodlights at Templeport was a great honour and an honour to do so as a Cavan man," Farrell enthuses,"and Ramor's facilities bear comparison too.
"It's pleasing to note that nearly every club in the county has two pitches and, of course, what we have at Kingspan/Breffni Park is fantastic."
Last March when he rose to the highest office in Ulster GAA circles, the Maudabawn native made a typically eloquent acceptance speech.
With the withdrawal of Derry's Seamus McCloy in the lead-up to convention from the race to become the new President, he was elected unopposed to rapturous applause.
Following his election, Aogan told the assembled gathering at Convention of his love of all things Gaelic:
"The Gaelic part of our name means an awful lot to me," he declared to thunderous applause in the Errigal Country Hotel in Cootehill.
"Counties and clubs are not sporting organisations; that's not what you are.
"We stand for an Ireland of 32 counties and an Ulster of nine (counties) and that's our vision, our plan and I will unashamedly proclaim the Gaelic notion of Ireland."
In a similar vein, he re-iterated his view that the GAA needed to continue both with its integration process and its consolidation of its family-friendly nature "so as to cater for all from the cradle to the grave."
The GAA was about providing sporting games and recreation but there should "always be the element of fun attached."
Over the course of his tenure, Farrell says his hope is that the GAA in Ulster will provide "more games, better games, better organised games but while success is desirable, enjoyment of our games is absolutely crucial."
The first President of the Ulster Council to previously serve as PRO, Treasurer and Vice-President, Aogan has long been recognised as a doer, a mover and someone who shoots from the hip.
The successor to Donegal's Tom Daly insists that the GAA's army of volunteers have to enjoy a symbiotic partnership with the organisation's growing number of paid employees.
"Volunteerism is still what the GAA is all about and is the very essence of what we do and is what marks us out from other sporting organisations.
"However it is essential that we have salaried staff on board to enable us to carry through our vision, plans and goals.
"In the past we have had dreams and aspirations but we haven't had the time or energy to carry out the things we wanted to do.
"I know there can be conflict between the volunteer and salaried staff and sometimes issues can arise which need to be sorted out and I want to address those things so that both sides appreciate each other and respect where each other is coming from.
"My view is that the volunteer's chief role is in planning and guidance and that the salaried staff's role is to implement policy to everyone's advantage.
"Administration should be efficient and relevant and, in Ulster, we're fortunate that it is."
He is convinced that Ulster GAA is at least on a par with other provinces on most aspects of the Association's activities and clearly ahead on others.
Inclusiveness is one of the issues close to his heart and he is delighted with the way the Ulster Council is forging a clear path in that direction.
"People from a different tradition must be made feel welcome in our midst and that's one of the many challenges we must face up to.
"There are many people who don't engage with the GAA but we must actively promote new lines of communication and interaction with them."
Integration is another buzzword in Aogan's lexicon. Having people and organisations dedicated to the development of Gaelic games all singing from the one hymnsheet is where we should be going, he intimates.
In that respect, he was delighted that Central Council recently passed a motion that all games involving Gaelic football, hurling, handball, rounders, ladies football and camogie all be brought under the one umbrella at club level.
Strategic alliances between clubs is something he envisages becoming more de rigeur, especially in the form of amalgamations of teams at underage level.
He is anxious though that amalgamations are confined to teams (as in Kerry) and not to clubs as "clubs should retain their own identities."
Projects to bring forward the urban development agenda, based on existing urban strategies for the development of the GAA in the cities of Derry and Belfast are close to his heart also.
"There are huge challenges in both cities and the many opportunities to grow the GAA in each have to be vigourously pursued.
"We're going to have to focus very strongly on the shift of population from rural parts into our towns and cities.
"A lot of the emigration we now see again is from the rural areas of our country and there's a massive problem in terms of the depopulation of rural Ireland," the full-time teacher and eternal gael concludes. Tweet
