A well-earned first
November 30, 2009
The photos which appeared in the local media in the week leading up to last Christmas were different to those we have become accustomed to seeing in the aftermath of the Meath
GAA County Committee's annual convention. By Paul Clarke.
Down through the years there was always a common theme - everybody who had been elected to the committee, or board as it used to be known, was male. It was as if only men were deemed suitable to occupy such positions and that they were essentially a no-go area for women. Thankfully, things appear to be changing and not before time.
That was certainly the case on Sunday, 14th December last when Mairead Delaney from the Dunshaughlin club was voted in as Development Officer of the Meath County Committee. It was an historic, ground-breaking occasion because she was the first woman to attain a position on the committee and, as she pointed out in her acceptance speech, it happened 90 years to the day since Countess Markievicz was first elected to the Dail.
Mairead filled the position which was vacated by Enda Smith who was successful in his efforts to become vice-chairman. She was opposed by Dunsany clubman and former Irish Officer Richard Harrahill and secured a very impressive vote from the delegates in the Simonstown GAA Centre, winning by 108 to 39. It was a very definite thumbs up for the importance of women in the association from those in attendance on an historic day for the GAA in the county.
Previously, Mairead was a member of the Management Committee and she also served as Juvenile Board secretary for a spell. She is the current secretary of the Dunshaughlin club, so her GAA life is certainly a busy one. She acknowledged after her election that she faced a difficult task taking over from Smith who had occupied the position with great efficiency for the previous four years. But those who have witnessed her in other roles in the past know she will give it her all and prove a big success.
Mairead is originally from Dunmore in County Galway and has been living in Meath for the past 19 years where she has devoted a great deal of her time to the GAA in a variety of different capacities. And talking to her you get the definite sense that she has loved and continues to love every single minute of it. She has an infectious enthusiasm for it all.
Quite understandably, being elected to a position on the County Committee meant a great deal to her and it was also a big day for the Dunshaughlin club as she joined fellow members, County Committee secretary Cyril Creavin and Leinster Council representative Paddy O'Dwyer, at the top table. It was indeed a proud day for Dunshaughlin.
"I suppose it was a great honour for myself to start with," said Mairead as she recalled that memorable day last December. "The club was delighted because I had joined the likes of Paddy and Cyril on the County Committee. To follow in their footsteps was such a great honour for me.
"It was a great feeling to be elected. I suppose it isn't easy to break into a male dominated set-up. It was great to be the first woman elected to the committee. I felt that it was one up for the women."
Mairead secured a huge tally of 108 votes which certainly represented a great endorsement from the club delegates at the convention.
"I had been involved with the juvenile end of things for a number of years," she added. "A lot of people knew me from that. It wasn't as if people didn't know who I was. I was Juvenile Board secretary for four years. I was first elected in 2000. That was a very busy job, but I would have to say that I loved it.
"I was new to it at the start. I was breaking new ground as a female in that position. A lot of people assumed it was the Ladies' Board I was with. Some people were sort of surprised that a woman got it. But once I settled into the position I loved it.
"It was great to deal with the kids and the people who looked after under-age teams. But there is only so many years you can give to a job and I did my time. It's a very important position and I would have to say that Peter O'Halloran is very good at it, he's super."
So, basically what is the role of Development Officer on the County Committee?
"Our committee looks after the development of the clubs," Mairead explained. "We make sure that they have a development plan in place. With Leinster Council grants in mind, the committee meets with the clubs before they start to do work. We give advice regarding the grants, etc."
The GAA is still overwhelmingly run by men at all levels and few women are part of County Committees around the country. But how does Mairead find being the only female working in a male dominated environment?
"They don't treat me any different," she said. "They're not sexist!"
Mairead has come a long way since her initial involvement in GAA activities with the St Martin's club which catered for under-age players in the Dunshaughlin and Drumree clubs. She filled the role of secretary of that club for six years and is the current secretary of the Dunshaughlin club, a position she has occupied for the past four years.
Dunshaughlin is a big club in an area which experienced a massive population explosion during the height of the housing boom. Filling the role of club secretary and occupying a position on the County Committee at the same time must leave her extremely busy, but she has plans to vacate one of those jobs in the near future.
"I have told the club that I'm stepping down at the AGM," she revealed. "It's hard to hold two positions like those at the same time."
Mairead believes that more women should become actively involved in the GAA. A look through the list of club secretaries in the county reveals an increase in the number of females taking on the role in more recent years.
That's the way it should be and Mairead feels that the day has long gone when women should be viewed as being there to put the kettle on! They have a great deal more to offer than that.
"I would love to see more women getting involved in the GAA," she added. "I believe that women have a lot to give to clubs and the organisation in general. The first thing I always said was that 'I'm not here to make the tea'. But that's how the role of women used to be perceived.
"Even now you can go to a County Committee meeting and see only two or three other women. At club level there are now a lot more female secretaries than before. That's good to see. It's the way it should be."
Mairead Delaney probably makes a great cup of tea, but don't expect to see her boiling the kettle under the stand at Pairc Tailteann or in the Dunshaughlin clubrooms any day soon. Her elevation to a position on the Meath County Committee was something she earned through her dedication to whatever role she took on.
It also represented a vote of confidence in the women who are involved in the GAA and, hopefully, will help to encourage others to enter that male dominated arena.
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