They Said It ....

December 2004

Carlow that county with the gun in the holster image normally does not make the news. And it should reach the front pages but for all the right reasons. The south Leinster unit could be rightly regarded as one of the real dual counties. While never seriously considered as provincial let alone national contenders the Barrowsiders annually let loose their athletes in both codes and though generally the whipping boys continually come back for more. But boy oh boy have Carlow made the news of late, most of it from the negative variety. Unrest amongst the players, severe criticism of the County Board by rank and file members, rumours of a consortium promising huge amounts of money and last but no means least the uncertainty of the new county manager for the footballers.
The Nationalist is a fine GAA paper and threw a lot of attention towards the arguments and happenings. Their Comment column cum editorial sprang into action to answer claims made by County Secretary Tommy O’Neill in his annual report and went under the heading ‘Stick to the facts when playing the blame game’.
The County Secretary of the GAA decided to target the age old scapegoat in his annual report this year - blame the messenger, in this case the press, for everything.
Mr Tommy O’Neill in his secretary’s report to the county convention on Saturday has singled out the press and in particular The Nationalist, for criticism.
1. “A report of a county committee meeting in early October was disgraceful and out of line with any report of any meeting of the Association in 40 years,” said Tommy O’Neill in his report.
Interesting then that the meeting was not commented on nor was there a story written about it, in fact, the fiery debate was published word for word. Is it disgraceful then not to tow the county board line when they are being attacked from the floor by their own delegates for what was described as a ‘fiasco’ meeting. Should we have ignored what was going on before the eyes of our reporters in the room? Never. Our coverage from the outset was of the highest calibre and remained so in the face of a determined campaign of silence from the county board.
2. “We must insist on balance and the need for fair play in the media. Our local print and radio are all community-based with long track-records. We ask that this tradition be restored and continued.”
Every time a story was written about the football manager saga, which took two months to solve, the county board was contacted by this office and asked to comment. Here are a few example:
“There is a meeting of the county board and delegates tonight (Tuesday) and we will be making no comment” he said on the October 29 edition.
In the October 22 edition: “The county board were repeatedly contacted for comment by The Nationalist yesterday but at the time of going to press they had not responded.”
While in the October 15 paper we gave Tommy O’Neill a full article to reply to everything said in the infamous meeting and the most he would say was “I’m not saying anything.”
3. On November 5 the county board chairman, Eddie Byrne, stood before his delegates and shouted: “The idiots in the newspaper are printing what the rats on the streets are telling them. Oi Mr Nationalist if you can’t write any better than the episodes here in the last few weeks you should step back ‘cos you’re not able to report.”
Is printing what he said not being balanced, are we not giving him a stage to air his opinions? Apparently not according to Secretary O’Neill’s report to Saturday’s convention.
The Nationalist is the community newspaper and voice of the people, always has been and always will be.
One of our priorities therefore is the promotion of GAA and it’s the No1 sporting organisation in the community we serve. Carlow’s GAA success is a community success and we are all behind efforts to achieve that success. But we are not going to look the other way, when the ruling body of that organisation in the county seems stuck in an historical rut.
If this was in the commercial world, the lack of success would have heads rolling. This season as we reported, the players were highly distressed with the way the managerial saga was handled by the county board and called for change.
There is also a group of local businessmen trying to bring money and success into the county but some people don’t want to lose their sense of power.
Successful county teams have to pump money directly into county teams. That is the way of the modern world. And that is the way it should be in Carlow.

Repeating a number of their recent headings on the situation like ‘Heated managerial debate at county board meeting’ this column goes on to point out ‘ How we led the way on the GAA story of the year.’
These are just some of the headlines, which County GAA secretary Tommy O’Neill, sees fit to criticise in his report to the county convention on Saturday.
The Nationalist stands over each of the numerous stories we broke on this saga throughout the autumn which culminated last week in the appointment of Liam Hayes - a high profile manager for the county senior team. We are delighted with his appointment and we make no apologies for taking at least some of the credit for highlighting the need for a top appointment which was demanded by the players through our paper some months ago.
Without the players’ revolt and the encouragement and support of the businessmen, Liam Hayes would not be the manager today.
County Board executives will attempt to take all the credit for Hayes’ appointment on Saturday, but there is no doubt that if this controversy hadn’t blown up, he would not be in the job today. The county board wanted to appoint a manager for whom the vast majority of the players would not have togged out.
So credit for the appointment must go to all concerned, including the concerned businessmen who want Carlow back eating at the top table of GAA activity after 60 years in the doldrums.
Carlow deserves nothing less than a determined effort to develop the talent that is in the county - talent that deserves to be showcased in Croke Park and the great stadiums around the country.
As a community newspaper, we are delighted to be able to represent all views on every story. And as can be seen from the bottom headline, not everyone was willing to give their side, despite repeated attempts.
Blaming the messenger at this stage smacks of a hunger to retain power at all costs - even at the cost of the truth.

The much respected Paul Donaghy also writing in ‘The Nationalist’ feels his paper was ‘unfairly condemned’
There has been considerable condemnation of the Carlow GAA Board of late, centering mainly on the ‘failure’ of the senior football team to perform to public expectations.
There is no county board in the association which does face the firing squad - normally from those beyond their ranks - from time to time, but to generalise that the Carlow edition has not performed ‘for decades’ as a number have indicted this year, lacks objectivity.
Those who consider the sitting party to be shy on ability will have the opportunity to toss them out on their collective heads at Saturday’s convention in Palatine, but those who walk that route must consider the alternatives, and the clubs of Carlow have not exactly been swelling the Dr. Cullen Park post box with nominations they consider could better advance the county.
I have never been a lover of top-heavy committees or those who seek office for personal profile, but perhaps those who want change will help effect it, and contribute meaningfully when they get their wish, for there is an ambivalence at both board and convention levels which does not suggest a population of vibrant delegates, at least going by their verbal contributions.
Over the last few years, the current board (most of the faces have not changed for some years) has constructed new offices and boardroom, gave Dr. Cullen Park a much -needed facelift, staged the National Feile for the first time, had a fair hand in organising the All-Ireland MFC final, set up Club Ceatharlach, saw the minor hurlers win a third All-Ireland B championship and the 16s reach their national finale. And they did persuade Liam Hayes to take on the difficult task of training the footballers.
These events do not happen by accident, and many other counties cannot similarly boast. They are planned by voluntary people, many of whom devote time, energy and in many cases personal expense, to keep the show on the road. Kudos are hard earned in an unsympathetic organisation. The trouble with Carlow is that candidates for the heavy end of the load are few and far between, and it is the knowledge of the work the top men actually do which keeps others, with a lesser work ethic away.
Of the 13 roles on the board, five will not be contested and in five others there is only one standing against the holder - not exactly the sign of a county calling for a shake up. There is obviously a good deal of satisfaction with many on the board.
While on the subject, I note from the secretary’s report the number of clubs not represented at board meetings during the year. One hurling club attended just one of the nine, two well established football clubs managed three, and one of the county’s top hurling clubs made it to just four. We can only deduce either a lack of interest, or complete satisfaction in the administration, plus the face that their club members must be in the dark as to the deliberations at the decision-making level.

In the lead up to the County Convention in mid December, Terry Reilly noted that ‘crucial votes will bring GAA controversy to a crescendo’
Carlow’s long-running GAA crisis reaches a crescendo on Saturday with the county convention in Palatine.
The association has been embroiled in controversy since the players threatened to go on strike last month. They have made it clear they want to be treated with respect and given the proper facilities to win matches.
All attention will be focussed on the vote for chairman between Eddie Byrne and John McDermott. Last time they contested the chair Byrne won by just three votes so this year both men have been busy visiting clubs to rally support.
In the two-month search for a manger the men have exchanged heated words but with no senior success in the county for 60 years many were calling for a change at the top.
Tommy Lyons, John O’Mahony, Noel Doyle, Paul O’Kelly and a plethora of other managers were linked with Carlow position over the period but last week’s announcement of Liam Hayes has steadied the boat.
His appointment has definitely swung the pendulum back in Byrne’s favour but there is still strong support for McDermott who has promised to bring a positive change to the county in both football and hurling.
The players have made their allegiances clear and will want McDermott to win. His big problem will be overcoming the county board committee vote of 18 expected to back the status quo before a single vote is cast in his favour and will have to win the support of the vast majority of delegates to take the chair.
The second contest is for the secretary role between Tommy O’Neill and Peadar Bermingham and it too will be an interesting affair.
Mr O’Neill’s outgoing report attacks the local media for all the problems in the county. He notes that the county board increased profits this year to £84,132 but puts all the blame on the delay for naming a manager on outside influences and damaging headlines in local press.
At this stage he looks favourite to retain his post, though.
There are only two motions to be discussed at the convention one of which is expected to be explosive as O’Hanrahans have requested the full declaration of All-Ireland ticket allocation.
Meanwhile the final game of the Carlow GAA calendar takes place on Sunday when Eire Og meet Palatine in the Senior Football League final at 2.30 in Dr Cullen Park. Both clubs are seeking managers but expect to be at full strength.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist informs its reader that Chairman Eddie Byrne was ‘disgusted at remarks’
“A number of people ran a mile from us, after so much stuff appeared in the media,” said Carlow chairman Eddie Byrne when calling on delegates to vote on Liam Hayes as senior team manager. “The publicity was turning people off.”
Eddie told the meeting that Hayes would also have an interest in the welfare of the under 21s and minors, and “is preparing a tremendous plan for us to adopt.”
The chairman noted Hayes’ achievements on and off the field and told the meeting that he was the very best available to Carlow. “There’s no more high profile out there than him, and I feel it’s our duty to put him in place.”
Eddie, who entered the meeting on crutches following a recent knee operation, added that he and other officers were disgusted at remarks made about them by a number of people. “They were disgusting considering the efforts made by the officials to promote Carlow.”
Eddie said that the salary some thought he receives came out of his own business. “I want to be here on a voluntary basis. I get nothing out of it. It’s not an ego trip but merely trying to promote the county and see that good structures are put in place,” adding that if some were unhappy with their performance the officers were always willing to discuss and rectify if necessary.
“I’m very annoyed at some of the remarks but I don’t want a slagging match in the media. It’s no place to wash dirty linen,” he added.
Returning to the appointment of Liam Hayes, Eddie said he knew what it takes and what it is like to lose in places like Longford and Wexford. “He has what it takes, and if he cannot deliver who can?”
Hayes did not seek a particular term as manager but would rather everyone be judged at the end of the year.
Tommy O’Neill said the initiative would require ‘all hands on deck’ as they had lost two months and told delegates that Hayes said there were be a challenge for players, the management team, the board and for the real supporters who would be asked for support in financial terms as well.
Hayes, he added, would be in Carlow one day per week for the first three months, but that he sees Carlow as a major challenge, if only for the fact that most of his family are from the county.
He will be seeking three selectors, but will take advice on the subject.
Tinryland delegate John Scott lauded the work of the chairman and secretary in securing Liam Hayes and proposed he be appointed. There was no vote necessary as all delegates were enthusiastically behind the appointment.
The chairman announced that the gymnasium under the stand is to get a facelift to the tune of EU100,000 including the provision of more equipment, including hot and cold baths and interior finishing. It would be for the use of all Carlow teams, and he did not rule out the possibility of franchising out the facility.
The board was also told that approximately EU20-25,000 was being spent to upgrade the training lights to make them suitable for hurling training.

In his Sporting Life column, Terry Reilly feels that the appointment of Liam Hayes as manager may have ‘saved Eddie Byrne from the chop’
Appointing Liam Hayes as county manager may have saved Eddie Byrne from the chop at convention on December 11 but the Meath man will come into tackle a storm.
We’ve seen it all here in the last few months as the name of Carlow GAA was dragged through the mud on national and local fronts. Player revolts, business consortiums and warlike county board meetings met like dynamite and a pack of matches.
The newspaper mogul will have to take these issues head on and could spend his opening weeks as a peacemaker. So, here it is, the truth we all know but dare not to say about Carlow football.
1. A dedicated game-plan
There has never been total cohesiveness on or off the pitch with the county team. To achieve this it will take some serious team-building exercises and maybe then the county can play tactical football
2. Close the rift between the players and the county board. The fact that both team and county board mistrust each other has been a leading factor to the latest series of events. A change of mindset is a necessity before success can be achieved.
3. A winning attitude. Never before have I witnessed such a calm reaction to losing before and this does not reflect on the players of the county board. When Laois robbed Carlow in the championship the majority of supporters left Dr. Cullen Park in high spirits - a winning mentality has to be engineered for the whole county to succeed.
4. Bring in a supporters club. The result of the county convention ballot (Tommy O’Neill v Peadar Bermingham and Eddie Byrne v John McDermott) should not change anything. EU1million may not seem like a lot of money to the present board, but it has to be welcomed. A supporters club has to be set up and endorsed by the board. To ignore it would be about as useful to Carlow football as a chocolate fireguard/
5. Create a structured plan for the future development of the county. Liam Hayes is a well respected man in GAA circles he will have learned more in his years with Sean Boylan than anyone here could fathom in a lifetime. His help should be sought to create a plan to develop the underage set-up in the county and its findings should be made public not kept in a drawer in Dr Cullen Park for eternity.
6. Beat Wexford. It’s clear there is a hunger to be successful in this county at the top level. A first round meeting against Wexford has to be the objective for the season after that it’s anyone’s guess, but why can’t Carlow realistically beat Meath and Dublin to get to a Leinster final.
These objectives have to be dealt head-on because if signs of progression are not shown quickly the county faithful will fade once again. Liam Hayes seems a good man, let’s everyone cooperate to let Carlow finally fulfil national expectations.