Ulster GAA in partnership with OCNNI will be running a Level 3 Diploma in Team Management for Gaelic Games in February 2012. This Diploma Course in will be pitched at the same difficulty and complexity as A-Level or Leaving Cert. The objective is to reward the hard work undertaken by many volunteers in clubs and schools and provide them with the opportunity to bring this into a formal qualification. In times of economic hardship and unemployment, the GAA Club environment can help people develop new skills and competencies that they can use when seeking employment.

Our long term vision is to have a number of mandatory units / modules that we Ulster GAA offer our volunteers. These will build into certificates in respective areas. If the volunteer over time takes a number of these they can begin to build a qualification at level 3 / 4 by taking these mandatory modules and then by accessing further optional modules that exist within the Qualifications Credit Framework. This we envisage would potentially build into a “Degree in GAA Related Studies”.

Ulster GAA Team Management Programme

This programme is being delivered at the request of coaches who have made the transition from coach to manager. It recognises that coaching and managing have significant similarities but it also recognises that they are different. The series of workshops will take the coach/manager through a programme that will help explore the critical managerial areas to help develop understanding, competencies and abilities to apply critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills.

This interactive programme is being delivered by GAA and Coaching Ireland Qualified Tutors and practicing managers and the subject areas will evolve around the following topics. This programme provides the basis to build further qualifications that are currently being delivered to volunteers. See table below:

It is envisaged that candidates applying for these two courses will need to have a minimum of Award 1 and be actively involved with their adult club, college or county team. See application form below.

Related:
- Level 3 Diploma in Team Management Application Form

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 12:50 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

On behalf of Ulster Council, President Aogán Ó Fearghail has expressed his good wishes to Gaels across Ulster for the Festive Period.

Aogán Ó Fearghail said, “I take this opportunity to warmly wish all the GAA supporters in Ulster, our volunteers, our sponsors, media partners , staff and everyone interested in Gaelic Games in Ulster a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

“2012 is sure to be another exciting year for the GAA in Ulster and I very much look forward to the year ahead, which throws in with the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup.”

The Ulster GAA Offices will close at 5pm on Friday 23rd December, and will re-open on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Blog.

A Hurling Nursery Workshop was held recently as part of Ulster Council GAA Coach and Volunteer Development Programme. Coaches from St Ergnats GAC , St Mary’s Rasharkin , Clooney Gaels and Roger Casements/Geraldines attended on the night.  19 coaches in total took part with the 16 children who came along to help out on the night .

Areas covered on the session included skills stations, using balloons with the hurls, sliothar on a pole and mini games like The Road to Croker.

Thanks to Principal Miss Maria Murray for use of facilities and for providing refreshments for the children after their hard work.

Future Coach and Volunteer Development Programmes can be view on the Ulster GAA Wallplanner which is available FREE by contacting sharon.haughey.ulster@gaa.ie

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 2:13 pm and is filed under Blog.

Down DENI Coaches organised a series of Christmas FUNdays in Kilkeel, Belfast, and Banbridge over 3 days. There were 400 primary 1 children who participated in a series of Fundamental stations.

These stations were all Christmas themed based such as twinkle toes, candy lane, and pull the cracker. All of these events covered Agility, Balance, Co-ordination, Running, Jumping, and some Catching and Striking games. It was a huge success and each hall was decorated like a winter wonderland with each child presented with a gift for their participation.

The highlight of the event was Frosty the Snowman and a special guest appearance from Santa himself.

Special big thanks to the Primary 7 elves from various schools that assisted the P1 children in each activity. Christmas music was also played out over a sound sytem to enhance the Christmas theme and was also an indicator to the children for starting/stopping the next station.

“What a fantastic day. This event was well planned and organised with a fun element to all the stations. Many thanks to all the Ulster Council coaches who made the day possible and for making it such a special occasion for all the children that attended.”
Mrs Jackson. Primary 1 Teacher. Magheralin Village P.S.

“Such an enjoyable day had by both children and the teachers. A credit to all the coaches for a very well organised and fun event. The smile on the children’s faces said it all, and Santa making a guest appearance topped off a fantastic day.”
Miss Haughian. Primary 1 Teacher. Glassdrumman P.S.

“A fantastic day had by all. The Ulster Council staff really pulled out the stops to ensure each child had a Christmas experience that they will always remember. Looking forward to next year already.”
Mrs Owens. Primary 1 Teacher. St. Michaels Ravenhill

These events were a huge success and would not have been possible due to the planning, organisation and dedication of all Down Department of Education Coaches who include: Ciaran Murtagh, Lisa McAliskey, Macartan McKenna, Garreth Thornton, Catrina Rodgers, Gavin McGilly, and Amy Cunningham.

Down DENI coaches would like to wish all our fellow Gaels a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 2:08 pm and is filed under Blog.

At the Ladies Ulster Council annual Christmas dinner held in Kelly’s Inn recently presentations were made to the Ulster Club Volunteers of the Year and the Ulster PRO of the Year.

The recipients of the Ulster Club Volunteer of the Year were Martina Dillon and Caroline Mc Grath from the Aodh Ruadh club in Dungannon. The inspirational duo were instrumental in setting up the club while only 17 years of age. Eighteen years later and they are still heavily involved and have as much enthusiasm today as they they had back in the early 90′s. The pair have held every position possible within the club and have also played, coached and managed. Speaking at the awards Mary Keegan, Ulster Secretary said “The nomination form for our volunteer of the year was four pages long such was their level of their involvement in their club.  Thanks to their tireless work over the years hundreds of girls in the Dungannon area have been given the opportunity to take part in our game, and for that our association would like to thank them.”

The Ulster PRO of the Year was presented to Monaghan’s  Brenda Mc Anespie. New to the PRO position in Monaghan in 2011 Brenda took on the role with gusto providing notes, match reports and pictures to the relevant media outlets on a regular basis.  She has helped raise the profile of ladies football in the Farney County and we since she has just been elected back into the role for 2012 have no doubt that she will do the same next year.

The awards were presented by Ulster Presidnet Hugh Devenny and were sponsored by Yvonne Morgan of Fernaloy Sports Supplies, Madden, Armagh. To find out more about Yvonne’s business check out www.gaelicdirect.com

Pictured is the Ulster President Hugh Devenney presenting Martina Dillon (second left) and Caroline McGrath from the Aodh Ruadh club in Dungannon with their Ulster Volunteer of the Year awards along with sponsor Yvonne Morgan of Fernaloy Sports Supplies.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Blog.

On Saturday 5th November 25 coaches from Armagh and Down (along with a few visitors from Antrim and Derry) took part in the first day of a joint hurling coaching initiative organised by the two counties.  The course was aimed at coaches working with development squads, county minors and seniors and was organised by Regional Hurling Development Officers for the two counties – Michael McCullough and Rónán McWilliams – and held at the Abbey Grammar School, Newry.  The first day involved some video analysis with the coaches being split into groups and watching a couple of recent inter-county games.  This prompted some very interesting discussion between those attending the course and guests Gregory O’Kane and Dave Kennedy (members of last year’s Antrim Senior Management set-up).  The groups of coaches were allocated teams from the games and it was their job to identify strengths and weaknesses of both themselves and their opponents in the run up to half time.  Then as a management team they were asked what would be discussed at the half time break?  What they were doing well?  What changes they could make to address certain problems?

A number of issues e.g. poor movement in the forward line, not winning enough breaking ball, failure to take responsibility in front of goal were raised and while the management teams could talk about these at half time, they wouldn’t get the opportunity to really work on these problems until the next training session.  This formed the basis of the second part of the day when the coaches would be given a problem as a group and the challenge for them was to address this on the training pitch.  Slaughtneil minor hurlers travelled across to take part in this session as part of their preparation for the Ulster Minor Club Championship and they were put through their paces by the different coaching groups.  Cork stars Diarmuid O’Sullivan and his brother Paudie were on hand to lend some advice to both the players and coaches in the afternoon session.  These sessions promoted some excellent discussion afterwards, and the feedback from this ultimately set out the itinerary for the second part of the course on Saturday 26th November.

The second day began with three practical sessions – Defensive Play (Michael McCullough and Mattie Lennon), Winning Dirty Ball (Rónán McWilliams and Gavan Duffy), Attacking Play (Dave Kennedy and Gregory O’Kane) – and coaches were encouraged to observe the three different sessions and note the different coaching styles.  60 players from Down U16 and U17 Development Squads were available for these sessions.  The observing coaches were asked not to focus too much on what was being delivered, but why certain methods were being used? and how the 6 coaches delivered? and how they interacted with the players?

The players were then split into four teams and they were allocated four management teams from the coaches in attendance.  They played two matches each and the coaches were encouraged to make live changes as they saw fit.  During the games different problems arose – teams were subjected to playing with a man less / extra, two men inside forward lines were used, an extra defender put in – and the coaches had to think on their feet to counteract these.  Unfortunately, the heavens absolutely opened for the duration of this and the final part of the day – where the coaching teams got to work on the problems their respective teams faced as part of a coaching session – had to be shelved.  However, in a short feedback session after the matches, all coaches were very keen to come back after Christmas for another chance to complete this.  This exercise has been very fruitful in that it has become a forum for a group of coaches from different counties to discuss different coaching methods and their approaches to different situations.  The fact that these same coaches were contacting each other prior to the second day in order to prepare for their sessions was fantastic and Down Coaching Officer, Seamus Ennis was very impressed by the exercise in his closing comments on day two.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Blog.

The Annual Club Officer Training Programme starts in January to help club officials in their roles and duties in 2012.

There will be training for all Club Officers in new positions on Saturday 14^th January 2012 in Holy Trinity School, Cookstown.  This will be the one and only opportunity for club officers to receive role specific training for the following club positions: Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, PRO, Development Officer, Coaching Officer, Child Protection & Designated Officer, and Cultural & Community Officer.  This training is free to access and will include lunch compliments of Ulster GAA.  The morning begins at 10am and concludes at 1pm with lunch.  Registration for this event is essential and anybody interested in attending should contact Sharon Haughey on 02837517180 or email sharon.haughey.ulster@gaa.ie

On Saturday 21^st January, it will be the turn of ALL Armagh Club Officers to attend the Club Officer Development Course which will cover key issues facing clubs in 2012.  This event will be held in the Ceannáras at the Morgan Athletic Grounds and will begin at 9am and will conclude with lunch at 1pm compliments of Armagh County Board.  Subjects covered in this course include: One Club (Integration & Inclusion), Club Planning Programme, Apply for Club Maith, Club Health Matters, Club Finance, Designated Officers in Child Protection, Respect and Discipline within the GAA.

All Armagh Clubs are required under Club Maith to have representation at this event and we would recommend that each club sends at least 4 delegates.  Registration is vital for this event and people should contact Sharon Haughey on 02837517180 or email sharon.haughey.ulster@gaa.ie

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 1:55 pm and is filed under Blog.

The 8th Annual O’Neills Ulster GAA Coaching & Games Development Conference will take place on Saturday 28^th January 2012 in the Glenavon House Hotel in Cookstown.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Education and Club Links in GAA’.  It targets teachers and coaches who are working in education. It embraces coaching across all age group. In many of the workshops research has been undertaken over the last 12 months to support the presentations. Ulster GAA recognises and values the huge contribution that education plays in the support and development of our games and it is aware of the changing environment within education. We hope that through the workshops we can share ideas and help us to come up with some solutions to the challenges that lie ahead.

Special Guests at the Conference include:

• John O’Dowd MLA – Minister for Education
• Sean McElhatton – Former Tyrone & Ulster Player and Advisor to Belfast Education & Library Board
• Dr. Phil Glasgow – Senior Physiotherapist, Sports Institute Northern Ireland
• Jimmy Smyth – Former Armagh & Ulster Footballer, Commentator, Ulster Vocational Schools
• Sean Dempsey – Former Laois County Minor Manager and Master Tutor with Leinster GAA

Below is the selection of interactive workshops that will be run during the Conference:

• GAA Integration with the Curriculum – School Based Applications (Case Study) (Ryan Mellon – Ulster GAA, Pupils & Teachers from Schools)
  “This session deals with how Ulster GAA has engaged with Secondary Schools to provide opportunities for young people to develop the expertise and the skills to deliver sports science, fitness assessment, video analysis applications and nutrition to enhance team performance in school and in the clubs”
• Managers’ Heart Rate in Competition – Your Mental Approach to Games (Kevin McGuigan – Sports Scientist Ulster GAA and Des Jennings – Sports Institute NI)
  “The team manager is under tremendous pressure to win even in our schools. With this comes the associated behaviour on the sidelines and the potential impact on our health. This research has tracked the heart rate of managers during competition in 2010 and the session explores ways in which the managers and coaches can help keep their focus and make good decisions when in charge of their teams – stay calm and focused – even as a schools coach?
• Making the Link between the classroom and Sportshall (Joe McMahon, Catriona Rogers, Ben McGuckin, Owen Mooney – Ulster GAA Coaches, Mary Cullen – PS Teacher)
  “This session looks at innovative thinking and best practice in the Primary School and how teachers and coaches have integrated the curriculum into sport and physical activity in the sports hall.”
• Conditioning for Secondary School Players – off, pre and in season (Kevin Kelly – Ulster GAA)
  “This will address the key function of core stability and functional movement and the need to establish this as a building block for future development. This session will be full of practical examples of why, what and HOW to do it. It will also explore what “conditioning” we are trying to achieve with the 12 to 18 year old boys and girls”.
• County Programmes within the Education Sector (Chris Collins- Games Development Manager, Derry and Ryan Mellon – Ulster GAA)
  “This session explores the engagement that the Province and County have with the education sector and reflects on the challenges that we face in this delivery. The education environment is changing as is the GAA. As we move forward this session asks how we can best work together to provide opportunities to play Gaelic Games”.
• Sports Technologies – Integrating Theory with Practice (Dan Turley – Performa Sport, Jonny Bradley – Sports Institute NI, Diarmaid Marsden- Ulster GAA)
  “In reality we observe, analyse and feedback in our coaching practice. Technologies can assist with this and the use of the visual is a powerful tool. Integrating the latest technologies into team preparation has been a successfully piloted project for GAA in Ulster. The latest technologies take this analysis to a new level live on the pitch side and from this technologies to design sessions for the coach”
• Activity levels in the Playground in structured and unstructured play. (Stephen Quinn, Karol McQuade, Eamon Crilly and Eoghan Gribbin – Ulster GAA Coaches)
  “This session explores the impact on activity levels of smart planning and structured activity in the playground. Utilising the advanced GPS technologies the research shows the difference between structured and unstructured play and the impact this can have on the behaviour and health of young children”
• Lifestyle and Player Management (Gary Mallon – Ulster GAA)
  “This session will look at the lifestyle issues of players and how we as coaches manage this. Their priorities at different times of the years are addressed and the challenges presented for the player and for the coaches in club and school. We will explore how we can keep this player centred and what the issues are when this approach is adopted”
• One Wall Handball – Olympics 2016 (Ryan Daly and Austin McKenna – Ulster Handball)
  “One wall handball is now in a number of schools across the Province. This session outlines the concept, the game, the future for one wall and the potential to have one of your pupils in the future participating in the Olympic Games”
• The Relative Age Theory and Player Selection  (Roger Keenan – Ulster GAA)
  There has been much debate around GAA age groups and the school age groups and the implications for player selection and participation. Research would show that in other sports players at the start of the year are picked into squads. What do we do in the GAA in terms of accommodating particular birthdays and what are the discrepancies and challenges between the six counties and the three? In addition does the route that students follow (academic or vocational) have a bearing on their opportunity to become a successful inter-county player? What are the implications for the future”

Registration

The 2012 Conference will focus on Gaelic Games in Education Teachers, coaches and educationalists are encouraged to participate.

The cost for attending the conference is £15/€18 per delegate.

For more details contact Bernie Fox on 02837521900 or email conference.ulster@gaa.ie

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Blog, Homepage News.

Ulster GAA has announced Power NI as the competition sponsor for 2012 Dr McKenna Cup.

Speaking at the announcement of the major sponsorship package, Ulster GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail said, “We are delighted to welcome Power NI onboard as the main sponsor for the popular Dr McKenna Cup Competition. It is very significant, that the North’s major Electricity provider is supporting Gaelic Games, and also very fitting because many of the games in this competition are played under floodlit pitches, powered by Power NI.

“The 2012 Power NI Dr McKenna Cup is going to be a tough competition which we hope will throw up some interesting games. Teams enjoy the competition in preparation for the National League and Ulster Championship and All Ireland Series. While supporters also enjoy seeing the very raw talent and diversity of teams competing in the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup.”

Speaking as the sole sponsor of the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup, Malachy McVeigh from Power NI said, “Power NI is delighted to sponsor the 2012 Dr McKenna Cup, a successful and historically significant competition in the GAA calendar. As Northern Ireland’s longest serving electricity supplier we have been powering homes and business for decades, supporting communities and offering great value for money.

We’ll continue to put all our energy into our customers and our communities. We wish all teams the best of luck throughout the competition and eagerly await the first round on 8th January.”

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Blog.

Applications are now being accepted for clubs who wish to enter the 2012 Ulster Club Football League.

Once again, the league will consist of 2 divisions, Senior and Intermediate.

The closing date for applications is 1.00pm on Friday 6th January 2012. Applications must be signed by the County Secretary and the appropriate fee must accompany the hard copy application, which should be sent to:

Ulster Club Football League
c/o Stephen Donnelly
Ulster GAA
8-10 Market Street
Armagh
BT61 7BX

The league commences on Sunday 5th February and the group games will run for five consecutive weekends.  Please note all matches are fixed for the Sunday at 2.00pm.  The schedule is as follows:

Sunday 5^th February – Round 1
Sunday 12^th February – Round 2
Sunday 19^th February  – Round 3
Sunday 26^th February – Round 4
Sunday 4^th March – Round 5
Sunday 11^th March – Playoffs
Sunday 18^th March – Semi Finals
Sunday 25^th March – Finals

Related:
- Ulster Club Football League Application Form 2012

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 18th, 2011 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

Ulster GAA has launched the perfect Christmas Gift for GAA enthusiasts – The Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Season Ticket.

Keenly priced at £20/€25 the Season Ticket is sure to find its way under the tree in many GAA homes and in Christmas Stockings of Gaels across Ulster. The Season Ticket will admit the holder to round 1, round 2, and round 3 games involving your team, as well as access to all semi finals and the 2012 Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Final.

Speaking at the launch of the first-ever Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Season Ticket, Ulster GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail said, “We are delighted to launch our first ever Season Ticket for the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup. And have no doubt that it will be a good seller across all nine counties in Ulster. Launching it now means it’s just in time for that special gift for the GAA enthusiast this Christmas.

“We decided to launch a season ticket in response to the hard economic climate that our members are facing. The Season Ticket will provide a potential saving per person of over 60% for the Power NI Dr McKenna Cup competition. That’s a significant saving and one we hope will be attractive to many Gaels.”

Malachy McVeigh from Power NI, the new name for NIE Energy commented, “Power NI is delighted to sponsor the 2012 Dr McKenna Cup, a successful and historically significant competition in the GAA calendar. As Northern Ireland’s longest serving electricity supplier we have been powering homes and business for decades, supporting communities and offering great value for money. We’ll continue to put all our energy into our customers and our communities. We wish all teams the best of luck throughout the competition and eagerly await the first round on 8th January.”

The Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Season Ticket is now available to purchase by contacting Bernie Fox at Ulster GAA Offices on (028) 3752 1900 or emailing tickets.ulster@gaa.ie
Gaels are urged to order their Season Ticket as soon as possible so that it can be processed in time for Christmas.

Photo: Ulster GAA PRO Oliver Galligan, President Aogán Ó Fearghail and Provincial Secretary Danny Murphy official launch the new 2012 Power NI Dr McKenna Cup Season Ticket.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

Ulster GAA held its Referee Awards recently at the annual Ulster GAA Christmas Dinner in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan. The Awards were made to mark the contribution of inter-county referees involved with the Ulster Council.

The Referee Awards were presented to Referees who had in 2011 been in charge of National Finals, Oversees competitions, Ulster Provincial Championship games and League games.

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony Ulster GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail said, “We all know that referees have the toughest job on the field. You can’t keep all of the people happy all of the time but I am very proud of our referees in Ulster and the good work that they do. The games simply could not happen without them. And regardless of whether people agree with individual refereeing decisions or not, everyone within this Association should acknowledge and respect the very vital role our referees play.

“It’s always great to have Ulster men and woman represent the GAA across the world and this year we had a significant number of referees in charges of games across the globe – in Scotland, in Canada, in Boston and in Bahrain. This shows the appeal of our games across the world and its with great pride that Ulster Referees play a part in that.

“It’s also great to see two Ulster men in charge of the GAA’s biggest games of the year – Joe McQuillan from County Cavan was the man in charge at the All Ireland Senior Football Final in Croke Park while Armagh’s Padraig Hughes refereed the All Ireland Minor Football Championship Final. This was a great honour for the two men, for their families, their clubs and for this Province.

“I thank all our referees in keeping our players and games in check and I look forward to another good year for refereeing in Ulster.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

The 2012 Dowd Cup supported by O’Neills and the Queens GAA Academy was launched recently at the new facilities at Queens Playing Fields at Upper Malone. The annual competition which is the only one in Ireland to bring together colleges and counties begins with the qualifying rounds on 8th Jan, and with five counties and three colleges competing for semi-final places it’s sure to throw up some great football.

Speaking at the launch Gregory McGonigle who is involved with both UUJ and Monaghan spoke of the great benefit of the competition to both colleges and counties. “The introduction of counties into the Dowd Cup competition last year has brought the competition to a whole new level. It now provides an excellent opportunity for counties to try out players ahead of the National League at the start of February, and the higher standard of competition that the counties brings helps the colleges in their preparations for the O’Connor Cup.”

This year’s competition sees two groups for the qualifying rounds with the top two teams from each group progressing to the finals weekend on 28th & 29th January. On that weekend the McNally Plate competition will also take place with seconds teams from UUJ and Queens competing along with St Mary’s, Magee and Coleraine. Sheena Kelly, Ulster GAA Ladies Football Development Officer and organiser of the competitions said “The Dowd Cup weekend has always been a great weekend for university football in Ulster since it’s inception in 1994 and I’m sure 2012 will be no different. The introduction of the counties into the competition last year proved to be such a success that we are delighted that they are part of it again this year. I’m looking forward to a full programme of games in January, fingers crossed the weather will be kind to us!”

The draw for the competition also took place at the launch with the following fixtures planned for the New Year:

Group 1 – Colleges

Sunday 8th Jan
QUB v St Mary’s

Wed 11th Jan
St Mary’s v UUJ

Sunday 15th Jan
UUJ v QUB

Group 2 – Counties

Sunday 8th Jan
Monaghan v Fermanagh
Tyrone v Down

Wed 11th Jan
Fermanagh v Tyrone
Armagh v Monaghan

Sunday 15th Jan
Tyrone v Armagh
Down v Armagh

Wed 18th Jan
Down v Monaghan
Fermanagh v Armagh

Sunday 22nd Jan
Monaghan v Tyrone
Armagh v Down

NB: First named teams have home advantage

Pictured at the launch are representatives from some of the counties and colleges participating in the Dowd Cup & McNally Plate along with Ulster GAA Ladies Football Development Officer Sheena Kelly.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

Ulster GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail has honoured a number of Ulster GAA Volunteers by presenting his annual President’s Awards in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan.

There were four recipients of the President’s Awards:

Tony McCaffrey – This man has dedicated a lifetime to the affairs of the GAA in general and the Ulster Vocational Schools in particular. Since emerging as a teacher in St Patrick’s, Omagh in the mid sixties where he assisted with the school teams, he then moved to St Aidan’s, Derrylin, assisting the Fermanagh Schools in their infancy as members of the Vocational Schools. Making the natural progression to the Ulster Vocational Schools’ Executive, he has served on it for almost the past thirty years, the vast majority as Secretary. Tony McCaffret has been an ever present at the All Ireland Executive, representing the views and requirements of the schools in Ulster. He has left shoes that will be hard to fill and a legacy that will stand the test of time.

Aodh Mairtin O Fearraigh – has been involved in administration within his county for a number of years. He took on the role of Assistant Secretary of the County Board before being elected as An Runai at the end of 2009, and he will once again return unopposed as County Secretary next week.

A fluent Irish speaker and a former secretary of his native club Gaoth Dobhair, he is currently a newsreader with Radio na Gaeltachta. His excellent administrative skills allied to his strong work ethic, he has become an integral part of Donegal GAA.

Martin Mullan – From the John Mitchells club in Glenullin has been a member of his local club all his life. After his playing days were over he took on the role of Chairman which he has held for 20 years. He believes very much in the community aspect of the association and has been the driving force behind the club development. As well as progressing the physical development of the club he takes a ‘hands on’ approach with the teams helping with transport at underage and will always be found at a post doing umpire at all games from Under 14 up. He also has a great passion for and promotes Scor within the club and county. He is an exemplary leader who leads from the front.

Fiona Shannon – This talented West Belfast player has had another very successful year on the handball court both at home and abroad. She won the Ulster 40×20 Singles & Doubles Championship titles back in March and she followed this up with winning the 40×20 Senior Singles Irish National title in May. This resulted in her being the Irish representative at the US Nationals were she maintained her 100% record on the International scene in recent years when she picked up the Singles and Doubles titles.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 at 12:20 pm and is filed under Homepage News.

The Gaelic Athletic Association’s Canadian County Board’s Annual Convention was well attended with keen debate on Sunday, December 4 in Ajax, Ontario.

In five provinces of Canada are 12 cities with 18 affiliated GAA clubs. Going from West to East (7,349 km in total) one finds British Columbia’s Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club; Alberta’s Calgary Chieftains, Red Deer Eire Ogs (Mens), Edmonton Wolfe
Tones, Fort McMurray Shamrocks(Mens); Ontario’s Toronto St. Mikes, St. Pats (Mens), St. Vincents (Mens), Gaels (Mens), Toronto Camogie Club and the Toronto Hurling Club, Durham Robert Emmets, Brampton Roger Casements, Michael Cusacks (Ladies), Ottawa Gaels, Quebec’s Montreal Shamrocks, Quebec City’s Les Patriotes and Newfoundland/Labrador’s St. John’s Avalon Harps.

The Toronto Minor Board was present with attendance from the Toronto Chieftains, Durham Shamrocks, Brampton Rebels and the Ottawa Gaels.

Special guest was Uachtarán Chomhairle Uladh C.L.G. Aogán Ó Fearghail who gave encouraging and informative addresses to the attendees. He was pleased to see the Covention’s acceptance of the Canadian County Board’s Strategic Review and Action Plan for January 2012 – December 2015 which was developed under the leadership of High Performance Director Dr. Eugene Young, Secretary Danny Murphy and Overseas Chairman Tom Daly from Ulster Council.

Discussions are taking place regarding the possibility of Toronto hosting the 2012 Ladies All Star Tour, a Canadian Championship to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the County Board and the Continental Youth Championships being held in Canada for 2015.

The November 2011 report from the Annual Congress Review Work Group was reviewed by Canadian delegates who voted in favour of Annual Congress being held in Croke Park from 2014, that the date of Annual Congress be brought forward to February and that the size of Congress delegations be reduced as outlined in the report. Canada would be reduced to two delegates from the four delegates of years gone by.

From clubs submitting motions to the County Convention, for the third year in a row, the debate about sanctioned players drew attention. A motion by Brampton Roger Casements to change Bye Law #17 that states a maximum number of seven sanctioned players and that a club fielding a second team or junior team would be allowed to register 3 additional sanctioned players be amended to 7 sanctions. It did not gather the required two/thirds majority and was defeated. St. Mike’s motion to extend the end date for sanctions for Canada to July 20 from July 1 was defeated also.

Four other motions concerning affiliation with Ladies Football and the Camogie Association, Divisional regulations and governance that were submitted by the County Board to the Convention were approved by delegates.

Chairman Brian Farmer (Durham Robert Emmets) is in the third year of serving a three year term. Aogán Ó Fearghail conducted the election of officers where Vice-Chairman Jarlath Connaughton (Ottawa – Gaels), Treasurer Eddie Mangan (Durham Robert Emmets), Secretary John O’Flynn (Vancouver – ISSC), and Development Officer Lorraine Morley (Toronto-Michael Cusacks Ladies GFC) were re-elected to one year terms.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 5:33 pm and is filed under Homepage News.