Statement from Mayo GAA County Board

 

Press Statement

 

 

Mayo GAA highlights Adult Safeguarding issues at special delegate meeting

· GAA President Jarlath Burns condemns “toxic activity” targeted at Mayo GAA officers

· Mayo delegates unanimously pass a motion to condemn campaign of abuse and intimidation and a motion of confidence in all current officers of the Co Board

 

26 May 2025

Mayo GAA held a special meeting of club delegates tonight to address a very serious adult safety issue that is facing the Co Board, due to an ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation that has been targeted at its officers over the past number of years.

 

Jarlath Burns, President of the GAA, attended the meeting, where he condemned the persistent and ongoing campaign of abuse and intimidation that continues to be directed towards the officers of Mayo GAA by a small group of individuals.

 

At the special meeting of more than 100 club delegates, Mayo Co Board outlined the nature of the threatening and abusive email correspondence that its officers continue to receive. Given the seriousness of the situation, a decision was taken to inform club delegates of the nature of the campaign against Mayo GAA, which constitutes an adult safety issue for all Co Board officers.

 

The Co Board confirmed it has reported the matter to An Garda Síochána and that it intends to seek legal advice on the matter in the next week.

 

At the meeting, Mayo GAA delegates unanimously passed two special motions, which were proposed from the floor. The first was a motion to unequivocally condemn the campaign of abuse and intimidation that is continues to be targeted at Mayo Co Board officers.

 

The second motion was a unanimous vote of confidence in the current officers of Mayo Co Board to continue their work and seek to bring an end to this campaign.

 

Addressing the meeting, Jarlath Burns, President of the GAA, said there was no place in our Association for abusive behaviour, and it would not be tolerated.

“Mayo is a proud county with incredible GAA pedigree. It’s a county that is respected by the entire GAA family across the island of Ireland. But without unity there can be no progression. The GAA has a duty of care to the officers in every club and county, not only under adult safeguarding policies, but also to promote and value the selfless work of the volunteers that make our Association what it is.

“This is what we are doing here tonight in Westport. I’ve been very concerned about the threats, intimidation and toxic activity that has been directed against the officers of Mayo Co Board, which is bound to have a negative impact on all aspects of the administration of Mayo GAA. It’s now time for this to stop,” Burns said.

 

Seamus Tuohy, Chairperson of Mayo Co Board, said the volunteers who make the GAA what it is must be protected from abuse and threats.

“The officers of Mayo Co Board have been subjected to an ongoing campaign of abuse, intimidation and threats that has been going on for years now. But we’re no longer going to sit back and allow this type of behaviour to continue.

“Fundamentally, this is an adult safeguarding issue – something we take extremely seriously in the GAA. There is no world in which it is acceptable to direct a campaign of harassment and abuse at individuals who volunteer their own time to serve this association.

“The GAA is built upon the support and commitment of volunteers up and down the country. If we allow our officers to be subjected to the levels of abuse and harassment that officers of Mayo Co Board have had to endure over the past year, then there will be no GAA in the future,” Seamus Tuohy said.

 

 

Loan Reduction

Tonight’s special meeting of club delegates also addressed a series of false allegations and inaccurate claims that have been published online and on social platforms over recent weeks relating to the financial management of Mayo GAA, and the wider GAA organisation.

Tom Ryan, director general of the GAA, made a detailed presentation to the meeting, which outlined how Croke Park acquired a €5 million bank loan in 2015 relating to Mayo GAA.

Under the terms of the agreement, the GAA secured a €1 million reduction in the capital value of Mayo GAA’s loan, extended the repayment schedule to 29 years and reduced the loan interest rate from 3.2% to 1.9%.

This arrangement helped reduce Mayo GAA’s monthly loan repayments from more than €46,000 per month down to €34,000 per month – a change that resulted in a cash saving of €150,000 per annum for Mayo GAA. This renegotiated loan arrangement greatly improved the Co Boards cashflows, and helped direct more funding towards the preparation of County Teams each year.

Tom Ryan outlined to club delegates how the loan arrangement has been reorganised further in recent years, with the loan term extended out to 32 years and repayments

reduced further to €25,000 per month. In total, the new loan arrangement has saved Mayo GAA over €100,000 in loan repayments to date.

The figures outlining these reductions in loan repayments and the amortisation of the loan has been fully disclosed in the accounts of Mayo GAA for the past several years.