Derek Kent (file photo). Leah Scholes/INPHO

Wexford's Derek Kent elected GAA President

Former Leinster chairman will succeed Jarlath Burns in the position.

WEXFORD’S DEREK KENT has been elected as the 42nd President of the GAA.

The former Leinster GAA chairman will succeed Jarlath Burns in the position, after holding off competition from Ger Ryan (Tipperary) and John Murphy (Sligo).

Kent was elected during the GAA’s Annual Congress at Croke Park this evening. He will serve a three-year term from 2027.

Leinster chairman from 2023 until January, Kent previously served as Wexford chair between 2017 and 2020. The Taghmon/Camross clubman fulfilled the role of games administrator in Wexford, and was part of the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee from 2021 to 2024.

Within his chairman role in Leinster, Kent was central to the province’s football championship semi-finals being moved out of Croke Park last year, when Meath ended Dublin’s 14-year dominance and Louth went on to win their first title since 1957.

Kent also served on the national infrastructure committee for nine years, while he works for his family business, Kent Stainless Steel.

He becomes the third GAA President from Wexford, following in the footsteps of Michael Kehoe (1949-52) and Patrick Breen (1924-26).

Kent was elected on the first count, and his term will begin at next year’s Congress.

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