OKKKKAAAAAYYYY. ON SEPTEMBER 1, we published a column entitled, ‘For the first time, we are going to get to know who Jim Gavin is.’
The premise of the piece was that I, among the rest of the GAA mouth-breathing scribes, had spent almost a decade covering Jim Gavin and we knew virtually nothing about him. At that point, it seemed a damn good chance that he was going to become the successor of Michael D Higgins as the President of Ireland.
And, well, boys oh boys. Did we not find out about him!
We will quote from that piece. Yes, that’s how big this ego is.
‘When the microphones appear, they might lure him in with a nice soft question about, oooohhhh, the multiple Dublin footballers and wider GAA family that are loudly urging the GAA to drop their sponsorship scheme with insurers Allianz, given their investment in Israeli treasury funds aiding the genocide in Gaza and, the second part of my question Jim if you don’t mind, the situation in Gaza itself?’
As it happens, the Gaza question did come up fairly fast. And despite our pronouncements that he would have war-gamed this stuff, rehearsed it and brought it out for some blind tasting, he actually said this instead: ‘It’s unconscionable that the bombing is still taking place when I believe that the military objectives have probably been reached for that military campaign.’
Ugh.
But all the same, being kind to him, you could have some sympathy for a man whose methodology and lexicon was shaped by his long service in the army.
On it went, a week of hell for Gavin. His performance at Monday night’s Presidential debate was unconvincing and wooden.
Then there was a fleet of drones shooting coverage of Gavin that didn’t have permission. Which wouldn’t have been an issue for absolutely everyone else in Ireland only Gavin had recorded some videos warning against that sort of thing in his previous airborne life. We haven’t even talked about the insane stuff circulating on social media, but it’s enough to mention in passing.
Saturday’s revelations around payments received by a tenant, splashed over the Irish Independent, was a serious blow. But he had time to do something about it.
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On duty as Chair of the Football Review Committee. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
This is the sort of stuff that happens around a Presidential election. Despite the performative and ceremonial function of the role, the campaign has become the electoral bloodsport of Irish media.
In that piece, we also mentioned Adi Roche, the woman who formed the Chernobyl Children charity that distributed over €100 million in aid. She went for the presidency in 1997 and ended up recounting it in 2018, saying, ‘I just wasn’t able for the mental torture of it, wasn’t able for that rough ride of it… it was incredibly cruel, the impact on my family was awful.’
On Saturday in Croke Park’s Special Congress, the meeting was winding down. The 61 Motions as proposed by the Football Review Committee flew through.
During the closing remarks, Gavin discreetly entered the room and took the seat nearest to him, which was the back row of the media benches.
After the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann, he was approached by a steady stream of delegates offering support for his Presidential bid. Others simply wanted to thank him for what he has done for Gaelic football.
I approached, introduced myself and asked if he might give me a brief interview. He graciously refused, saying it wasn’t something he could do at this time. We continued to chat on and soon got very nerdy about Gaelic football.
But really, he should have talked. This was a moment of personal triumph. Was he not allowed to talk or was he advised by political handlers? If so, it was another poor judgement, and he was attending in his GAA role.
It took just weeks of political involvement for Gavin’s reputation to be contaminated.
Now, the thing is, there are seasoned politicians who have been found guilty of far worse than Gavin, and they just brazen it out.
What Gavin did was undoubtedly poor. It should have been sorted out instantly.
Was it a hanging offence? No. But he is paying the price for it.
His list of accomplishments are legion. All-Ireland winning footballer. A long military career.
In Dublin GAA, no small parish, he is revered. He even has the honorary freedom of the city.
Jim Gavin being given a standing ovation in the @MansionHouseDub Round Room, after being conferred with the honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/F8MEKtunvB
Former pilot of the Government plane. The man who shaped and moulded the greatest team to play Gaelic football. The man who then shaped and moulded the sport itself.
During his time as the Football Review Committee, it must have been almost impossible to not allow your ego to be in any way inflated. Fianna Fail and Micheál Martin convinced him he should be President of the country.
When Jim Gavin said that this episode did not reflect his character, he is right. Shit happens. Nobody is perfect all of the time.
Those that know him will sing his praises. His family and the people who care for him will be confused as to why he entertained the whole notion. It should also putMicheál Martin on borrowed time.
Perhaps Gavin may have preserved some dignity had he put his hands up, said it was a mistake, a breakdown of communication, committed at a time of great stress and financial blah blah blah. Just pay the man his money back, with appropriate inflation.
Instead of trying to explain it, waffling about needing to “see the data”.
There was a problem before with public perception, Gavin, and a lack of human warmth. This made it appear like he wasn’t discussion someone’s hard-earned money, but a few errant kickouts by Stephen Cluxton in the middle of the first half.
To anyone that had been observing Gavin at close quarters for the previous decade and a bit, this was an enormous shock. There is an onus on him to put this right and explain that the matter has been resolved to the injured party’s satisfaction.
He’s better off out of politics. He’s got a hell of a lot to give in future, in the GAA and the wider world.
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Five weeks of a political disaster ends with us knowing a lot more about Jim Gavin
OKKKKAAAAAYYYY. ON SEPTEMBER 1, we published a column entitled, ‘For the first time, we are going to get to know who Jim Gavin is.’
The premise of the piece was that I, among the rest of the GAA mouth-breathing scribes, had spent almost a decade covering Jim Gavin and we knew virtually nothing about him. At that point, it seemed a damn good chance that he was going to become the successor of Michael D Higgins as the President of Ireland.
And, well, boys oh boys. Did we not find out about him!
We will quote from that piece. Yes, that’s how big this ego is.
‘When the microphones appear, they might lure him in with a nice soft question about, oooohhhh, the multiple Dublin footballers and wider GAA family that are loudly urging the GAA to drop their sponsorship scheme with insurers Allianz, given their investment in Israeli treasury funds aiding the genocide in Gaza and, the second part of my question Jim if you don’t mind, the situation in Gaza itself?’
As it happens, the Gaza question did come up fairly fast. And despite our pronouncements that he would have war-gamed this stuff, rehearsed it and brought it out for some blind tasting, he actually said this instead: ‘It’s unconscionable that the bombing is still taking place when I believe that the military objectives have probably been reached for that military campaign.’
Ugh.
But all the same, being kind to him, you could have some sympathy for a man whose methodology and lexicon was shaped by his long service in the army.
On it went, a week of hell for Gavin. His performance at Monday night’s Presidential debate was unconvincing and wooden.
Then there was a fleet of drones shooting coverage of Gavin that didn’t have permission. Which wouldn’t have been an issue for absolutely everyone else in Ireland only Gavin had recorded some videos warning against that sort of thing in his previous airborne life. We haven’t even talked about the insane stuff circulating on social media, but it’s enough to mention in passing.
Saturday’s revelations around payments received by a tenant, splashed over the Irish Independent, was a serious blow. But he had time to do something about it.
This is the sort of stuff that happens around a Presidential election. Despite the performative and ceremonial function of the role, the campaign has become the electoral bloodsport of Irish media.
In that piece, we also mentioned Adi Roche, the woman who formed the Chernobyl Children charity that distributed over €100 million in aid. She went for the presidency in 1997 and ended up recounting it in 2018, saying, ‘I just wasn’t able for the mental torture of it, wasn’t able for that rough ride of it… it was incredibly cruel, the impact on my family was awful.’
On Saturday in Croke Park’s Special Congress, the meeting was winding down. The 61 Motions as proposed by the Football Review Committee flew through.
During the closing remarks, Gavin discreetly entered the room and took the seat nearest to him, which was the back row of the media benches.
After the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann, he was approached by a steady stream of delegates offering support for his Presidential bid. Others simply wanted to thank him for what he has done for Gaelic football.
I approached, introduced myself and asked if he might give me a brief interview. He graciously refused, saying it wasn’t something he could do at this time. We continued to chat on and soon got very nerdy about Gaelic football.
But really, he should have talked. This was a moment of personal triumph. Was he not allowed to talk or was he advised by political handlers? If so, it was another poor judgement, and he was attending in his GAA role.
It took just weeks of political involvement for Gavin’s reputation to be contaminated.
Now, the thing is, there are seasoned politicians who have been found guilty of far worse than Gavin, and they just brazen it out.
What Gavin did was undoubtedly poor. It should have been sorted out instantly.
Was it a hanging offence? No. But he is paying the price for it.
His list of accomplishments are legion. All-Ireland winning footballer. A long military career.
In Dublin GAA, no small parish, he is revered. He even has the honorary freedom of the city.
Former pilot of the Government plane. The man who shaped and moulded the greatest team to play Gaelic football. The man who then shaped and moulded the sport itself.
During his time as the Football Review Committee, it must have been almost impossible to not allow your ego to be in any way inflated. Fianna Fail and Micheál Martin convinced him he should be President of the country.
When Jim Gavin said that this episode did not reflect his character, he is right. Shit happens. Nobody is perfect all of the time.
Those that know him will sing his praises. His family and the people who care for him will be confused as to why he entertained the whole notion. It should also put Micheál Martin on borrowed time.
Perhaps Gavin may have preserved some dignity had he put his hands up, said it was a mistake, a breakdown of communication, committed at a time of great stress and financial blah blah blah. Just pay the man his money back, with appropriate inflation.
Instead of trying to explain it, waffling about needing to “see the data”.
There was a problem before with public perception, Gavin, and a lack of human warmth. This made it appear like he wasn’t discussion someone’s hard-earned money, but a few errant kickouts by Stephen Cluxton in the middle of the first half.
To anyone that had been observing Gavin at close quarters for the previous decade and a bit, this was an enormous shock. There is an onus on him to put this right and explain that the matter has been resolved to the injured party’s satisfaction.
He’s better off out of politics. He’s got a hell of a lot to give in future, in the GAA and the wider world.
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GAA Jim Gavin NOT MY UACHTARAN presidential bid