NEW YORK DELEGATE and Cork native Larry McCarthy has been elected as the next President of the GAA.
McCarthy — who becomes the 40th president — won a dramatic vote at Congress tonight, and was elected on the fourth count.
He received 142 votes, 10 more than Armagh’s Jarlath Burns.
After the first ballot, Burns led with 80 votes, while McCarthy was second on 63.
Jim Bolger (Carlow), Mick Rock (Roscommon) and Jerry O’Sullivan (Cork) — who was eliminated first — also ran.
McCarthy becomes the first overseas GAA President, succeeding Dubliner John Horan in the role.
The Corkman previously served as chairman (three years), secretary (six years) and PRO of New York GAA. In 2018, he was elected onto the GAA’s Management Committee, becoming the first official based outside Ireland or England to do so.
McCarthy also sat on the Strategic Review Committee under Horan last year and previously, on the Towards 150 Committee under Aogán Ó Fearghail. Currently part of the GAA’s Finance Committee, he served on Central Council for three years.
The Bishopstown native is a long-time member of the Sligo football club in the Big Apple, and is currently their chairman. He works as an associate professor of management at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, where his specialty is in sports marketing.
McCarthy emigrated in 1985 to do a Masters degree.
“It’s a momentous day that we have finally acknowledged and recognised a very vibrant association outside of our country,” Burns, who led the vote after the first two counts, said afterwards, before McCarthy gave a well-received acceptance speech.
Elsewhere at Congress tonight, several motions were voted on including a goalkeeper backpass rule and the motion to end the role of the maor foirne.
Motion 6 passed, which means any player who receives a kick-out cannot pass it back to the goalkeeper.
It reads: “This motion proposes a rule amendment that any player who receives a kick-out cannot pass it back to his goalkeeper. The penalty proposed for a breach of this rule would be a free-kick awarded to the opposition from the position the goalkeeper receives the pass, or if the goalkeeper is inside the 13m line when in receipt of the pass the free will be from the 13m line opposite where the foul occurs.”
Motion 3 was the maor foirne one. It reads: “This motion proposes that a referee must first give permission to a team medical officer or another authorised official before they can enter the field of play to examine an injured player.”
It failed by the slimmest of margins. A 59% ‘Yes’ vote was just 1% shy of the 60% required.
Congress continues tomorrow.
GAA liveblog of tonight’s outcomes here.
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