CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS TO HURLING CONVENTION 2003 - 25/11/03

Chairman - Brian McAvoy

One hundred years ago the Gaels of this county had the vision to form a County Committee to oversee the running of Gaelic Games. While matches had taken place since the early years of the Association, there was no formal or co-ordinated structure to them. Hurling was the main Gaelic Game in the county at that time and it was therefore fitting that the only silverware to come to Down in this our Centenary Year should have been won by hurling teams – our Minor and U-21 sides. We would of course have liked more – many more and in both hurling and football.

It was equally fitting that the county’s first provincial title was a hurling one – the Ulster Minor Hurling Championship title of 1930. And of course this team, exclusively drawn from the Abbey Christian Brothers School in Newry, was the first team from the county to grace the hallowed sod of Croke Park.

It was also fitting that Down’s first Ulster Senior title success was a hurling one – that of 1941 and indeed until the footballers of Down began their breakthrough in the late 1950’s, hurling in many respects led the way in Down GAA circles.

Our successes were none the less sparse and with the balance of power shifting to the Ards in the late 1950’s, it has essentially been left to three clubs to carry the mantle of Down hurling ever since.

It was when Kilclief defeated Ballygalget in 1956 that the Jeremiah McVeigh Cup resided outside the peninsula for the last time. This shift of power was both sudden and dramatic. In the 48 county hurling finals played before 1957, victory went to the Ards on just five occasions. That 1957 final was the first county hurling final between two teams from The Ards, but this is something which has been repeated every year since, with the exception of 1962 when the Ballela - Ballygalget final was abandoned and no title awarded.

The first Hurling Board was formed in 1931, a sign of the popularity and strength of the game in the county. Since then many great men have served on this committee, giving unstintingly of their time and talents to foster and promote our national game. Since the first Chairman Gerry O’Donoghue, this committee has been led by many tremendous gaels – among them George McKeown, Paddy McGrattan, Jerry Sheehan, Archdeacon Esler, Kevin Bell, Charlie Keown, Benny Crawford, Joe McCrickard, Brendan McKeown and Gerard McShane – I feel privileged and indeed very humble to have been afforded the opportunity to follow in their footsteps.

Of course many great hurling stalwarts never assumed this office, but the Association in this county has been blessed by the service of many dedicated and loyal players, administers and referees over the past century. As a tribute to all of these people may I mention one man – the late Davy Bell. His contribution to Down hurling epitomises all that is good about the game in the county. There is still a long way to go, but because of the contribution of people like Davy that we have gone so far. He was a fitting recipient of the ‘Spirit of Down’ Award for hurling at the recent centenary banquet.

Hurling is now at a crossroads. The Guinness sponsorship and the qualifying system has raised its profile and brought it much more into the public spotlight. Counties like Clare, Wexford and Waterford, who lay dormant for so long, have once again erupted onto the scene to seriously challenge for major honours. This is good for the game. But unfortunately there is also a downside. To be successful today, it is necessary to give almost professional commitment to an amateur code and while this may raise standards and interest levels in the upper echelons of the sport, it is also creating an ever widening gulf between the top hurling counties and those striving to compete at that level. And a great schism already exists between these counties and the rest.

It is almost two years now since the GAA’s Strategic Review Committee under the Chairmanship of Peter Quinn published their Report. While many of their recommendations which required rule changes were subsequently rejected, it is disappointing to note the slow rate of progress on many of the other proposed initiatives which don’t require a change of rule.

Central among these was that the Games Development Committee should produce a fully-costed plan designed to raise the standard of hurling in at least six counties to the point where they could reach and compete effectively in an All-Ireland Senior Hurling semi-final within ten years, and that money should be allocated by both Central and Provincial Councils to support the implementation of this plan. An Chomhairle Iomana An Duin produced our own fully-costed plan, based on the ‘Getting Down To Hurl’ document, which was submitted to the Hurling Development at Croke Park. At the core of this plan was a clear an unequivocal demonstration that we in Down were serious in our commitment to spread the hurling gospel and that we were worthy of serious consideration for assistance in raising our standards.

To date our plea has fallen on deaf ears, but then so has everyone else’s – that is if there were others. But we must live in hope – we must continue to put pressure on the Central Council and Coiste Bainisti to look beyond the box and develop innovative and exciting methods to develop hurling in those counties which fall outside its elite.

To be fair the National Hurling Committee, currently under the Chairmanship of Pat Dunny, is trying to create a structure which will provide meaningful competition to those counties who currently are not realistic contenders for the Liam McCarthy Cup. Their proposals are due shortly, and are awaited with interest. It was a concern of An Chomhairle Iomana however that early indications of what this report might contain may well have resulted in the Ulster Champions being denied the opportunity to compete for The Liam McCarthy Cup.

It may not be the greatest Championship in the world, but we value the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship highly. For many years there was none. Counties like Antrim and Down fought a long and hard campaign to have it restored and our labours bore fruit in 1989. Derry joined us several years later. All three counties have been successful. In recent years London and New York have joined us. It is a meaningful competition and its integrity must be maintained. To dilute it would diminish its status and have a negative effect on Ulster Hurling. While there may be much merit in new and secondary competitions, we must not lose sight of or forget about what we already have. The Ulster Senior Hurling Champions have a genuine right to compete on the big stage. I am confident that our representations to the National Hurling Committee will be taken on board and the position of the Ulster Champions will be safeguarded.

The past year witnessed the first Ulster U-21 success by a Down team since 1990, and our first underage success since 1994. The victory was all the more sweet as the team defeated both Antrim and Derry to win the title. When I met manager Martin Mallon prior to recommending him for appointment, he told me that he felt that he had a team which could deliver the Ulster crown this year. He was a man of his word. I congratulate the players and Martin and his wonderful back-up team on bringing this long overdue success to the county, and we look forward to back to back titles in 2004.

I appreciate that the timing of this competition co-incides with the July holiday period, but it was very disappointing to note that fixtures for none of the three games played in this competition appeared in any national papers in advance of the games being played. I do accept that the dates, times and venues of the games appeared in official Ulster Council publications, but they have a relatively small circulation. Numerous people have told me that they would have attended the game against Antrim in Ballycran had they known it was on.

Brian Bell took over the reins of Minor team manager for the past year and he left no stone unturned as he set about reviving the fortunes of underage hurling in the county at this level. He assembled a strong back-up team around him and a string of successful performances witnessed this young team annexing the Ulster Minor League. They were most unfortunate however to narrowly lose out to Antrim in the Ulster Championship semi-final. They have however laid solid foundations which can be built upon and I look forward to their 2004 campaign with both anticipation and expectation.

One encouraging feature of our underage team managements in 2003, was the high number of people involved with the various teams who had either recently retired from or who were still playing inter-county hurling. This is something to be proud of and something which must be built upon. At U-16 level it was Barry Coulter who was in charge - and incidentally one of his selectors has already graduated to become a selector with the senior hurling team – and I have no doubt that his first season in the managerial hot seat was a learning one. They unfortunately only got one outing this summer, losing out by a point to a stronger and bigger Derry team in a sporting game played at Corrigan Park. The structure of this competition needs to be reviewed so that all its participants can have the opportunity to have more than one guaranteed outing each year. This is an area which the Hurling Development Committee might find worthy of consideration.

While Barry and his colleagues are worthy of our thanks and praise, equally so are our Junior Hurling team who once again under the watchful eye of Paddy Branniff made it through to an Ulster final. For the second successive year they lost out at this stage of the competition but will no doubt relish the prospect of a re-match with their conquerors Donegal, when the two sides meet in the first round of the Ulster Championship in Newry next May.

The Down Junior Hurling team has served as an important developmental tool for the county over the past decade. It is therefore with concern that I note that no provision has been made for this, or indeed the Antrim Junior team, to take part in revised competition proposals due to come into effect in 2005 – provided that they are endorsed at the GAA Congress next April. I have advised the National Hurling Committee of the value of such an outlet to Down and they have assured me that they will address it. I welcome that assurance. But may I also use this occasion to call on Comhairle Uladh to retain the Ulster Junior Hurling Championship, irrespective of what structures may be in place from 2005 onwards. This competitive competition is highly valued by all those who compete in it.

After several years missing from the competition, the Down U-14 hurlers, under the watchful eye of Bernard McGrattan, travelled to Waterford to compete in The Tony Forristal Tournament. The team gave a good account of themselves in their opening games, but in the end lost out to a strong Laois outfit. I thank all those who assisted with the preparation of this team, and who made the long journey to Waterford to support them.

An Comhairle Iomana agreed that this team should remain together after the tournament as a developmental squad, and it is our hope and desire that this will be the case. Opinion is divided on the merits of this competition, with one school of thought saying it’s never too early to introduce a young person to inter-county competition, with another saying that an intensive, high calibre coaching programme would be more appropriate for these young people.

There have been more successful years for our senior team, though they can have every reason to be proud of their performances during 2003. Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, they were unlucky to lose to Dublin in The Walsh Cup and they also narrowly missed out on a Division Two semi-final spot. In an enthralling Ulster Championship semi-final, played in tricky conditions, they were level with Antrim after 70 minutes, but three injury time points sealed Down’s fate. This game marked the departure of Jimmy O’Reilly as manager. I thank him for the efforts that he put in over the past number of years, when the team has been going through a transitional period. His teams always took the field with fire and determination and he can be proud of his achievements with them. I thank also trainer Joe McStay and selector Jack Coulter who have departed the scene with Jimmy and wish them well in the future.

John Crossey has now assumed the reins and I wish him and his management team every success in the future. We in Down are privileged to have such a gifted and respected hurling coach in charge of our affairs. I’m sure that most of you are aware that John will also be working closely with our schools and clubs in his role as Coaching Education Officer, and it is important that his skills are utilised to the utmost effect as we endeavour to improve standards and introduce more young people to the game of hurling.

A disappointing aspect of this defeat to Antrim was that several of our key players sustained injuries while playing Antrim league games on the Monday night prior to the fixture. One missed the game. I personally spoke to the Ballycran, Ballygalget and Portaferry Clubs before these fixtures were played and asked them not to play the players who would be on county duty the following Sunday. Of course it is managers and not administrators who ultimately call the shots in such instances. I understand how difficult it was for the players who saw themselves between a rock and a hard place on this occasion, but everyone must realise that the Antrim panel members were not playing for their clubs that night. Indeed under Dinny Cahill these players have played little or no club hurling, and I was hoping that the Down hurlers would be spared from club duty on this occasion. It wasn’t to be.

There is every possibility that this may be an issue again next year. I know how important the Antrim league is to our clubs and it has served us well down the years, but is it too much to ask for our players to be excused from club action on one or two occasions, when the Antrim clubs against whom they are playing are devoid of the services of their county players for virtually the whole season.

You will hear later tonight of the chronic shortage of referees in Down hurling. This has now reached crisis proportions. I appeal to clubs to take their refereeing responsibilities seriously. At present there are only some 14 active hurling referees, and four of these are limited in the amount of time they can devote to it because of work and other commitments. I don’t need to remind the clubs present tonight who don’t have an active hurling referee – some of the names which are listed in this booklet are paper referees only. Indeed if it were not for the contribution of referees from exclusively football clubs – Brendan Cousins (Ballymartin), Ned Morgan (Bryansford), Jimmy Flynn (St. John’s), Frank McDonald (Bosco) – it would not be possible to cover many of our games.

The 13 clubs represented on An Chomhairle Iomana, supply just 10 active referees. This is a damning statistic. And as well as this we have new clubs like Bredagh and Carryduff taking up the game at underage level. I hope you recognise the scale of the problem. This is one area where we have nothing to be proud of.

I’m sure most of you have heard the biblical story of the loaves and the fishes. Our Referees Appointments Secretary Seamus Bailie truly has performed miracles in getting so many fixtures played next year. On behalf of everyone here Seamus, I thank you sincerely on accomplishing this task. In line with Croke Park directives, in 2004 I will appoint a small sub-committee, with Seamus at the helm, to take responsibility for the appointment of referees. I sincerely hope that the pool they have to choose from is significantly greater than what is there now.

Our clubs are the cornerstone of our Association. Our clubs are our community and it was very fitting that when the GAA Strategic Review Committee delivered their report in January 2002, that they entitled it “Enhancing Community Identity.” A target of the “Getting Down To Hurl” document is to increase the base of clubs playing hurling and that has been a priority of the current committee.

In recent years there has been significant strides taken by the Warrenpoint Club, for example, in the promotion of hurling at underage level and I am encouraged by the efforts being taken by primarily football clubs such as Bredagh, St. John’s, Carryduff, An Riocht and to a lesser extent Darragh Cross, to develop the game in their area. Next year these clubs, and longer established ones too, will have the opportunity to test their skills on a new plain when organised indoor hurling is introduced to the county for the first time.

Under the expert guidance of people such as Danny Hughes, Lorenzo McMullan and Jerome Quinn the Bredagh Club have made tremendous progress over the past year and their success in the U-12 ‘B’ Championship, U-14 ‘B’ Championship and the Feile Na nGael ‘B’ competition was well merited. To assist in the progression of these clubs, an All County U-12 Hurling League is worthy of serious consideration by the incoming committee.

I congratulate all our clubs who were successful in 2003, and may I be forgiven for giving a special mention to Ballygalget on wining the Senior Hurling Championship and Ballela on winning the Junior title. For the second successive year the Antrim Hurling League title resides in Down, and I congratulate Portaferry on their victory over Ballygalget to claim the title on Sunday past. Irrespective of what the cynics might say about the Antrim league at present, the history books will record Portaferry as the winners for 2003. They are fully deserving of their victory. It isn’t good however that the top hurlers in Antrim are not permitted to represent their clubs for most of the league campaign. I know that we have our ‘starred’ system in the football leagues in Down, but at least our county players have the opportunity to represent their clubs in a sizeable proportion of league games. If this situation is allowed to continue it will ultimately prove detrimental to the standards of hurling in both Antrim and Down – and that is in the interest of no one.

I thank the committee of An Comhairle Iomana for their help and support over the past year. In particular I thank our industrious secretary James Keenan and our efficient Leas-Runai Brendan McKeown. Almost single-handedly Brendan has organised our juvenile competitions and no words of praise from me are worthy of his efforts. Thank you Brendan. I thank also our Treasurer Willie Johnston, PRO Matt Fitzpatrick and Coaching Officer Kevin Bell. Thanks also to Bernard McGrattan for his continued and diligent organisation of Feile, and to my Vice-Chairman Gerard McShane for his ever ready advice, counsel and guidance. To Referees Secretary Seamus Bailie and to all of our hurling clubs I say a big thank you. I thank also the County Committee and especially the senior officers Eamon O’Toole, Donal McCormack and Hugh John Harper.

I hope I am forgiven for singling out Leas-Runai Coiste Chontae Seamus Walsh and the members of Coiste Riarachain \Na gCluichi for their organisation of adult hurling fixtures. I think we will all agree that the past year has seen a marked improvement on 2002, and I thank also the clubs for the part they have played in making our competitions meaningful, exciting and competitive. It would be remiss of me also not to thank the contribution made to the promotion of hurling by An Comhairle Uladh, and in particular their Chairman John O’Reilly, Vice-Chairman Micheal Greenan, Runai Danny Murphy and Hurling Development Officer Seamus McGrattan.

I thank also our sponsors, who by their continued generosity have ensured that we can continue to promote the game at a high level throughout the county – to McDermott Coach Hire, Quinn Motors, Francis Watson, Fred Kelly, East Down Construction and our main sponsors The Canal Court Hotel I say a big thank you. Your continued support is much needed – and greatly appreciated.

Over the past year some of our dearest GAA friends have gone to their eternal reward. I sympathise with all those families and clubs who have been bereaved. I hope I can be forgiven for making particular reference to two of those individuals who are sadly no longer with us. I lost a great friend, this county lost a great friend with the death of our popular President T.P. Murphy. His contribution to GAA life in Down was immense and such was his influence and esteem that a part of us all died with him. To his wife Josie and the rest of his family I extend my deepest sympathy.

The death of John Mallon was sudden, and no where is his loss felt more deeply than with his wife Moira and her family. John Mallon was a mighty man in his native Ballycran, a mighty man in Down hurling. We all miss his unique and undiminished commentary on the state of Down hurling and, more often than not, where we were all going wrong. His passion and love of the game and of his beloved Ballycran are beyond reproach and that club and Down hurling is much the poorer without him.

For over 100 years in this county the GAA has prospered. From humble beginnings we have grown to be one of the most respected and revered counties in the Association. Our main successes have come in the latter part of the last century – and, almost exclusively, have been in football. But we are a dual county - and a proud one at that. It is my desire – and the desire of everyone in this room tonight – to see the hurling teams of Down reach a plateau in the next century, where they are talked about in the same breath as our five All-Ireland football wining teams are today. It is achievable – but we must believe.

The plans outlined out in the ‘Getting Down to Hurl’ document must serve as a template for this and future hurling generations in Down. Talk of All-Ireland hurling success may seem light years away tonight, but it is probably much closer than when James Denvir, John Fitzpatrick and their colleagues had the vision to form the first County Committee in 1903. All-Ireland Senior Football titles were then too but a distant dream – now we have five.

We can all recall how on 12 July 1992 Down hurling had its own “Glorious Twelfth” when we defeated Antrim to win our first Ulster Senior Hurling title since 1941. We also remember how we achieved our victories over the ‘auld hurling enemy’ in 1995 and 1997. Of course, there is now reason why there shouldn’t have been more. We must believe that we can do better. In 100 years time I want the Down Hurling Chairman, whoever he or she might be, not to be talking about how we won such and such a title – no, I want them to be talking about how many. We all have a role to make it happen, even if it is future generations who reap the benefits of our efforts.

The good thing about hurling is tomorrow; its time Down hurling tasted some tomorrow.

Thank You.

Brian McAvoy

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