Longford GAA club secretary says McAleese was 'treated unfairly'

A South Longford club GAA secretary has strongly backed and praised former President of Ireland Mary McAleese's decision to resign as chairperson of the GAA Steering Group on Integration.

There was controversy and a lot of criticism last week when the highly-regarded Antrim woman stepped down from her position after four years spearheading the bid for change.

Bríd Hanley, the secretary of Cashel GAA club said she believes Ms McAleese's hand was forced by the action or inaction of the GAA.

"I think she was 100% right.”

"They asked her to take this position and then when they didn't like the answer that they got from her, they decided no actually, we don't want that answer and we'll go and find somebody else.”

"She was absolutely correct in what she was saying.”

"She had no choice but to resign because they came to her for somebody to be in charge of this committee.”

Bríd said if someone asked for her opinion and then changed course and subsequently decided 'no we don't want that' she would feel aggrieved.

"After four years, she gave up four years of her time and then they decided actually, you know what, we don't want your opinion in the end.”

"It was a very stupid move when at the start and end of the day, every club in this country, only for women in this, there would be no clubs."

Bríd said women should have equal access to GAA facilities as their male counterparts.

"My husband is a manager of the ladies team and for years there have been games scheduled for 11 o'clock on a Sunday morning and they've actually become later.”

"There was previously games at 9am and 10am and that's not fair.”

"Whereas lads are given prime position at four o'clock on a Sunday."

Bríd said women make a huge contribution but ‘everything is changed around for one sex and not the other’.

"It's not on and it's just not fair and even the quality of everything for women [is below standard].”

"Who are they going to pick now to be the chairperson of that committee?”

"That's four years wasted."

Bríd said Ms McAleese will be a very difficult person to follow in the role.

"It's not fair. The woman has had enough.”

"She has enough to do without coming in and then having her time wasted and I think she was absolutely correct."

Bríd stressed the GAA has no option other than to integrate.

"In order for everybody to succeed, men and women, you have to integrate everything.”

"Men aren't going to lose out by women not being involved in their clubs and having the same respect that they're getting.”

"And women only have to gain from it.”

Bríd referred to a study that found about one-in-five girls drop out of sport between primary and post-primary school compared to one-in-20 boys

"You know, the number of girls that don't participate in sports as soon as they get to secondary school is off the charts.”

"It has been at a massive incline for years and years and years and then they see this...They see the ex-president of Ireland, and her opinion doesn't even matter about our national sport.”

"Are they going to want to play that?”

"Of course they're not. It's not fair."

In this week’s feature in the Longford Leader, you can read an interview on the issue with GAA chairperson Derek Fahy here, and Micheál Carrigy TD, here.