Money matters were discussed at length by the Mayo County GAA Board at a recent meeting.

Cairde Mhaigheo is only official Mayo GAA fundraising arm

IT would seem, if we are to believe what unfolded at last week’s monthly meeting of the Mayo GAA County Board, that external forces are at work without the consent or approval, but not without the knowledge, of the Mayo officials.

The trip by Mayo to New York for their championship opener last May has had repercussions, and it is all about money.

New York publican and businessman, Eugene Rooney, a former Mayo goalkeeper and a native of Kiltimagh, is looking for his pound of flesh, so to speak. He claims he is owed $4,500 having watered and fed the Mayo boys for four days.

County chairman, Paddy McNicholas, is of the view that Mr. Rooney has got all he is going to get from the Mayo board, who shook hands on a $5,000 deal to cover catering for the Mayo team and officials.

The county secretary, Vincent Neary, was present when the deal with Mr. Rooney was agreed and a sum of $5,000 was paid over.

“He was happy. We were happy. We shook hands on it,” said the county secretary. Deal done - or so they thought.

This, of course, is not all about New York as other issues were raised at the meeting concerning fundraising activities by a body outside the umbrella of the Mayo board and without their authorisation, and involving the same Mr. Rooney.

Mr. Rooney has come looking for what he believes he is owed but, like the cowboy on Times Square, he may have to sing for his money as this is a done deal as far as the Mayo board are concerned.

There was little sympathy and even less support for Mr. Rooney at the meeting as the matter was discussed for the best part of 45 minutes and the delegates were full square behind the chairman and his board.

Not a penny (sorry, nickle) more will be paid and I have a feeling that when Mayo next visit New York they might be having breakfast in McDonald’s rather than Mr. Rooney’s premises.

The board also felt Mr. Rooney did quite well from Mayo’s visit as his premises, situated in the centre of Manhattan, attracted the Mayo Diaspora, who packed his premises during Mayo’s visit, many coughing up $50 to meet a Mayo team who never turned up.

The Mayo board would be happy to leave New York behind them but it seems Mr. Rooney’s tentacles can reach across the water and he was named as the person, through an agent in Ireland (unnamed, but clearly known by every GAA dog on the streets of Mayo), who organised a golf classic in Ballinrobe under the banner of Cáirde Eugene Mhaigheo but without any official approval from the Mayo board.

A motion over two years ago that the only body entrusted with fundraising for Mayo teams was the official Cairde Mhaigheo, the brainchild of the former secretary, Kevin O’Toole, who was central to its establishment.

Cairde Mhaigheo is the only official body recognised by the Mayo board to collect funds to support the teams of the county at all levels and no permission had been given to this other body to hold a golf classic or collect funds on behalf of the Mayo board or team. Nobody could say what amount had been raised, or where any money had gone to, but there is another body.

It was also pointed out that some Mayo senior players had been approached to get teams to enter the golf classic, as had a number of Mayo business people, and a number had been in touch with the board wondering, basically, what was going on and who was organising what and for whom.

Clarity was also brought to a press report concerning some Mayo players being dissatisfied at the way they were being looked after generally, and that certainly raised the eyebrows of the county treasurer, J.P. Lambe, who informed the meeting that, so far, a sum of €99,000 had been spent on the Mayo senior team alone.

He had a certain satisfaction in pointing out that he wasn’t in New York, adding: “And maybe it is just as well.”

The chairman said they had met with James Horan and, apart from one small matter, which had since been rectified, he and his team were more than happy with the way they were being treated and looked after.

In the meantime, the Mayo board is to write to Mr. Rooney - not a love letter I’m sure - seeking clarification on how monies raised at a function in the name of Mayo GAA were dispersed.

Mr. Rooney is on record as stating they were donated to a charity and that he personally did not benefit financially from monies raised at the function.
I have a feeling we will knock another night out of this story before it is finally put to bed.


Holiday fund
Money was also the core issue on a matter raised by Ballintubber delegates Ollie Dillon, who was wondering if three Mayo senior players, who were unable to go on the team holiday after Christmas, could be compensated somehow.

Ollie suggested the air fares and accommodation money that would have been spent on the players be given to them by way of reparation and mentioned a figure of €1,700 in lieu of the holiday, which they were unable to go on.

However, it is not that simple, as assistant treasurer Michael Diskin pointed out, and any such payments would have tax implications for the players involved.

Others voiced the opinion that making such a payment might entice players in future to take the money instead of the holiday, a bit like winning a car but opting to take the money instead.

Paddy Muldoon, probably the wisest of all the owls in the house, said the board was moving into dangerous territory as a precedent could be set but Croke Park, who had given Mayo €80,000 towards the holiday fund, would not be too impressed if monies were being paid out directly to players and he could not see it as a realistic alternative.

The Mayo board had subsidised the Croke Park contribution with another €60,000.

The chairman said the board could hardly entertain the notion of monies being handed over instead of holidays and pointed out the only money players were entitled to came from legitimate expenses from travelling to training or if they needed to drive to a game.

No other payments could or would be sanctioned, he added.

It was agreed that the board officials would meet with the players and see if some sort of compromise could be reached, but I have a feeling the best the boys can hope for is a holiday for themselves in the form of a voucher.

Fográ. Meanwhile, the official Cairde Mhaigheo golf classic organised by Tommie Goonan will be held in Claremorris this weekend of the Connaught Final.
Over 80 teams took part last year and it was well on the way to being equalled, if not surpassed this year. Teams of four cost €160.