GAA

GAA kept young men from joining IRA during Troubles says Jarlath Burns

GAA president Jarlath Burns  attends The Uefa Women's Nations League match between Northern Ireland and Montenegro on Tuesday at Windor Park in Belfast. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
GAA president Jarlath Burns  attends The Uefa Women's Nations League match between Northern Ireland and Montenegro on Tuesday at Windsor Park in Belfast. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
By Rohit Balaji

Newly-elected GAA President Jarlath Burns has credited the organisation with providing an outlet for young men during the Troubles, keeping many from joining the IRA.

Speaking on the Changing Times podcast with former President Mary McAleese and retired RTÉ presenter Mary Kennedy, the former Armagh captain emphasised the importance of the GAA in the north.

“We in the north owe the GAA so much – I don’t think that story is being properly told,” Mr Burns said.

“It was for us a way of saying non-violently, ‘We are Irish, we’re very proud to be Irish and this is how we are going to demonstrate our Irishness’.”

Mr Burns, who played for Armagh and captained the county to an Ulster Championship in 1999, highlighted the GAA’s role in providing an alternative to violence amidst the conflict.

“It was such a non-aggressive way of being Irish with the injustice of life at the time, fears that all of our parents had that we were going to get involved in the IRA. That was a real thing,” he said.

“For me, it was the GAA that kept a lot of us away from the IRA. That story has never been properly appreciated maybe by the unionist community.”

Mr Burns also discussed his ambitious plans as GAA president, including examining the amateur status of the game and addressing the financial pressures on county boards.

“I have very ambitious plans to look at the amateur status of the game. This has to grow us back, the size of panels, all of those things,” he said.

“Every day when I open my emails you’ll see some county board, they’re either running a race day or they’re raffling a car or raffling a house or doing something and it’s just causing so much stress.”

Mr Burns is the second guest on the Changing Times podcast. The first episode featured singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.