JACK BOOTHMAN, who passed away on Monday night, has been described as "a larger than life character" by fellow Wicklow man Jackie Napier.
Boothman was president of the GAA between 1994 and '97 and was the second man from the county to hold the top office - Hugh Byrne was uachtarán from 1961 to '64. Napier served under both men and was a close friend of the Blessington man, who remains the only member of the Church of Ireland community to hold the position of GAA president.
"I knew him very well," said Napier.
"We were good friends and, in recent years, he hadn’t been in the best of health and we often had telephone conversations and so on. He was a lovely man and worked very hard for the game all through his life.
"He was a larger than life character and he was a genuine GAA man who was down to earth. The small man meant the same to him as the big man. Everybody called him 'Big Jack' and everybody liked Big Jack."
Napier, who during his own time in officialdom in Leinster, was a Central Council delegate for five years and a Leinster Council delegate for 12 years, outlined the path his friend took to becoming president: "He started off in the Blessington club," he said.
"And then he was chairman of the west divisional board with his good colleague Peter Keogh, who passed away a couple of months ago. Peter Keogh was president of Wicklow GAA. He moved on to vice-chairman of the county board and then he was Leinster Council delegate for Wicklow. And he then became vice-chairman of Leinster Council and, subsequently, chairman of Leinster Council. He contested the presidency and was defeated by Peter Quinn and, the next time, he was successful when he defeated John McDonagh."
Boothman is often recalled as a president who championed the abolition of Rule 21, which debarred members of the British security forces from joining the GAA. The rule remained in place during his presidency and congress eventually sanctioned its removal during the term of Monaghan man Sean McCague in 2001.
Boothman did, however, note its survival as a regret when he made his final presidential address to congress. Napier also pinpointed that it was during his tenure that the plans for the redevelopment of GAA headquarters were laid.
"It has to be said that, with himself and Liam Mulvihill during his time as time as president - the redevelopment of Croke Park was going on," said the Bray Emmett's man.
"They laid the plans for the redevelopment of Croke Park between them. And all that went on during his term as president."
Boothman's presidency also saw, in 1996, the GAA voting to alter the primacy of knock-out competition in the Championships by voting to allow defeated Munster and Leinster hurling finalists to reenter the All-Ireland. In addition, during his term, the organisation allowed sponsorship of the All-Ireland hurling championships - football having been given the go-ahead a year earlier.
Current GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail also paid tribute to iar-uachtarán Boothman: “Jack Boothman was a man I considered to be a friend and he served the GAA with distinction," said Ó Fearghail,
“I had the privilege of knowing him since the 1980s... He was great company. He had great interest in the club and the last conversation I had with him recently he told me ‘don’t forget about the clubs'. On behalf of the association as a whole I would like to offer my condolences to his wife Nuala and his extended family and his wide circle of friends.”
Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas síoraí dá anam uasal.
