EX-POLITICIAN COUGHLAN NOMINATED FOR DONEGAL CHAIR

FORMER Tanaiste Mary Coughlan has been nominated for chairperson of the Donegal County Board.

Their annual convention takes place in Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey on Friday, December 8, but

Four county teams – Galway, Dublin, Tipperary and Clare – will play at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, on Sunday in an adapted 11-aside version of hurling.

There are numerous differences between it and the traditional form of the game, most notably that only goals can be scored. A previous staging in this format two years ago saw a mass brawl break out between Dublin and Galway players resulting in fines and suspensions. Backed by Dublin sponsors AIG, it is driven by the GPA with the GAA’S approval.

The GPA has already come under fire this week after it emerged Coughlan is one of six candidates thought to be in the running to succeed outgoing chairman Sean Dunnion, whose five year term is up.

Coughlan, who was Tanaiste in the Irish Government from 20082011, is currently secretary of her

that its wage bill for 2016 was a staggering €921,121 for a staff of 12, with a mammoth €490,418 paid to persons in “key management positions”.

The super 11s has been derided by the likes of exlaois boss Seamas ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett in the past and Quaid is also critical.

“The players get a trip out of it,” the former Limerick star said. “GAA players don’t get much out of it but the one thing about it, it’s very elitist.

“A lot of the players that are going there will have got trips with the All-stars, things like that. I don’t see the purpose of it, to be honest. The funding for that, local club St Naul’s. It is understood she has been nominated by at least one club for the top job.

Coughlan served as a Fianna Fail TD from 1987-2011 and her father Cathal, and uncles Clement and Austin Coughlan were all major GAA figures. She will have strong opposition from experienced GAA officials like Mick Mcgrath, Grace Boyle, Frankie Doherty, Cieran Kelly and Niall Erskine.

Former top referee Mcgrath of Aodh Ruadh, lost out narrowly to Dunnion for the Tir Chonaill chair five years ago.