GAA has a ‘distance to go’ to appeal to unionists: president

Burns also drew comparisons with Orange Order

THE president of the GAA has said the sport and the Orange Order have a shared appeal but admits the sporting organisation has “some distance to go” before it appeals to unionists.

Jarlath Burns, who began his role as the head of the GAA in February, said it was “fully understandable” why GAA does not appeal to those from a unionist background when asked if the sporting group was a “cold house” for Protestants.

“It’s fully understandable, but the modern GAA isn’t,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback.

“If you look at the latest club in east Belfast, we have been watching that very carefully… the links they’ve had with the Orange lodge, the clubs who have done things with cross-community, they’ve all been really well received. We do have a distance to go on this, we have a journey on this because a lot of the perspectives on this that the Protestant or unionist community have about the GAA are borne out from things they have seen or witnessed themselves,” added Mr Burns, who maintained the sport is “very inclusive” and “anti-sectarian”.

“We have some explaining to do in regard to the context about some of the things that have been cast at us, much of which is valid.”

Asked what he would say to those from a nationalist background who consider the Orange Order to be a sectarian organisation, he said: “I would say the same to them, that I would say to those who would say the GAA is a sectarian organisation — we have to respect all of the culture that exists in Northern Ireland.

“For an awful lot of families, the Orange Order is something that goes right through their families, wearing the sash, walking in your area, it’s important.

“The GAA is not ever going to get involved with that sort of rhetoric against another organisation.”

Mr Burns also hit out at criticism directed at the organisation for its apparent links to sporting events named after those involved in terrorism offences.

“We do have competitions named after people involved in the conflict, they are not GAA organised competitions,” he said.

“You have the Bobby Sands soccer tournament, no one would go to the IFA and ask ‘why is there a Bobby Sands soccer tournament?’

“We have lots of Gaelic games, which are not Gaelic Athletic Association games, they have nothing to do with us, and it’s important we make that distinction.

“The GAA is like that, don’t judge us on one issue, judge us on a night where a GAA club raised £83,500 for a member who has MS.”

The interview with Mr Burns comes months after he said he would rule out more funding for Casement Park from the GAA. He reiterated his previous comments that further funding should come from the Government. “I think [the funding gap] should be from the British Government. The reason why is that in the 2000s we built ourselves nine stadiums at our own cost — one of which was Casement Park.”