Breaking with tradition... but not at any cost
DARA Ó CINNÉIDE has spoken out strongly on how important it is for a club to promote from within, but explains why An Ghaeltacht have broken with tradition this year.
‘It’s ironic and you might say hypocritical but for the first time in our history we brought in an outside manager this year. Under my tenure. After me talking for 10, 15 years saying “no way… this will never happen”.
‘The reason it happened was, we asked within the club. Eight or nine of the usual suspects who, in fairness, had given time with previous regimes said “not now, not this year”. Out of the blue, a guy called Micheál O’Shea whose mother is from the area, whose father who passed away a number of years ago designed our two club pitches, who teaches Irish colleges back our way, he came out of the blue. I got a whiff that he was asking questions how our team were going. I asked him was he interested.
‘I said, “Culturally, this is a massive thing for us if we go outside the club. There’s two things. There’s the language – we speak Irish and we expect you to. Also, we do not pay expenses”. We do not pay managers to come in for 100 or 120 euro a session.
‘So I went before the committee – said he speaks Irish, he’s willing to do it for free, in the true volunteer spirit of the association. They said, “What’s the catch?” I said, “There is no catch’
‘We won 20 years ago because we were very determined. I’d like to think that we’d put the horse before the cart, that if we develop good habits, develop a sense of who we are… create future volunteers, very much as county championshipwinning players. I’m looking to tell the fella who gives me €2 for a lotto ticket that your €2 is going somewhere worthwhile.’