Who will be the next GAA President? The three men seeking to succeed Jarlath Burns
As Jarlath Burns begins the final year of his three years as President of the GAA, the winner of a three-horse race is set to replace him.At GAA Congress on Friday night in Croke Park either, Sligo’s John Murphy, Wexford’s Derek Kent or Tipperary’s Ger Ryan will assume the position of president-elect and take over from the Silverbridge man in 12 months time.Burns’ election in 2023 made him the second ever Armagh man to hold the position after Alf Murray, who himself played for the Orchard County in a distinguished career up until 1945, before taking up office in 1964.Burns was also the first former player to become President since Kilkenny’s Nickey Brennan in 2006.With no Ulster candidate running, the man in the Uachtarán role is set to shuffle province for the 20th term in succession and every time since Séamus Ó Riain passed the baton onto fellow Munster man Pat Fanning back in 1973.Amongst the highlights of Burns’s reign was undoubtedly Armagh’s historic second-ever Sam Maguire success in 2024 under the stewardship of his former teammate, with Kieran McGeeney’s Hogan Stand scaling squad featuring Burns’ son, Jarly Óg.Amongst the primary concerns for his successor will be the planned merger with the LGFA and Camogie Association, with the target for integration currently 2027.So what do we know about the candidates in the running to become the GAA’s 42nd President?Derek Kent (Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE) Derek Kent - WexfordKent appears to be an advocate for the devil making work of idle hands, having juggled both the roles of Leinster GAA chairman and head of national disciplinary board - The CCCC - up until a few months back.Kent has already spoken of his preference for a ‘player-centred calendar’, though with a vote on the prospect of All-Ireland finals being moved to August also taking place at Congress next weekend, the Wexford man would be forced to deal with the consequences throughout his prospective term.While in favour of the split-season, he has spoken of tweaks needed, seeing greater protection for player welfare at club level as one specific target area for improvement.In hurling circles, he does not feel any need for drastic overhaul of rules, as was the case with the FRC’s Gaelic football rule enhancements. That said, cynical play is a bug bear, something former Antrim star Neil McManus also addressed in his Irish News’ column last month given recent controversy regarding the convoluted nature of the black card and penalty rule.Kent believes his experience up until now would stand him in good stead. In a recent interview with the Irish Examiner, he said.“Chairing a County Board gives you a real insight of the pressure the volunteers encounter. At county level, that involved growing a financial platform, developing our facilities, and ensuring a games programme in both codes that would best serve our players in both codes and all grades.”Ger Ryan (Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE) Ger Ryan - TipperaryAs a former Munster GAA chairman, Ryan holds similar pedigree to Kent, while he also is currently head of the central referees appointment committee.Like Kent, he believes there is room for improvement in so far as the split season is concern, but overall he remains in favour, citing happier inter-county players and an improved club landscape as evidence.Ryan is in favour of the proposed movement of the All-Ireland finals to August, a topic heavily debated on The Irish News’ Monday Club podcast last week and which is set to voted on at Congress on Saturday.He has national experience having served on a number of committees, including as Chair of the Medical Scientific and Welfare Committee (MSW) 2012-2018, Chair of the Communications Committee 2018-2021and currently as Chair of the Central Referees Appointments Committee since 2024.Ryan is also on the management committee of Semple Stadium.The Templederry Kenyons club man is interested in continue to promote and develop hurling throughout the country and is a strong proponent of integration and advocates for additional consultation and a clear dateline to be establish.John Murphy - Sligo (David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE) John Murphy - SligoTubbercurry clubman John Murphy seeks history, as he aims to become the first Sligo man in history to be named President of the GAA.Akin to the other two nominees, Murphy is a former President of his provincial association, Connacht GAA, while he was elected as a representative of congress and a trustee of the GAA back in 2023.Murphy could follow in Burns footsteps in more than one sense, having also played intercounty football, winning Sligo’s second ever Connacht title 51 years ago.Like Ryan, he praised the work of the Hurling Development Committee, with Sligo’s own Easkey a success story in a less prominent hurling region, as they were beaten narrowly in the All-Ireland JHC decider last winter.Murphy has called for a first comprehensive strategic review since 2002, as well as a 10-year national infrastructure strategy, with the Connacht GAA air dome due to reopen in April after intense storm damage forced its closure in 2025.Proposing his nomination at the Sligo GAA Convention in December, current county chairman Declan Rouse said:“John has represented Sligo at different levels, nationally and in Connacht council. John has also showed great vision with Sligo, purchasing a field in Scarden and developing it into a state of the art facility which has been the home of Sligo gaelic games for the last number of years.“It would be a great honour to have John as president of the GAA from Sligo, and you’ll have our full support going forward.”
