The GAA’s Annual Congress took place in Croke Park over the weekend and saw Armagh’s Jarlath Burns elected to become the 41st President of the Association in 12 months time.

Burns came through a non-traditional pathway to the top job having never chaired his Club, County or Province but that was no barrier to his popularity among delegates. He won 158 of the 277 votes cast, ahead of 70 for Pat Teehan and 49 for Niall Erskine.

Having captained Armagh to an Ulster title in the 1990’s he has been immersed in the Association as secretary of his own club Silvermines and on a number of committees where those who served with him spoke highly of his abilities.

That club secretary role is perhaps one of the most arduous in terms of time and the variety of challenges thrown at you from the technical aspects of the job to organising the games and events that make up a good club.

Burns has been a teacher at St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook throughout his adult life and is now the Principal. The school has 1,500 pupils and is held in very high regard for it’s education and its approach to a ‘whole child’ development model.

The well wishes that Burns recieved after Friday night’s election were many, varied and warm, from the Consul General to the Western United States and former pupil at the school Micheál Smith to the PSNI Officers of Newry, Mourne and Down district.

His reputation is a one who will lead but who will inspire those around to contribute and to follow. That is a perfect mix for the role.

Speaking after his election on Friday he said that “We have six very important values in our Association. Community, amateur status, respect, player welfare, inclusion, and keeping all our volunteers. It will be my job to defend those values. I will do so to the best of my ability.”

He spoke of the benefit of having three years more experience under his belt than if he had won the first time he ran in 2020 and of the great job that his predecessors John Horan and Larry McCarthy had done in keeping the Association moving forward through one of its toughest ever periods in Covid.

He also spoke of his busy plan to get things done and of the pride he would take “to be the person that delivers integration with Ladies Football and Camogie in a way that is advantageous for Gaelic Games and make it a wonderful, united and connected organisation.”

Burns will ease himself into the leadership over the next twelve months while Larry McCarthy completes his term and we can only wish the best of luck to both.