Seamus Ó Domhnaill
BY CHRIS MCNULTY
CLOUGHANEELY’S Seamus Ó Domhnaill has confirmed his interest in becoming Donegal’s next Central Council delegate.
The incumbent, Niall Erskine, was elected as a Trustee of the GAA at the recent Annual Congress in Cavan and at Monday night’s meeting of the county committee in Ballybofey, he told delegates that they could expect to elect a replacement ‘sooner rather than later’.
Ó Domhnaill is the Cloughaneely club chairman and is a Fianna Fáil County Councillor in the Glenties Electoral Area.
Although the County Board have yet to signal their intentions in replacing Erskine on Central Council, Ó Domhnaill has already thrown his name into the mix.
“Why I would be very interested is because of how Niall represented Donegal at Central Council – he was very much focussed on the club ethos and I would like to carry that on,” he said.
“There are enough forums for inter-county teams and I think that the clubs need a voice. I will be putting my name forward.
“It is important that we have strong representation at national level – especially when we look at the way the fixtures have worked out in Donegal lately. My own club team played seven games in a six-week period last year – including a county final and an Ulster game in the space of 24 hours. It gets cumbersome for players and for club officials.
“You’re trying to get players home for the weekend and they’re based all over the country. There are huge challenges there and those challenges do warrant discussion at national level. There are strategic proposals coming down the track that warrants serious discussion.
“There are enough members at Ard Chomhairle who will represent inter-county views. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t represent inter-county views, but my predominant one would be the club. Club and county should compliment each other.”
Former county chairman PJ McGowan has contested the position in the past and he has neither ruled himself in or out of the running for the position at this early stage, while Grace Boyle, a former county treasurer, is in a similar position. The Termon clubwoman was the last person to contest the post with Erskine, but missed out at the Convention in December 2011 by eight votes.
Michael McMenamin, the former dvelopment officer, is another who could yet be a candidate.
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