LONG READ: Population imbalance creating problems for the GAA around the country

Above: Thurles CBS players Robbie Ryan (left) and David Costigan celebrate after winning the Dr Harty Cup final against St Flannan’s in Mallow last February. Liam Ó Donnchú’s history of the Harty Cup was launched this week

Two recent GAA items captured a lot of media attention. Croke Park’s National Demographics Committee published a report entitled ‘No One Shouted Stop – Until Now’. It’s a study of the demographic changes taking place in the country and the existential threat these pose to the Association.

That report came hot on the heels of the release of details from the latest four-year agreement between the GPA and the GAA. The two items are unrelated, though put together they offer an interesting overview of the GAA’s whereabouts nine years out from the Association’s 150th birthday.

The National Demographics Committee was chaired by Tyrone man Benny Hurl, and it essentially portrays a two-sided association. On the one hand you have Dublin and the east coast generally grappling with huge numbers and not enough clubs or facilities. Against that you have areas of rural Ireland struggling for existence because of declining population. The two are worlds apart, facing very contrasting problems.

The title of the study echoes the 1968 publication by journalist John Healy, which focused on the decline of Charlestown, County Mayo, and the apparent indifference of the authorities to the plight of such places.

That linkage underlines the fact that the problems of rural Ireland aren’t new. Back in the 1950s and 60s the bugbear was economic stagnation and its accompanying mass emigration. Communities were being decimated, with the young heading for England or America and the rest left to cope with disappearing services.

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When I researched and wrote the history of West Tipperary GAA back in 2001 the evidence of decline in that 50s/60s era was unmistakable. Clubs were struggling and I dubbed it the era of amalgamations in the region. For example, St Nicholas’ (Glengar/Cappawhite/Solohead) won the 1957 senior hurling final and St Vincent’s (Cappawhite/Eire Og) won the 1961 version. In 1963 you had St Patrick’s (Solohead/Lattin-Cullen) beating Suir Rovers (Golden/Galtee Rovers) in the final.

Ironically, this latest report is now promoting amalgamations as a solution in some cases.
The report is data-based, with pages of statistics colourfully illustrated. For example, the Dublin commuter belt has roughly 33% of the island’s population, yet it has only 18% of GAA clubs. By contrast 78% of GAA clubs are rural.

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So, on the one hand you have a so-called “super club” like Kilmacud Crokes in Dublin with around 5,000 members and fielding around 160 teams. Elsewhere you have units struggling to put fifteen players on a pitch. Kilcoo (Down), who defeated Kilmacud Crokes in the 2021/22 All-Ireland club football final has a membership of 250. Numbers aren’t everything, and there’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution to GAA problems.

“Go west young man” may have been an American mantra but in Ireland the pull is eastwards. Dublin and its surrounds are dwarfing all else; the imbalance creates problems on both fronts.

Among the solutions suggested are the provision of 11-a-side and 9-a-side games in areas where numbers are a challenge, as well as amalgamations. They also want the definition of a club to be adjusted to accommodate new structures and to change rules around eligibility and transfers. By contrast, then, new clubs are needed in the Dublin region.

The authors of the report propose a pilot project to be carried out in Kildare and Kerry to see how these solutions can be worked out in practice before then being extended to other regions. It seems a sensible suggestion.

One of the disappointments of the study is that it doesn’t address immigration. While the birth rate nationally has fallen by 26.7% since 2010, the population of the island has increased to over 7 million, the highest since pre-Famine times. Clearly the natural decrease is being more than offset by other increases.

Perhaps there was a reluctance to encroach on this tetchy subject of immigration with the recent rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, including the “Ireland is full” ranters. Yet what better way to integrate new arrivals than the local GAA club with its community focus. Immigration is going to continue so surely this is an area to be explored by the GAA. Yet this study has nothing to say on the issue.

There is no silver bullet to solve these problems but I wouldn’t catastrophise them either as some are inclined to do. If it was just about numbers then surely Dublin would be dominant, winning most All-Irelands in both codes. Socio-economic factors are always changing and the GAA has shown its adaptability in the past and will, I’m sure, do so again in the future.

The Demographics Committee report came shortly after details were published of the new agreement between the GPA and the GAA, which is set to run for the next four years. It’s seen as a major win for the Gaelic Players Association, who have extracted further concessions from headquarters, including a very significant recognition of image rights for the players.

This has been one of the battlegrounds between the two bodies in recent times. It gained significant oxygen last year when Clare’s Shane O’Donnell (Player of the Year in 2024) highlighted a scenario where his image was used, without his knowledge or consent, in the promotion of GAA+.

The GAA conceded on the issue, so players now have their image rights - known as NILP (name, image, likeness and personality) - protected. I suspect it’s one that most people would agree with. Why should any commercial body exploit a player’s image for financial gain without reference to the individual. Players now stand to benefit financially.

Some other aspects of the agreement might not be universally applauded. In 2024 the GPA got close to €5 million in revenue from Croke Park. This consisted of 15% of all net commercial income (€3.17m) as well as a slice of other, so called Le Chéile commercial money (1.7m).

Under the new arrangements the 15% will be based on the gross commercial figure and the Le Chéile money will also be enhanced. They will also get a cut from GAA+ earnings, the streaming service now wholly owned by Croke Park. Some reports suggest that this may amount to close to an extra million for the GPA, though others suggest it may be significantly lower.

Either way the Gaelic Players Association is taking a major slice of the GAA pie. This money is earmarked for projects aimed at players’ education and wellbeing, such as student burseries and mental health programmes.

For some this represents a gradual slide towards professionalism while others disagree. A recent player study showed that 64% were happy with their amateur status.

In the overall scheme, inter-county players account for a tiny percentage of the playing population. The fact that they deserve generous acknowledgment, which includes things like mileage, food and nutrition allowances, gym payments etc. is generally accepted. However, it won’t be lost on some that the GPA money means there’s less available for the actions proposed by the Demographics Committee. You take from Peter to pay Paul.

Meanwhile, the Munster Council launches the first-ever history of the Harty Cup at a function in the Horse and Jockey Hotel on Wednesday. Award-winning author, Liam Ó Donnchú, has researched and penned the story, which stretches to over 600 pages.

The Harty Cup, the most prestigious of all the schools’ competitions, began in 1918 and has had an illustrious history. Many famous players who played Harty have detailed their memories of the competition.

The book’s launch at a Tipperary venue is particularly appropriate, as the county supplied the last three winners – and has three schools contesting the upcoming quarter-finals of this year’s competition.

Finally, this weekend should also see the arrival of the Yearbook to book shelves countywide. 2025 was an extraordinary year for the county with All-Ireland titles at Under 20 and senior levels, as well as a Croke Cup for Thurles CBS. All are chronicled, as well as much more, in a bumper edition of the Yearbook.