Tipperary star amongst big names in list of deserving GPA Leadership Graduate Programme graduates

Tipperary camogie player Clodagh McIntyre was among the 24 inter-county players who graduated from the Gaelic Players Association’s inaugural Legacy Leadership Programme at a ceremony held in Dublin on Friday, March 6.

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McIntyre was the county’s sole representative on the programme, which brought together players from 15 counties across both the men’s and women’s games. The class was evenly split between 12 male and 12 female athletes.

The GPA Legacy Leadership Programme has been developed as the successor to the long-running Jim Madden GPA Leadership Programme, which for more than a decade supported current and former inter-county players in developing leadership and professional skills to help them succeed beyond their sporting careers.

Participants on the programme took part in a range of development activities including immersive leadership workshops, one-to-one coaching sessions and development centres designed to challenge players and encourage peer learning among athletes from different codes and counties.

The initiative was designed to be compatible with the demanding schedules of elite athletes while also focusing on real-world leadership skills and personal reflection.

McIntyre joined a diverse group of graduates that included players from counties such as Antrim, Clare, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. The programme brought together athletes from hurling, football, camogie and ladies football, creating what organisers described as a strong environment for shared learning and collaboration.

Congratulating the graduates, GPA CEO Tom Parsons said the class were following in the footsteps of many players who had previously benefited from the leadership programme.

“Congratulations to each of our 24 graduates from the class of 2025,” he said.

“They are the first class on the newly titled GPA Legacy Leadership Programme but they follow very closely in the footsteps of all the players who have gone through the GPA Jim Madden Leadership Programme before them.

“I both hope and expect that these 24 leaders will go on to further their careers and their positive impact in their communities by using the skills they have honed as part of this programme.”

Parsons also thanked course facilitator Martin Kelly of Think HR for his work with the players, as well as the GPA’s Wellbeing and Development team and Karen Thorpe of Kick-Off Event Management for their role in delivering the programme.

The graduation ceremony also recognised a further 22 players who previously completed the Jim Madden GPA Leadership Programme and who graduated as part of the 2025 class of the Maynooth Special Purpose Certificate in Professional Leadership.

Representatives from Maynooth University, including Majella Dempsey, Head of the Department of Education, and Programme Director Paula Kinnarney, were also in attendance at the event.

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