Major GAA role for Trim woman Aoife Farrelly

Newly-elected GAA president Larry McCarthy revealed in his first speech to Congress last weekend that there would be a strong female presence on all his committees in Croke Park.

That was evidenced by the appointment of three women to disciplinary committees, including Trim GAA's Aoife Farrelly.

After spending 14 years on the independent Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA), Farrelly, who works as a barrister, will step into the Association and join another Meath representative Brian Rennick from Dunderry on the Central Hearings Committee (CHC).

McCarthy also announced Donegal's Julie Galbraith would join the the Central Appeals Committee (CAC), while Galway's Mary Judge will work with another Meath representative, former senior captain and current Meath GAA Chief Operations Officer Seamus Kenny, on the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).

Rennick moves from the CAC to the CHC where he will sit alongside Farrelly and the Trim woman is eagerly looking forward to the challenge.

"I loved being involved with the DRA for the last 14 years. Rory Hannify, who is the secretary of the DRA, is a barrister as well, but we would never really have crossed paths before, but from working together on the DRA I would now consider him a very good friend," recalled Farrelly.

"I always answered the call when I was asked to sit on a case in front of the DRA because I really, really enjoyed doing it. I found it really interesting work.

"Of course some of it can be quite mundane like transfers and stuff, but actually I quite enjoyed that to because it gives you a really good insight into how important club structures are.

"I got a call from Liam Keane a few weeks ago and I thought initially that my appointment to the Central Hearings Committee came through him. Liam is a very strong influence on my life, both personally and through work, he is a very decent, salt of the earth character.

"Liam told me that he had got a call from the new GAA President Larry McCarthy a few weeks earlier to talk through what his strategy was for his upcoming term as President and that Larry had mentioned my name to him as one of the people he wanted on the committee.

"Moving onto the Central Hearings Committee is a move in-house to the association. The DRA pride themselves on having as few hearings as possible because it means that the other structures are working properly if the DRA isn't being called upon to decide on things.

"There could be around 15 hearings a year to the DRA and I would have done maybe six or seven of those, but I'd imagine it will be a busier role with the Central Hearings.

"I really enjoyed being on the DRA, but this change will be a good challenge too and I'm really looking forward to it.

"I'm delighted and honoured to be appointed by the president to the committee, I just hope that I get a chance to get into Croke Park for some of the work and that it doesn't all end up being Teams meetings.

"I never really crossed paths with Brian Rennick when he was on the DRA and he was highly regarded on the DRA, particularly with the Diarmuid Connolly case. I'm really looking forward to having a chat with him too."

Despite never playing Gaelic Games in her youth Farrelly has a deep love for the GAA and was a avid follower of club and county as she followed Trim and Meath all over the country with her father Pat.

Married to a Dublin man Farrelly believes that the importance of the GAA in the community cannot be understated.

"I never played the games when I was younger, but my father was an avid Meath supporter. He had four daughters, but we never really played GAA with the club or anything like that," said Farrelly.

"There was plenty of camogie around when I was younger, but we never played that. None of us ever played any sport really, we were big into the music alright and I suppose our parents were on top of their heads trying to bring us everywhere for that, so there was no time for sport.

"Even though we never played we always went to all the matches. My father would go to all the club matches and all the Meath matches and we always went with him, we were massive Meath fans. Then when my own kids came along, that was transformative and we have become immersed in the GAA.

"My husband is a Dub and has been living in Trim since 2010, but until the boys went to school and started playing football he had no othert connection with Trim as such.

"However since the boys have started playing the GAA has transformed him, so he thinks the GAA is the best thing ever. He was always into the GAA, a big Dublin GAA supporter, but Trim GAA has made his life in Trim, that is the power of the GAA and its strength in the community."

So for someone with no playing background, how did Farrelly end up on one of such a powerful body as the DRA?

"Through work I would know Liam Keane quite well, Liam helped set up the DRA essentially and he was the secretary of that body at the time. I was chatting to him about work one day and something came up about football, as it invariably does with Liam, and he asked me would I have any interest in getting involved and I said I would love it.

"The DRA tied my interest in the GAA in with my work environment. Being on the DRA put me on the other side of the table than I would normally be on. On the DRA you are sitting hearing cases and listening to how people present cases, so that helped refine my skills for my work environment too," concluded the Trim woman.