Croke Park motion defeated at GAA Congress

A Clare motion calling for an amendment to Rule 42 was defeated by 197 votes to 106 at the GAA¿s annual Congress at the Burlington…

A Clare motion calling for an amendment to Rule 42 was defeated by 197 votes to 106 at the GAA¿s annual Congress at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin today.

The motion - drafted by the St Joseph's club in Milltown Malbay - proposed that Central Council would have final say on the use of Croke Park for other sports.

Last year a similar motion - proposed by Roscommon - was defeated by a narrow margin.

Clare became the only county to back the motion after Kildare and Monaghan withdrew their support during the week.

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With dwindling support it seemed the Clare motion would be withdrawn and the issue deferred to a Special Congress but delegates from the Munster county tabled the motion this morning.

Meanwhile, Seán Kelly of Kerry will succeed Seán McCague as GAA president next year.

Kelly defeated Kildare's Seamus Aldridge, Longford's Albert Fallon and PJ McGrath of Mayo and becomes the first Kerryman to be elected president of the association.

The voting was conducted by proportional representation with delegates asked to vote for all four candidates in the order of preference.

In the concluding count, Kelly received 195 votes which put him well ahead of Aldridge, who was on a count of 52. Fallon polled 44 votes and McGrath 33.

Kelly has served as chairman of the Kerry county board and the Munster Council. He currently holds the chair of the International Dimension Work Group.