Christy Cooney
Encyclopedia
Christy Cooney is the current President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
. He was elected President at the annual GAA Congress on 12 April 2008 and succeeded Nickey Brennan
in the post in 2009 - becoming the 36th President of the GAA.
In the GAA annual Congress in 2005, Nickey Brennan was voted as the new GAA President, only 17 votes ahead of Cooney. Brennan's election was seen as a surprise by some and Cooney thought he had gathered enough support among delegates to secure the position. Brennan said that he hoped Cooney would put his name forward again in the future. At the time Cooney was president of his local club Youghal.
Cooney ran again for President three years later and was elected with over half the votes at the 2008 Congress, beating Liam O'Neill and Sean Fogarty.
s at Croke Park. Due to an anti pitch invasion stance held by Cooney and other GAA officials, the GAA installed a large fence encompassing perspex screening in front of the Hill 16 end in an effort to deter pitch invasions. In numerous interviews, Cooney has given the Hillsborough disaster
as an example why this fence is needed, yet numerous columnists have pointed out the irony that this fence may actually lead to a Hillsborough type tragedy at Croke Park. A campaign to get Dublin city council to remove the barrier has begun
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
. He was elected President at the annual GAA Congress on 12 April 2008 and succeeded Nickey Brennan
Nickey Brennan
Nickey Brennan is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Conahy Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1970s...
in the post in 2009 - becoming the 36th President of the GAA.
In the GAA annual Congress in 2005, Nickey Brennan was voted as the new GAA President, only 17 votes ahead of Cooney. Brennan's election was seen as a surprise by some and Cooney thought he had gathered enough support among delegates to secure the position. Brennan said that he hoped Cooney would put his name forward again in the future. At the time Cooney was president of his local club Youghal.
Cooney ran again for President three years later and was elected with over half the votes at the 2008 Congress, beating Liam O'Neill and Sean Fogarty.
Controversy
Cooney has been widely criticised for his stance on pitch invasionPitch invasion
A pitch invasion or field invasion, known as rushing the field in the United States, occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident...
s at Croke Park. Due to an anti pitch invasion stance held by Cooney and other GAA officials, the GAA installed a large fence encompassing perspex screening in front of the Hill 16 end in an effort to deter pitch invasions. In numerous interviews, Cooney has given the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
as an example why this fence is needed, yet numerous columnists have pointed out the irony that this fence may actually lead to a Hillsborough type tragedy at Croke Park. A campaign to get Dublin city council to remove the barrier has begun