Process on Tipp GAA Vice-Chairperson re-vote still unclear

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary County Board will hold a review of the circumstances surrounding the vote for vice-chairperson at Convention last Saturday night, which was declared void, after too many votes were cast.

Following the registration of club delegates (each club entitled to 3 but not all clubs used their full complement) and existing board officers who were entitled to vote, a voting strength of 213 was declared prior to the vote, but when the votes were tallied, 218 were totalled, 109 each for respective candidates Mark McLoughlin (Roscrea) and Michael Tierney (Borris-Ileigh), five votes more than should have been cast. There are also suggestions that more ballot papers were issued but weren't cast.

Outgoing county chairperson Joe Kennedy declared the vote as “compromised” and a new vote would have to take place in January.

New county chairperson Jimmy Minogue confirmed that the issue would be raised at the December county board meeting held, via zoom, last night (Tuesday), where he apologised to both candidates and said the county "lost a lot of credibility on Saturday night with the way things happened. It is not a night where we did ourselves proud."

He added: "We will learn from it and look to put things in place that it doesn't happen again."

Minogue did confirm that the county board had sought advice from Croke Park as to how best to handle the re-vote, in terms of whether it needs to be in-person or by post, who is entitled to vote (i.e., 2023 or 2024 county officers) or if nominations for vice-chairperson need to be reopened and allow new candidates to throw their hats in the ring.

Neither candidate were willing to comment when approached by the Nenagh Guardian this week.