Delegates call on Clare GAA to employ local contractors

Clare GAA executive has been called on to support local contractors and workers whenever possible.

At last week’s board meeting, Whitegate’s David Solan said, “There is a local contractor who employs a lot of local people and he is finding it hard to get work from the county board. He has carried out contracts across Europe. He has patented his work but he is struggling to get work from this board,” he said.

County secretary, Pat Fitzgerald denied the allegation. “I presume its Pádraig Giblin you are talking about. He put up all the nets in Cusack Park, Clareabbey and Ryan’s Field (Clarecastle). We never got anybody else but Pádraig Giblin.”

He added that repair work had been carried out on nets by a different contractor.

Earlier, Scariff chairman, Dan Treacy said, “In these days of unemployment, emigration and suicide, the GAA has a responsibility to its members. At club level, everybody does a very good job in ensuring that any work that needs to be done is done by local people.”

He then appealed to the county ­executive. “Wherever and whenever ­possible, they adopt the same ethos, whether its at Cusack Park, on at the centre of excellence in Tulla, local firms, local individuals, local companies should be afforded every opportunity to be involved.

“These are the people we go to to sell our county board tickets and to sponsor our teams.”

Mr Giblin is a member of the Scariff club and a former player with all of their teams.

In relation to the Caherlohan centre of excellence project, both the secretary and board chairman, Michael McDonagh told the meeting, “Croke Park are in charge and they make the decisions. They have put €1.8 million into it. They have a consultant engineer who comes from Derry. We have one from Cork. Croke Park will then decide.”

Clarecastle’s Bernard Hanrahan said, “Ye should be making the decisions and Pádraig Giblin should be getting that job. We must employ our own people.

“Croke Park has the say. They have put the money in. We have employed Claremen to do everything to date. There was a tender process and four tenders were submitted.

“We have nothing to do with it. Croke Park will decide,” secretary Fitzgerald replied.