Outgoing GAA president Larry McCarthy has said that he will hand the reins over to Jarlath Burns regret free as the 2024 Congress begins to take centre stage.
Delegates were starting to arrive at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry on Thursday and McCarthy was amongst them as he was present to launch the new World GAA strategic plan.
McCarthy was elected as the 40th president in February 2020, just weeks before the association was turned upside down by the Covid pandemic, and on Saturday afternoon his term will officially come to an end when former Armagh captain Burns takes over.
"Regrets? None," was McCarthy's reply when speaking to RTÉ Sport in Newry. "I’ve always said, and continue to say, that it’s the best gig I’ve ever had.
"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the three years, they’ve been wonderful. On that basis alone I’m going to miss it.
"The reality is my three years are up and we move on."
McCarthy’s term was punctuated by some testing times such as the pandemic and the introduction of the new split-season format, but he said that the role never felt like a burden.
"People will always ask me what was the highlight - the highlight was the whole challenge," he said.
"The whole challenge of trying to understand what was happening and pull it together and be a leader in such an organisation that’s so diverse.
"That challenge got me up out of bed every day, invigorated me in a huge way, so I’m very, very grateful for that.
"It’s been everything I’ve expected and more."
He also backed his successor Burns to deal with any obstacles that may arise in his term at the top.
"Just the sheer size of the organisation, there’s stuff going to come up on a day-to-day and monthly basis," he said of what Burns can expect.
"At some level you don’t know what it is but he’s well capable of taking it on and I can assure you he’ll take it all in his stride."
McCarthy’s final week as GAA president also saw significant progress on the integration front with the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association announcing their intention to be a sole association by 2027.
"That’s a big step," McCarthy continued.
"We started that many years ago with the One Club model. When we wrote our strategic plan and launched it about two and a half years ago, that gave that an added boost.
"The announcements made this week will give a huge boost too."
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