Kevin O’Donovan hits back at All-Ireland ‘nonsense’ in Cork GAA Convention report

With the release of Cork GAA’s Convention Booklet ahead of Tuesday night’s gathering at the Páirc, there are a number of things that CEO Kevin O’Donovan’s report addresses.

Among the many strands he touches on – fixtures, finance, demographics – one section stands out for finally confronting a topic that has simmered since July. The post-All-Ireland rumours.

ALL-IRELAND RUMOURS 

O’Donovan does not name the incident but leaves no room for doubt about what he’s addressing.

"In regard to the preposterous rumours that circulated post All-Ireland, it said far more about the modern Irish male and his pathetic attachment to his mobile device than it did about the Board’s reluctance to fuel such rumours with any potential denials.” "The fools that originate and spread such tales of fancy require oxygen to propagate their myths and we do not intend to give them much here.” 

He adds that the speculation “was treated with similar scepticism by media,” and that Cork GAA “privately addressed the matter at the subsequent County Committee meeting, briefing all clubs of the non-story which was the reality.” It is, at the very least, a belated public closing of that chapter.

Yet it also re-opens another question. When journalists have been barred from County Committee meetings since the early months of Pat Horgan’s chairmanship in 2024, how can those clarifications reach the wider public?

The ban on media attendance – despite attempts by some delegates to reverse it – means that much of what is clarified in private never reaches daylight. And while O’Donovan insists the Board was right not to dignify falsehoods, former Cork hurler Patrick Horgan, now part of the Cork U20 setup, felt the delay left players exposed.

“I think there were certain times where they could have helped out everybody, to be honest, the half-time rubbish that was being said, which wasn’t true at all,” Horgan said. 

I think they just left that lingering there. Left us to take the brunt of it really.

“I think it shouldn’t have been in our hands to come out and say something like that. Why would we have to say it? We know it wasn’t true and they know it wasn’t true.” 

INDEPENDENT TEAMS 

The report also turns to one of the year’s most controversial issues – the restrictions on independent teams.

O’Donovan argues that criticism of the policy has ignored both the rulebook and the reality of the numbers involved.

“It remains the case that General Rule only permits the formation of independent teams where there is an inability to field,” he writes. “Indeed, the constant reference to “amalgamations” whereby two adult clubs are disbanded to form another, betrayed the lack of understanding of the rulebook amongst members.

“Not a single instance or unit discussed in the past six months had any relevance to amalgamations.

Another lie was the one told that there was an agenda against the formation of independent teams, which remain the lifeblood of depopulated, isolated rural areas across the county.

“Indeed, the monitoring committee in place which made the various recommendations to County Committee contained members from such clubs, who maintained a deep understanding of the challenges in fielding teams.

“And of course, what all those driving the spin machine refused to recognise was that 84% of applications for independent teams were approved, a number that was required to remain unsaid in the various campaigns. Nor was it recognised that all applications at U14, U16 and U18 level were approved.” 

FINANCIAL 

Financially, O’Donovan reports that Cork GAA recorded a surplus “in the region of €1.5 million” for 2025, a sign that the county’s day-to-day accounts are stabilised.

SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, meanwhile, continues to carry stadium debt of around €30 million. The 2025 accounts show a loss of €1,963,215, an increase of roughly €63,000 on last year.

That figure, he stresses, reflects depreciation and interest more than operating weakness.

“A stadium EBITDA in the region of €0.37m in a non-concert year showed a healthy break-even position. Of course, this is all in the context of significant stadium debt in the region of €30m in relation to which we are grateful to CLG for their continued support.

“All scheduled repayments are being met to both bank and CLG, as are all interest payments,” he writes. 

With a strong budget in place for 2026 and with guaranteed income from concerts also on the books, the fog is now clearing, hopefully allowing us to put the pursuit of a Centre of Excellence firmly on. 

In summary, the 2025 report does what O’Donovan’s writing usually does – defend, explain, and occasionally swipe.

It closes the All-Ireland rumours, clarifies contentious issues, and concedes that while Páirc Uí Chaoimh still shows a loss on paper, Cork GAA’s footing is firmer than the headlines might suggest.