GAA PUNDIT JOE Brolly has revealed that a number of political parties have asked him to consider running for election to become Ireland’s next head of state.
Brolly, the Sunday Game analyst and former Derry forward confirmed to the Belfast Telegraph that he has been approached but he has refused to confirm his interest in the role, admitting he sees it as “very ambassadorial”.
The 46-year-old has plenty of time to make up his mind though with Michael D Higgins in office for another three years.
The barrister seems more intent on targeting social change, something he is unsure he could achieve as President of Ireland.
“What we’ve seen over the last three presidencies – and all of them have been outstanding presidents taking into account the constraints of the role – we’ve seen very academic people with very academic interests, and even people with their sort of heft have been unable, really, to influence any agenda,” he said.
“There are a lot of really important social issues that I think could be advanced. I’ve seen Opt for Life – our organ donation campaign, totally voluntary – in the space of the three years since it was created begin to create real awareness here in the North.
When we started three years ago our rates were extremely low and now … we’re number one in the world for kidney donation.
If Brolly does decide to run to become Ireland’s head of state he has insisted it would be a no-frills campaign.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t be attracted to it, but it would have to be a zero-cost campaign and it would have to be voluntary.
“There wouldn’t be any of the razzmatazz or anything, and it would obviously be on important social issues and things like that.”
he may have been bad for sligo but what kind of amatuers are running what is supposed to be a professional football club up there?
Embarrassing that a so called Professional club can conduct its’ business in this way.
Absolute disaster of a manager. 4 th largest budget in the league and stuck in a relegation fight with only 2 wins. Has footballers but insists on a long ball game. Players he brought in are, for the most part, useless. The football is shite as reflected by the fans who are voting with their feet. He is playing the Martyr but wants to be paid off on his full 2 year contract with no compromise. People may say contracts should be honoured but with Heary in charge Rovers will be relegated no question.
Ok, we get it, you don’t like the guy and as you say, results seem to support why you have that opinion. That’s no reason to mistreat him though. Sack him if you want but at least be professional about it and communicate it clearly. One minute the club release a statement that they have parted company, then say they’ve reinstated him and then say he stepped down…all contradictory messages. All the signs suggest to me that there are real problems with the management of that club. Do your business behind closed doors!
I’m a Bohs supporter so have little time or sympathy for Heary but Sligo have made a balls of how they’ve handled the situation. Very unprofessional and if I was a Sligo fan, I’d be rightly pissed off with the club.
Is that true that they have the 4th largest budget in the league? Presumably Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Pats (unsustainably) are the top 3. I thought John Caulfield was talking shite when he said he was operating off the 5th largest budget but apparently not.
This mess isn’t helping any of the parties involved from the manager to chairman and committee
As a rovers supporter I very disappointed by the whole thing.
There has been no clear statements from the club since things have gone pear shaped
We have some very capable players and heary is not a capable manager look at bohs performance this season compared to last.
All in all I think this is going to be an expensive tale for rovers and we should keep to our managers from abroad as proven thru the years to be the most successful for use
heary won’t walk away from the 18 months left on his contract worth a reported 70k. that’s why he says he was fired . He wants his payoff. The club can’t afford to pay him off but If fans stay away like what’s happening now then 65% of gate receipts budgets for next season will leave the club in trouble next season as well . The club need to bite the bullet and pay him off and say good riddance to a shite manager . heary doesn’t look good in this situation either . no club will touch him in the future now. The sacking was the right decision 2 wins from 16 is shocking. I’m just disappointed by the way the rovers board handled this
Delighted he finished with Bohs when he did, was an absolute disaster as manager his stint at Sligo just confirmed that he’s simply not up to the task of managing a club in the League of Ireland.