John Henry "Jack" Boothman (12 October 1935 – 10 May 2016) was the 31st
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
(GAA) between 1994 and 1997. He was an active member of his local
Blessington GAA
Blessington Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies' Gaelic football club based in Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland.
History
The club was founded in 1909, initially playing its games in the Burgage near ...
club in
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
.
He was chairman of the
Leinster Council
The Leinster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County ...
from 1987 until 1989.
He was elected as president of the Association and took up the position in 1994. Boothman championed the abolition of
Rule 21
Rule 21 of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was a rule in force from 1897 to 2001 which banned members of the British security forces from membership of the GAA and thus from playing Gaelic games. The affected organisations included the Bri ...
, which debarred members of the British security forces from joining the GAA.
However, Boothman opposed the opening up of
Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
to international soccer and rugby, feeling that it would be a "disastrous mistake" for the GAA to benefit competing sports so significantly.
A member of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
and past pupil of
The King's Hospital, Dublin, Boothman was the first
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
president of the GAA.
BOOTHMAN SEEKS TO ESTABLISH GAA DOMINANCE
BNET.com Until his death at the age of 80 in 2016, he still held the position of President within his own local club.
References
1935 births
2016 deaths
Chairmen of Gaelic games governing bodies
Gaelic games club administrators
Leinster Provincial Council administrators
People educated at The King's Hospital
People from Blessington
Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association
{{GAA-bio-stub