Liam Mulvihill (born 25 May 1946) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

retired

Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

administrator. He served as Director-General 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 ...

from 1979 until 2008. Born in

Keenagh Keenagh or Kenagh () is a village in County Longford, Ireland. It is situated on the R397 near the Royal Canal. A small village with two churches, (Catholic and Church of Ireland), a couple of shops and three pubs, it lies south of Longford To ...

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

, Mulvihill was the eldest of ten children. He was educated at St. Mel's College, where he won a

Hogan Cup The Hogan Cup ( ga, Corn Uí Ógáin), also known as the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A Football Championship, is the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools (sometimes referred to as colleges) in Ireland. The com ...

medal in 1963, and later qualified as a primary school teacher from St. Patrick's College in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Mulvihill moved to

Nenagh Nenagh (, ; or simply ''An tAonach'') meaning “The Fair of Ormond” or simply "The Fair", is the county town and second largest town in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

in 1974 when he was appointed as a primary schools inspector. Mulvihill played

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

for Kenagh and at all grades for the Longford county team before becoming involved in the administration of the game. He served as secretary of the Kenagh minors, a position which led to his representing the club on the Longford Minor Board. Mulvihill was subsequently appointed to the Longford County Board. He was elected vice-president of the board at the age of 23 before being elected chairman in 1970. Mulvihill served in this position until 1974 when he was elected Longford county representative on the GAA's

Central Council Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. Mulvihill was the unanimous choice to succeed

Seán Ó Síocháin Seán Ó Síocháin (24 March 1914 – 2 February 1997) was an Irish Gaelic footballer, hurler, ballad singer, broadcaster and Gaelic games administrator. His championship career with the Cork and Dublin senior teams spanned seven sea ...

as Director-General of the GAA in 1979. Over the course of his 29-year tenure he oversaw some of the major changes within the GAA, most notably the redevelopment 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 ...

between 1993 and 2005, 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 Security forces are statutory organizations with internal security mandates. In the legal context of sev ...

(2001) and

Rule 42 Rule 42 (now Rule 5.1 and Rule 44 in the 2008 guide) is a rule of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) which in practice prohibits the playing of non-Gaelic games in GAA stadiums. The rule is often mistakenly believed to prohibit '' foreign spor ...

(2007).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulvihill, Liam 1946 births Living people Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Gaelic games administrators Kenagh Gaelic footballers Longford County Board administrators Longford inter-county Gaelic footballers People educated at St Mel's College