Seán McCague ( – 24 November 2022) was an Irish

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 ...

administrator, footballer, referee and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

who served as the 33rd

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 ...

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 ...

(2000–2003). He became the first Monaghan man to hold that office.

Career

McCague was born in

Scotstown Scotstown () is a village in the townland of Bough () in north County Monaghan, Ireland. Scotstown is located in the parish of Tydavnet, along the Monaghan Blackwater, Scotstown being the village closest to the river's source. Scotstown is cen ...

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

. He played football at junior level there. However, he won a

Monaghan Senior Football Championship The Monaghan Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by Monaghan GAA clubs. The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Ballybay Pearse Brothers are the ti ...

with his club (Scotstown) in 1974. An injury to his back ended his playing career prematurely. He managed the Monaghan senior football team from the late 1970s. He managed his county team to the 1979

Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in early May. The final is ...

(SFC) title and then led it to two further Ulster SFC titles, as well as the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

title. The 1979 title win was Monaghan's first for 41 years. He served as

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

assistant manager under Eugene McGee for the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

and

1990 International Rules Series The 1990 International Rules Series was the fourth series between Australian rules footballers from Australia and Gaelic footballers from Ireland. The series took place in Australia and consisted of three test matches between the Australian and I ...

. He was also a referee. McCague's first involvement in administration was as secretary with his club in 1996. As GAA president he is mostly remembered for the removal of Rule 21 in November 2001. Rule 21 banned members of the British security forces (who were an unwelcome force for most GAA fans) from playing

. The rule was abolished despite the opposition of five of the six northern counties ( Antrim,

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...

and Tyrone). At the annual 2001 GAA Congress, McCague convinced

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the of ...

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...

to pledge €76 million towards 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 h ...

. This amount was later reduced to €38 million.

Personal life

McCague was married, with five daughters. He was principal of Scoil Mhuire in Monaghan, from which he later retired. He died on 24 November 2022, at the age of 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCague, Sean 1940s births Year of birth missing 2022 deaths Gaelic football managers Gaelic football referees Gaelic games club administrators Heads of schools in Ireland Ireland international rules football team Irish schoolteachers Monaghan Gaelic footballers Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association People from Scotstown, County Monaghan