TOP JOB: Noel O'Sullivan has been elected to highest job in the GAA Britain

By Sean Moriarty

Killarney man Noel O’Sullivan has been elected as the chair of the GAA’s Provincial Council of Britain. The association represents the county boards of Scotland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire and London. There are a total 82 clubs affiliated to Provincial Council of Britain.

“It is a huge honour for me and a huge honour for my family,” Mr O’Sullivan told the Killarney Advertiser. “This is the highest position that can be reached in the GAA in Britain. I want to thank the seven county boards who put their trust in me.”

O’Sullivan hopes to undertake two major projects in his three-year leadership term.

He wants each county board in the UK to have its own county grounds and he wants to develop the underage structure as the sport moves away from an emigrant sport and becomes more reliant on home-grown players.

“I want see the clubs become self-sufficient with their own county grounds,” he added. “The role in that sense is more about developments than fundraising. I want to see more underage work done too as we move away from immigration.”

Guidance

O’Sullivan from Ballaugh on the Mallow Road, has dedicated his life to London and British GAA.

He previously served as the chairman of the London County Board between 2011 and 2015 which was one of the most progressive periods in London GAA.
In that time he spearheaded fundraising efforts to build new grandstands at the county grounds in Ruislip – the total redevelopment cost over £4.3 million.

Other achievements include the affiliation of the Irish Guards – a club made up entirely of members of the British Army – as a junior football team in the London County Championship.

It was also one of the most successful periods in London GAA history. The County footballers qualified for the 2013 Connaught final against Mayo and enjoyed their first only All-Ireland qualifiers (back door) campaign.

A year earlier the county’s hurling team won the Christy Ring All-Ireland Hurling title for second rate teams and this earned them the right to play for the Liam McCarthy Cup which they did for two seasons before being relegated again.

Flying the Kerry flag in Britain

​​​​​​​
Noel O’Sullivan flies many flags but they are all rooted in the Green and Gold of Kerry.

He is a long-time member of St Kiernan’s GAA Club in London, a club with strong Kerry ties. Club chairman is Beaufort native Jerome O’Shea.

Noel’s GAA involvement stretches across several other areas including chairman of the All Britain Championship.

He is also a former chairman of the Kerry Association London and served as that club’s Kerry-London Person of the Year in 2011. He is one of the longest serving members of the London Killarney Reunion.

Mr O’Sullivan is the chairman of the London Rose of Tralee Centre as well.