At Limerick GAA's annual convention in 2005, club delegates voted in favour of creating a the full-time paid post of County Board Secretary. West Limerick GAA club St Kieran's proposed the change which received almost unanimous backing from the club delegates. The job advert, which appeared in newspapers prior to Christmas 2006 outlined the job description and at the January 2007 County Board meeting it was confirmed that the pay structure would be similar to that of a 'middle-ranking civil servant' and amount to between €50,000 and €60,000.
Three people applied for the job and last March, the position was offered to long serving secretary, Jimmy Hartigan. However, this time last year, the Ballybrown man performed a surprise u-turn and declined the job.
Initially, Hartigan stepped aside altogether, but at the annual convention last December, he retired and was replaced by Kilmallock's Mike O'Riordan, who defeated Denis Martin of Staker Wallace in the election. Just this week, O'Riordan was appointed as Limerick's Munster Council delegate. Three candidates had been nominated to fill the vacant position of Munster Council delegate after the elevation of Pat Fitzgerald to Munster Council secretary/CEO. O'Riordan, John Landers (Oola) and Eddie Wade (South Liberties) are the trio that received nominations, but Landers and Wade withdrew ahead of this week's monthly county board meeting.

Cash windfall
Limerick GAA chiefs could be set for a €200,000 windfall from Croke Park as a fall-out from the new guidelines for stadium advertising and the new sponsorship arrangements for the GAA All-Ireland hurling and football championships. It appears that all county boards are to receive €160,000, but Limerick will receive an additional €40,000 for staging the June 1 Munster senior hurling championship clash between Clare and Waterford in the Gaelic Grounds. As their share of the television rights deal, Limerick could be in line to receive €30,000 and when the sponsorships are divided €110,000 could make its way Shannonside. The latest emerging from a Central Council meeting on Saturday was that for just agreeing to the new procedures, the coffers could be boosted by a further €20,000. All the above will be secured by every county as a form of compensation.
Limerick and all others that host 'live' games will benefit to the tune of another €40,000. However, the local fall-out is as of yet unknown. All-Ireland hurling championship sponsors; Etihad Airways, Guinness and RTE will dominate the hoardings on three sides of the Gaelic Grounds on June 1. So where does that leave the sponsors, whose hoardings have been in situ for years. It appears, at the very least the positioning of some hoardings will have to be changed. The long and the short of it, appears to be that 'the locals' will not get very much time 'on camera'.

Granagh's Aoife Sheehan hosts Gameball
After captaining Limerick to their All-Ireland Senior B camogie success last season, Aoife Sheehan is now making headlines off the field. The Granagh girl is the new face of Gameball - a new GAA web only 'tv' show aimed at the youtube and bebo generation. Gameball will be online every Friday for the remainder of the Championship.
See: http://ie.youtube.com/user/ballywire or http://www.bebo.com/GameB16
The first show features interviews with GAA Director General, Paraic Duffy, President elect, Christy Cooney and the GPA's Dessie Farrell as well as Kerry's Paul Galvin and Kilkenny's James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick.

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