JP McManus to donate 1 million to each county. Greatest gesture in the GAA ever? What's your take?

thefa

@crusd I can some justification in that but it ignores the existing sports capital grants and what I think is the intention of the donation.

Sports Capital Grants have been coming out every 2/3 years. The GAA got €65m of €166m in the 2020 applications and €19m of €57m from the 2018 applications so gets well represented. Over 800 GAA projects in the 2020 were awarded something and seems to be ~95% application success. 2023 had another round with applications closing last September.

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/84105-review-of-sports-capital-and-equipment-programme-2020/

Intention seems to be to spread it across the counties and clubs so it would undoubtedly create a huge mess to have clubs having to create projects to bid for it with an adjudication process having to be created to manage that. I can see the better organized clubs benefiting the most while some clubs are simply better off receiving a cash injection for stability.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526404#Comment_121526404

You obviously know very little about tax.

If it is a donation to a sporting body, the donor has to be tax resident in Ireland for Irish tax purposes in the year of donation. I don't thank that's the case with JP Mc.

If it is a donation to a charitable body, as far as I know it is the charitable body that benefits from the tax relief - not the person paying the donation.

In either case, I cannot see how JP benefits from tax relief for the payments.

The above comments are obviously as a high level. Maybe I am overlooking some other detail.

TheClubMan

Does anybody know of any 'Amalgamated Adult GAA Clubs' in their county or others who have received their own individual share of the pot?

E.g an amalgamated hurling club made up of gaelic football clubs in their area who received their own share separate to the football clubs.

dxhound2005

There is nothing new on Google since mid December linking to newspaper reports. Except this from Wicklow:

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklow/sport/gaa/jp-mcmanus-donation-to-be-distributed-to-wicklow-clubs-by-the-end-of-january/a2079130998.html

There is a copy of the letter received by Roscommon from JP and his family in this thread. But I never saw a copy of the other letter. It would throw a bit of light on things if someone could show it.

"Wicklow GAA Treasurer Larry Howard informed delegates that the cheque from JP McManus had been received by Garden County officials along with two letters, one from JP himself and the other from the JP McManus Foundation.

Howard read some of the letters aloud so delegates would be cognisant of some of the requirements that are in place in terms of the distribution of the funds."

TheClubMan

Does anybody have a copy of the letter from JP's Benevolent Fund stating the criteria and how the money should be spent?

evolvingtipperary101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121616773#Comment_121616773

I read this, this week:

Tipperary have confirmed the method they will use to dispense the huge €1m donation given to it by JP McManus.

Tipp chiefs have stated that each of the 146 clubs in the county across GAA, the Camogie Association and the LGFA will receive €6849.31.

McManus had asked that the money be ‘evenly divided and distributed amongst the GAA, Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football clubs’ of each county.

And Tipperary have reported that each of their 71 GAA clubs, 39 camogie sides and 36 LGFA outfits will all receive an even share.

Wicklow followed a similar method with the Wicklow People reporting that county treasurer Larry Howard explaining that the county had 72 units across the three governing bodies.

"A club will either receive one over 72 of the million, two over 72 of the million or three over 72 of the million,” he said.

“If a club is one unit, they’re going to receive €13,889, if they are two units (i.e. a GAA club and an LGFA club), they’re going to receive €27,778 or if a club has all three then they will be in receipt of €41,667,” he added

callaway92

I see in Clare that handball are looking for a split of the pot as far as a recent club/county board meeting went. Not sure how it’ll play out. I assume it would be a flat out no as the rules were set out by the donator?

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121617189#Comment_121617189

If its a separate club fair enough. A GAA club is a GAA club whether its rounders or hurling or handball. There would be a good few standalone handball clubs.

callaway92

Did the rules state GAA Club or did it state Hurling, Football, Camogie and LGFA Clubs?

megadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121617189#Comment_121617189

The rule as set out by the donator was "...GAA, LGFA & Camogie".

Handball is covered by the GAA bit. It's a GAA sport, governed by the GAA.

Not sure why you assumed it would be a flat out no.

It should be a straightforward 'yes' and most likely will be in certain counties from what I've heard.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121620955#Comment_121620955

I’m not assuming it’s a flat out no - I’m going by the journalist reports from the meeting - have a read of this instead of trying to make me sound dumb.

’Based on the correspondence Clare GAA had received when news of the donation was revealed, there is no leeway to include handball, Clare’s head of operations Deirdre Murphy told the meeting before adding “there is no room for error in this”

She pointed out that Clare GAA had corresponded with many other counties and all had the same understanding.

Responding to Hegarty’s statement that handball is part of the GAA, board chairman Kieran Keating said “it is not affiliated to Clare GAA”.’

https://www.clareecho.ie/clare-gaa-clubs-to-propose-sharing-jp-mcmanus-cash-windfall-with-handball-clubs/

megadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121621012#Comment_121621012

Not sure why you're getting so defensive, I certainly had no intention of making you look dumb.

For the record, in post 338 you said "I assume it would be a flat out no", but now you start by stating "I'm not assuming it's a flat out no".

Anyway, I was responding to the fact that you assumed it would be a flat out no, when there are already talks in certain counties with handball clubs regarding their share. Nothing concrete yet mind you, but there are some encouraging sounds.

Handball is actually known officially as GAAHandball for well over a decade now, so I'm not sure what the board chairman you quoted is talking about.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121621095#Comment_121621095

I was going by the article.

Ok - board chairperson seems to be wrong so and is lying about other counties not doing the handball money distribution?

All I wanted to know was what the story was. Handball is a big thing in east Clare (I have zero interest in it)

Swiss tax exile bribes halfwits by donating a fraction of what he should be paying in taxes.

Tombo2001

The thing about handball is that for many many years it was a poor relation within the GAA.

Arguably it would have been better off never having been part of the GAA.

This is a sport that was probably played as much as hurling 80 or 100 years ago. Close to 1000 ball alleys around the country at that time.

Sport went into serious decline in 1970s and 1980s, myriad of reasons for that but a major part of it was lack of direction from the GAA. Again, it might have been better off as a stand alone entity.

Now I have to acknowledge that the new Handball centre of excellence next to Croke Park is an absolutely top class facility; and the sport does seem to be having a resurgence.

However - if this GAA chairman is saying handball clubs are not eligible, then it does reinforce that view of handball as an afterthought within the GAA.

dxhound2005

Rounders is also a GAA game, with organised clubs.

callaway92

Cork definitely not doing Handball distribution anyway

https://twitter.com/Denis_Hurley/status/1747650750765806064?s=20

evolvingtipperary101

Can JP buy a dome for every county?

megadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121630764#Comment_121630764

Just heard the official news that handball clubs in my own county (Roscommon) are set to get their share.

Leitrim handball clubs have already got their cheques.

There are positive soundings from some other counties also.

So, there's the answer to your original question. Certain counties are actually aware that the GAA sport of handball exists.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646629#Comment_121646629

That’s brilliant. Is that Hurling/Football/ clubs doing it out of goodwill or the County Boards doing it?

For example, Clarecastle GAA Club in Clare are giving a slice to Clarecastle Handball. Absolutely nothing to do with the county board though.

Interesting that the two examples you gave of counties doing it are ‘smaller’ counties with Rossie GAA clubs initially receiving 13k each and Leitrim ones receiving €25,000 each (before any agreement to give to handball clubs).

Whereas Clare is about €9k each (no agreement to give to handball) and Cork obviously a lot less too.

megadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646817#Comment_121646817

Surprisingly, the Roscommon GAA County Board were very pro-active on this issue. They contacted the handball County Board for a list of registered clubs and took it from there. It was expected that there might be some back-and-forth negotiating/arguing etc. but in fairness, it all went very smoothly.

There are two handball clubs that are part of their local overall GAA club and they won't get an individual donation. It's down to the GAA club themselves how they divy out the funds after that. Standalone clubs get the donation.