GAA history has ben made after former Tánaiste Mary Coughlan was appointed the chair of the Donegal County Board tonight.
The St Naul’s club delegate succeeds outgoing chairperson Fergus McGee, who stood down after one year in the role.
Coughlan was left as the only candidate for the position after former county chairman Seán Dunnion and Coughlan’s St Naul’s clubmate Cieran Kelly having already dropped out of the running two weeks ago.
Since her retirement from political life, Coughlan has held the role of secretary for the St Naul’s club.
Accepting her new role, Coughlan thanked Kelly and Dunnion.
She referred to them as “two excellent candidates” while calling on the new board to have “mutual respect.”
After Ms Coughlan’s appointment, one delegate on the floor remarked that “tonight we are making headlines for the right reasons”.
With many looking forward to the return of senior manager Jim McGuinness, managing expectations off the pitch will also be a major task.
Having served as a Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal South-West for 24 years until 2011, Coughlan is seen as someone who will be more than capable of leading the county board.
