Rory Gallagher and ex-wife Nicola
In a statement to the media, Gallagher called for the intervention to be “formally withdrawn and that the contents of the correspondence (are) retracted,”.
He added that if the were not withdrawn he would be left with no alternative but to pursue legal action.
Gallagher also used his latest statement to the Irish Independent to “categorically deny the allegations levelled against me,” reiterating how two PPS (Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland) decisions, on foot of investigations into the allegations, found that he had “no case to answer.”
Gallagher faced allegations of domestic abuse from his estranged wife Nicola who made them in a Facebook post in the week of the 2023 Ulster football final when he was Derry manager preparing the team to play Armagh.
He initially stepped back from his role with Derry prior to that final, which Derry won to retain their title, but in the days after he then stepped down.
Gallagher issued a statement at the time stating the allegations had been investigated and dealt with by the relevant authorities.
And while his legal representatives issued a further statement last September in which they said Gallagher had “firmly and steadfastly refuted all the allegations levelled against him,” this time the allegations are denied in his own words.
Rory Gallagher resigned as Derry senior football manager over ex-wife’s domestic abuse allegations
But by Monday Naas had done a u-turn with confirmation that he would not be joining the backroom team.
The Irish Independent then reported that Burns had been in contact with the Naas club on Sunday, prior to the club executive meeting later that night where the decision was taken not to press ahead with the appointment of the former Fermanagh footballer.
As part of his contact with Naas, Burns wrote an email in which he outlined his concerns at the prospective appointment of Gallagher, in light of the division it would potentially cause in the club and the wider implications it could have for the Association.
Burns stressed in his email that Naas had the right and the independence to proceed with the appointment but in offering his perspective he specifically referenced the GAA’s role, together with the LGFA and Camogie Association, in the launch of Game Changer last November, a collaboration with Ruhma and White Ribbon aimed at raising awareness and action through sport to tackle Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV).
In his statement Gallagher said he had seen the email yesterday and said the GAA president had engaged in an “unprecedented move in an effort to sabotage my potential appointment.”
Gallagher also suggested that the president’s contact with Naas wasn’t the first such intervention of this nature he has made.
“With great power comes great responsibility. Mr Burns’ actions are premised on a misguided and self-serving compulsion to share his concern. Regrettably, whilst this is the first time Mr Burns’ actions have been made public, this is not the first time that I have been informed that he has taken matters into his own hands with respect to me and my family life.
“By Mr Burns’ own admission, his motivation is the “controversy” surrounding my “personal life” that “has created division”. These words should be a matter of concern to not just me and my family, but to every GAA member. It seems that social media commentary and controversy now equates to a licence for presidential intervention.
“… most importantly I engaged with the GAA’s own procedures which set aside my disbarment,” a reference to the case he took to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) to challenge Ulster GAA’s decision to temporarily debar him from GAA activity as they awaited completion of a report from the province’s safeguarding panel.
Gallagher had been coaching Monaghan senior team Corduff at the time and will continue to coach them into 2025.
“Despite having engaged with due process and procedure, it seems clear that the President has now opted to take matters into his own hands,” Gallagher’s statement continued.
“Such action is not only without precedent, it seeks to enter into an authoritarian world where due process and procedure count for nothing.
“I await with interest to see if Mr Burns takes such direct personal action against others who find their private life the subject of social media commentary and hyperbole.
“The chilling effect of these actions cannot be greater. Mr Burns’ actions not only undermine the very principles of fairness and equality to which the GAA is premised, but it sends a clear message that such dictatorial action can and will be taken, when the President sees fit.
“I have never asked for sympathy or support. I do however ask that this action is formally withdrawn and the contents of the correspondence is retracted.
“The President should lead by example and accept when he has overstepped the mark.
“Absent such a retraction, I will have no other alternative but to take legal action to cure the irreparable damage done to me and my family in my ability to continue to work as a manager in the years ahead.”
Burns and the GAA at Croke Park HQ have yet to comment on Gallagher’s statement.
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