Mary McAleese questioned the GAA’s attitude towards women – now they’ve replaced her with a man

The first thing to say about John Horan is that he’s likely to do a good job as the new chair of the Integration Steering Committee. Nothing is guaranteed, of course – if it were, Mary McAleese would have stayed, and the whole process wouldn’t be snarled up like the M50 at breakfast time. But Horan is capable, willing, experienced and battle-hardened. On the basic fundamentals, he is an obvious fit for the role.

Still. Doesn’t look great, does it? The former chair of the steering committee storms out the door, complaining about a GAA management committee in which she suspects “there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making”. And their response is … to replace her with a man.