Who is Jarlath Burns? GAA President's life from playing days, famous son and Rory Gallagher controversy

Jarlath Burns is the high-profile guest on this week's Late Late Show GAA special. The Armagh man has been in the spotlight recently after intervening in the appointment of former Derry senior football manager Rory Gallagher as a coach in Naas GAA in Kildare due to allegations of domestic abuse made against Gallagher by his wife.

Before taking up the reins of the GAA as the organisation's president, Burns was indeed a player himself, as too is his son Jarly Óg who won an All-Ireland medal with the Armagh senior footballers last summer in Croke Park. The Sam Maguire was presented to him and his teammates by his dad, the GAA president.

Where is Jarlath Burns from?

Born in 1968, Jarlath Burns is from Silverbridge in Co Armagh. He is married to his wife Suzanne and the couple share five children. On the pitch, Burns lined out in the famous orange of Armagh, making his debut in 1987. He was the captain in 1999 when Armagh won the Ulster Senior Football title. He also won two McKenna Cups with his county.

In his personal life, Jarlath Burns is a teacher with more than 30 years experience. He has worked in the same school - St Paul's High School, Bessbrook - a Catholic school with over 1,500 students. He became the principal of St Paul's in 2013.

What roles has Jarlath Burns held in the GAA?

After retiring from playing, Jarlath Burns went into the management and administration side of the GAA. He was an underage manager of his local Silverbridge club in Armagh, while he also served as the club's chairman and secretary at different times. 

He managed the Ireland women's international rules team that defeated Australia in the 2006 Ladies' International Rules Series. He has also worked on the BBC's coverage of Ulster GAA matches.

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Burns' involvement with the GAA at national level began in 2000 when he was appointed as the first players’ representative to Central Council. He was Armagh's Central Council delegate from 2010 to 2015. Since then, he has been involved in Scór, the GAA's medical and welfare committee, the GAA 125 anniversary committee and the pitch presentations committee, and he chaired the standing committee on playing rules. He was voted in as GAA President at the end of 2023 and took up the role in early 2024. He is serving a three-year term at the helm.

Who is Jarlath Burns' son? 

One of Jarlath Burns' children is Jarly Óg who was part of the Armagh senior football team that won the All-Ireland title in the summer of 2024. He and his teammates were presented with the Sam Maguire and their medals by Jarlath Burns who had commenced his role as GAA President earlier that year.

PICTURED: Jarlath Burns with his son Jarly Óg after Armagh won the 2024 All-Ireland Football Championship

24-year-old Jarly Óg also plays for the Silverbridge club and is in a relationship with Tyrone woman Tara Donaghy. In an interview late last year, he recognised her huge support to him as one of the top footballers in the country. He said: "She's a Tyrone woman for my sins...she puts up with a lot from me now in fairness."

What is the Rory Gallagher controversy all about?

The GAA President Jarlath Burns became embroiled in controversy in January 2025 when he wrote to Naas GAA and advised them against hiring former Fermanagh footballer and Derry senior football manager Rory Gallagher as a coach at the club. The unprecedented move was prompted by domestic abuse allegations made by Gallagher's estranged wife - for which charges were never brought by the PSNI.

He told the Kildare club their reputation was at stake if they pressed ahead with the appointment. In his contact with Naas GAA, he acknowledged that he didn't have the power to block the hiring of Rory Gallagher but his influence was enough for Naas to quell their interest. He spoke up for the GAA's Game Changer initiative which seeks "to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence," an initiative Burns led along with Ruhama and White Ribbon Ireland, supported by the LGFA and Camogie Associations.

ABOVE: Rory Gallagher during his time as Derry senior football manager 

He said: “The appointment of Rory Gallagher, given the allegations that have been made public, risks undermining the principles of the Game Changer Initiative and the positive work being done across the GAA to address issues of respect and inclusion."

PICTURED: GAA President Jarlath Burns speaks at an awards ceremony

“While Gallagher has publicly stated that no charges were brought against him, the controversy surrounding his personal life has created significant division and concern within the wider GAA community.” Naas GAA dropped their interest in Gallagher with the Fermanagh man hitting back at the GAA President and threatening legal action.

“Such action is not only without precedent, it seeks to enter into an authoritarian world where due process and procedure count for nothing,” he said.

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“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 Gallagher said the actions of Mr Burns “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."