A complaint has been lodged with the GAA about president Jarlath Burns, claiming he is using the GAA as a “Trojan horse” to influence Stormont plans for a major infrastructure project.
The A5 Western Transport Corridor (A5WTC) is an Executive flagship project which will provide 85km of new dual carriageway between New Buildings and the border just south of Aughnacloy.
It is one of Northern Ireland’s busiest and most dangerous routes, known for heavy traffic and frequent accidents, with almost 60 deaths on the road since 2006.
However, the scheme has been delayed by a series of legal challenges and funding issues.
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Last October, the Executive agreed that work would proceed on the first 55km south of Strabane and Ballygawley.
On Tuesday, the latest hearing into the Executive’s proposal to build a dual carriageway from Aughnacloy to Derry is being heard.
The most recent legal challenge to the upgrade comes after a judicial review was lodged by the Alternative A5 Alliance, a group consisting of farmers, landowners and environmentalists who argue that the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has violated its own climate change laws with the proposed plans.
Mr Burns made a public call for all counties throughout Ireland, particularly the GAA community, to help promote a demonstration in Belfast outside the High Court backing the scheme.
He said they should be “a voice for change and help ensure that no more families suffer the devastation of losing a loved one on this road”.
The GAA president added: “This campaign is not simply about upgrading a road — it is about protecting lives.
“Since 2006, 57 people have tragically lost their lives on the A5, leaving behind families and communities forever changed by grief.”
Sign on the A5 road
The A5 Enough is Enough group shared details of free buses online.
But Ciaran McClean, who lodged the complaint, said there are a number of aspects to the actions of Mr Burns “that alarm myself and indeed many others”.
Mr McClean comes from a GAA family and recognises the “enormous contribution” the GAA makes in the lives of thousands of young people across Tyrone and further afield.
He is a long-standing civil rights activist and environmentalist who has been an anti-A5 campaigner in the past.
The Tyrone man believes the road should be upgraded, rather than building an entirely new road adjacent to it.
Mr McClean said civil rights were hard-won and that he believes the GAA could be setting a “dangerous precedent”. He accused Mr Burns of using the sporting organisation and its mass support as a “Trojan horse”.
Jarlath Burns
Outlining his concerns, Mr McClean said: “An NI Executive proposal to build a four-lane dual carriageway across Tyrone will be decided by the courts. It should not be influenced by GAA personnel or others gathered outside on the opening day of the hearing.
“The legal case, in this instance, is ongoing. By seeking to influence the outcome of a proposal by a department in the Northern Ireland Executive (DfI), President Burns, as president of the GAA, is misusing his office.
“No organisation has the right to attempt to deny citizens their civil right to hold the government to account. By aligning themselves with the ‘Enough is Enough’ group, who demand that citizens must no longer object to the NI Executive proposal, the GAA, via President Burns, are effectively infringing upon peoples civil rights in NI.
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“The GAA has wisely steered clear of divisive politics in Northern Ireland. It has won respect from across the community for doing so. President Burns calling for a GAA show of strength from across all counties outside a courthouse in Belfast runs contrary to the non-partisan ethos of the organisation.
“Bringing political/legal issues onto the streets of Northern Ireland undoes much of the good work the GAA does.”
Since 2007, when the A5 proposal was first mooted, there have been several court cases. On each occasion the NI Executive has failed to meet the threshold in law to proceed.
Tuesday’s hearing is a continuation of the legal process by the parties for and against the proposal.
Mr McClean said the failure to progress the A5 project since 2007 is “entirely a failure of the NI Executive”, not those holding them to account.
The GAA has been contacted for a response.