The graduation ceremony for inter-county players who were part of the 2023 class for the Jim Madden GPA Leadership Programme last year took place at Maynooth University on Friday, January 19th. 25 players representing 20 counties in all graduated, following in the footsteps of hundreds of players who have taken part in the programme since its inception. This year will be the 10-year anniversary of the flagship GPA programme.
The 2024 class also had the opportunity to meet for the first time and gain some valuable insights from their fellow players and the course facilitators Martin Kelly and Karen Thorpe. 28 players are taking part this year.
The programme develops a group of inter-county players from Hurling, Camogie and Gaelic football with the necessary skills, motivation and experience to become real leaders in the community. The tailored programme sees students paired with a professional life coach with whom they work to address their individual development needs. Participants gain skills which they can draw on in their personal, sporting and professional lives.
The programme has been made possible through the support of Michael Madden and his family who have dedicated this programme and curriculum to the memory of their late father Jim, who was a tireless grassroots GAA and community activist in Tipperary.
The full list of 2023 graduates is as follows:
Jane Adams (Antrim), Muireann Atkinson (Monaghan), Cillian Brennan (Clare), Geoff Brennan (Kilkenny), Lisa Burke (Westmeath), Lorraine Bray (Waterford), Grace Clifford (Kildare), Shane Cooney (Galway), Darragh Cummins (Sligo), Killian Daly (Westmeath), Michael Donoghue (Donegal), Seán Finn (Limerick), Lizzie Keny (Wexford), Aoife Lennon (Armagh), Laura Mahony (Laois), Conor McCann (Antrim), Karen McGrath (Waterford), Fiona McHale (Mayo), Conor Murray (Waterford), Bronagh O’Rourke (Leitrim), Mary Ryan (Tipperary), Muireann Scally (Westmeath), Gary Sice (Galway), Paddy Small (Dublin) and Conor Woods (Down).
