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Jarlath Burns has been elected as Uachtarán Tofa/ President elect of the GAA meaning he will succeed the current Uachtarán/ President Larry McCarthy in 12 Months time becoming the 41st person to hold the honour. The ballot was carried out at GAA Congress in Croke Park tonight.
Mr Burns is the popular Headmaster of St Paul's High School in Bessbrook and he comprehensively won the vote tonight on the first count with 158 votes to defeat the other two in the running Pat Teehan and Niall Erskine.
It was second time lucky for Burns as he came runner up to the current President.
A Silverbridge gael he became a solid fixture of the Armagh Senior team in the 1990's perhaps his finest hour was when he captained the Armagh team in their Ulster Final win over Down in 1999 under the management of Brian Canavan and Brian McAlinden. His son Jarlath Óg Burns currently plays for Armagh Seniors.
Speaking to a jubilant Silverbridge crowd at Croke Park tonight Burns said he owed it all to his club "Tonight our club is at the head of the GAA. This is Silverbridge's Presidency and I'm going to do this club proud because if it wasn't for you people and it wasn't for all those great people that went before us and created our club and made the club that it is I would not be here now." and added "It's the place that rared me and made me the person that I am."
