GAA devotee who was elected president of Cork county board

From his schooldays in the village of Conna in east Cork, Dan Hoare, who has died aged 77, was an influential figure in the administration of the GAA at local, regional and national level. Even as a boy he was a pragmatist and knowing that he would be a better organiser than a player, when he was only 14 he became minor secretary of St Catherine's Club at the heart of three parishes dedicated to hurling.

A gifted mathematician, his Leaving Cert maths results were among the highest in the country and he was duly offered a scholarship to Trinity College Dublin. But with the ban in place on Catholics attending the university he could not take up the offer. Instead, he entered the Civil Service when he was 17.

A committed family man, he was a lifelong teetotaller and had a deep religious faith. A deep thinker, he had a twinkling sense of humour and was the best of company. He was also given to helping people in difficulty in any walk of life. After retiring as a Revenue inspector, he established a thriving tax consultancy. A former president of Cork Golf Club, he was a talented golfer in his day and won the Millennium captain's prize. He viewed the representation of smaller clubs, such as St Catherine's, at the highest echelons of the GAA as evidence of "how democratic it is". His long involvement with the Cork County Board began in 1960, including six years as treasurer from 1987 to 1996. In 2001 he was elected treasurer of the Munster council, a post he held until 2005. He also played a pivotal role on national committees in Croke Park.

Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, just 11 days after being elected as president of the county board to oversee the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He regarded his election as the ultimate tribute for a lifetime devoted to the GAA.

Forthright in debate, he opposed the opening of Croke Park to rugby and soccer, famously telling a Cork convention: “I myself have one major problem – I would not let anybody into the car park not to mention Croke Park.”

Reflecting on that controversy in a recent conversation with his son, Pádraig, a journalist, he explained: “Those of us who opposed the opening lost the vote and it was decided democratically to open Croke Park. We lost a vote and accepted it. Looking back on it, I am very happy to say I was wrong.”

“I am particularly pleased that Cork GAA has indicated its availability in supporting the country’s application for the Rugby World Cup. It was never about ‘foreign games’ for me. I have been a huge admirer of athletes such as Roy Keane or Ronan O’Gara.

“I just felt that we should provide for ours, and they provide for theirs.”

Rare attribute

His reputation of looking after the needs of the players, a rare attribute in a county where both the hurling and football teams went on strike for their rights, was confirmed by the former football manager Billy Morgan, who led the Cork team to back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 1989 and 1990. “Dan Hoare was very good – he looked after me and made sure nobody was out of pocket.”

Yet, Hoare opposed the strikes “not because I felt the players didn’t have legitimate grievances because they did. I just felt these matters could have been and should have been resolved without ending in a strike”.

For him, the strength of the GAA lay “in the voluntary people that look after clubs, who wash jerseys, who pick up cans and papers, who line our fields for matches, all on a voluntary basis. The affiliation with one’s own parish is our proudest tradition. This is bigger than Gaelic games, this is about community”.

Predeceased by his wife, Mary, he is survived by Martin, Fiona (Baker) Emmet, Pádraig, and by his brother, David.