Last Friday night Mr. Aogán Ó Fearghail became the 38th Uachtaráin-Tofa of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael and this time next year he will take over as the 38th president of the GAA. In doing so, he will become the first Cavan man to hold this position in the 130 year history of the GAA. He will be only the seventh Ulster man to hold the position and one of only four people in the 130 years to be elected on the first count, getting over 170 No. 1 votes.

He beat a Kerry man.

He is a very proud Cavan and Droim Dhúin Éire Óg man and a proud Gael. I take the opportunity to wish him well in his presidency. Coming from Cavan, we are guaranteed one thing.

All-Ireland tickets.

From next year a Cavan man will hold aloft the Sam Maguire Cup for at least three years in a row. We hope that in one of these years at least he will present the cup to the Cavan senior football team, which is doing very well.

Do not go mad.

On Sunday evening, with Oireachtas colleagues, Deputies Joe O'Reilly and Brendan Smith, I attended a reception at GAA headquarters in Cavan at Kingspan Breffni Park to welcome the president-elect.

During his address he said the GAA was a community of volunteers and that community was at the heart of everything we did. He went on to refer to the four Fs - fixtures, finance, facilities and family - which will become the cornerstone of his presidency when he takes over this time next year. As a Cavan man and on behalf of Senator Kathryn Reilly, a very proud Cavan woman, I congratulate Aogán and his family and wish him well in his presidency in the year ahead.

Well done. I add my congratulations.