Jim Gilligan and Patsy McLaughlin

Jim Gilligan and Patsy McLaughlin have worked together on a book about the GAA in Dunshaughlin and they talk about the history of the locality and how the GAA relates to this. Many people moved in from the west of Ireland and this helped the GAA to become stronger in the area. They have also witnessed a population influx from major employment areas such as Dublin; this has brought in new people as well as other sports such as soccer. They see this as a good thing, and it has coincided with a lot of the older 'diehards' moving on fro the GAA, helping it to become a more open-minded organisation. However they have encountered problems when trying to fill administrative positions. Jim and Patsy feel that the GAA has improved a lot over the years but they also believe that more changes must take place and that players need to be looked after better, without a pay-for-play arrangement coming into place. Economic difficulties are another big challenge for the GAA, which they see as an integral part of the community, bound up as it is with the social history of the locality.