But there are a number of things to point out. Firstly, I hadn't my eyes closed, I want to make that very clear. I might have had my arms folded alright, but in fairness my eyes were better open. But the whole situation with not standing for the ovations for Sean Kelly is simple. Are people telling me I'm not entitled to make a decision? Or are people trying to tell me that I should be like a sheep?

I'm not going to be a hypocrite. And I had a lot of support through phone calls and emails from all over Ulster and Ireland, including Kerry.

Even outside Ireland.

I would have taken issue with some things about the last presidency. Take the issue regarding the opening of Croke Park. A motion was passed with which we didn't agree and because it was done democratically, we were prepared to live with it. What has happened since was not the motion that was passed at Congress. The motion clearly stated that Croke Park would open while Lansdowne Road is closed for redevelopment, not when Lansdowne Road is closed full stop and there is a difference. I mean it is closed after every match.

And a lot of people talked about Rule 42 and how people made their decisions. I can tell you of a club in Kerry where the chairman didn't allow any debate at all. He just said, 'We're all in favour of that, aren't we?' and went on to the next business. But I wouldn't want to mention that club because it might embarrass some people.

That is one issue that we have a difficulty with. I don't really wish to comment on the GPA because I've never spoken to any GPA people.

But most of what they are looking for appears to be financial. We have more people than a few elite guys though. The most important man in the club I think is the man who looks after the field.

He's there two or three hours before everyone else, maybe the day before, to mark the field and put up the flags and nets. When the match is over he stays on and cleans the dressing rooms and so on. I'll tell you something, money couldn't pay him.

I took early retirement myself to do this. Ten years early at an immense cost to myself. I didn't look for money. I don't expect it but I didn't have to make that decision. Everyone can make a decision themselves. It's simple. Payment is out the window. Our association is amateur and the success we have had is because of our people and our volunteers.

The day we don't have them, we don't have an association.

But there are issues we have to get straight. We have an under-21 championship.

We have a stadium there that's the best in Ireland, one of the best in the world. Every young lad going to kick a GAA ball wants to play in Croke Park and still the second most important championship we have, the under-21, is not even considered to be played there.

Now you tell me is that right when you allow people in who are going to endeavour to have our youngsters playing different games than ours?

And this isn't an Ulster attitude, far from it. But there are people who have lived for our organisation and I can tell you something, in the province that I represent, there have been a lot of people murdered and their only crime was to have been members of our association.

So it's not fair to say that the people of Ulster always say no. We have stood by the association and I would prefer to look forward.

Here is why. We have just appointed a full-time administrative officer in every county funded by the Ulster Council. We've appointed a hurling and a football coaching officer in each county, funded by the Ulster Council.

We switched on the lights in Omagh last Monday, funded by the Ulster Council. We're doing the same in each of the nine counties. We are having a fair bit of success because we have put a lot of work into it. A lot of it has been backed and promoted and funded by the Ulster Council so I think it's important to know where we are coming from.

But I must say I'm happy with the new president. Nickey Brennan is an honest broker and I think he will give us the leadership we require.

He's clear and when he says something you know that he means it. So we're looking to the future, not the past.