Joe Brolly, one of the best known faces in GAA, regaled Trinity Law Society (Law Soc) yesterday evening, offering his thoughts on everything from his own days in Trinity to the importance of organ donation.
Brolly, who is also a renowned barrister on the Northern Irish bar, specialising in criminal law, is also an avid supporter and promoter of organ-donation, having donated a kidney himself to his local club-mate Shane Finnegan.
After accepting the Praeses Elit award from Law Soc Auditor Jessica O’Neill, Brolly began by joking with the crowd about them being in a stuffy room in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) instead of being down drinking at the Pav. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere, with Brolly holding the attention of the audience from start to finish. He told stories of his time as a law student in Trinity, reminiscing about the time he spent in the Pav with “the GAA guys” during Freshers’ Week.
While he joked about becoming a “national saint” after donating his kidney, he admitted that after going through this situation himself, it was the “best selfish thing I ever did”. Brolly said that the most important thing he believes in life is that there always has to be a “purpose above yourself”, noting that in society today, consumerism is overtaking social activism and that there seemed to be a retreat from logic. Brolly also believed that if this continues, the “bonds of society loosen”. His main message to the crowd that gathered was to not seclude themselves but to speak out against any injustices they saw in society: “Don’t waste your lives, get involved in the world around you.”
Brolly also spoke about all the work he has done for hospices across the country, detailing the support he has received from former Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden.
He spoke about his role as a barrister, immersing himself in criminal law in particular. He talked about a number of cases he had been previously been involved in and his condemnation of the penal system in place in the country, which he noted had not been changed in over 300 years and was in dire need of restructure. He questioned whether this would be possible without a proper engagement from all government officials and those who have the power to make these appropriate changes.
Noting the huge GAA contingent in the room, Brolly then answered questions from the audience on both the law front and on his GAA background. Brolly is well known for his honesty in this area, stating that the GAA has become very commercialised, with the game becoming very much about the individual and what they could get out of it in terms of personal gain and sponsorship instead of relishing the opportunity to play out of passion. Reflecting on the changes since his own time as an inter-county footballer for Derry, he was of the opinion that there seemed to be more of a struggle in terms of a work-life balance and no real strategy in helping the game progress. In Brolly’s opinion, the system that was laid out by the founders of the GAA over 125 years ago needs to be re-imagined, otherwise the system is in danger of collapsing.
Brolly believes that a tiered system for counties may be the best way to tackle this problem and to bring the club back into the heart of the game, not focusing solely on the county structure.
The need for a restructuring of the legal system and the GAA is certainly evident and left many at the talk with food for thought, with Brolly finishing his talk by announcing that he would see everyone at the Pav.
