There's some big news in Clare GAA circles this evening as Pat Fitzgerald has informed the Clare County Board that he will be ending as tenure as secretary of the county board next month.
Fitzgerald issued a statement that reads:
I am writing to inform you that after 32 years of service it is my intention to step down form my role as Clare County secretary on the 18th July this year.
"It has been a busy and demanding role and one I have enjoyed immensely. I wish the county and all our teams only the very best with all future endeavours and plans, both on and off the field of play.
"I am very proud of what we have achieved together over many long years, and I wish you every success into the future.
"I look forward to supporting our county as a fan and assisting in any way I can in years to come."
He has been involved in Clare County board for 32 years and his term will end on the day after this year's All-Ireland hurling final.
Fitzgerald is a proud Sixmilebridge man and is the father of Davy Fitzgerald.
In January 2021, Davy Fitz spoke on the Late Late Show about the amount of online abuse he and his father received.
"To tell you the truth, it's been tough."
Davy Fitzgerald on the online abuse he and his father are subject to.#LateLate pic.twitter.com/8L1QnEUQKf— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) January 8, 2021
He said:
To tell you the truth, it has been tough. But two people from my club - our club chairman Paddy Meehan who is a great man, and a fella called Fr Harry Bohan, who'd be a mentor of mine and he's incredible in our parish - they came to us and said 'enough is enough'. We have to stand up to this online bullying and certain things that would have happened.
It's probably going on for maybe four or five years. There's pages and pages and pages of abuse there and different things - it isn’t nice. I would have gotten a bit of it early on - they were glad to get rid of me out of Clare, a few of them. When I went they said, 'sure he's (his father) next to go, get rid of him'. They didn't stop.
He will be hoping to witness Clare lift Liam MacCarthy next month before ending his term.
