The death of Jack Boothman at the age of 80 marks the end of one of the most colourful careers in the GAA. He was the first Protestant to be elected president of the association and also served in various other high offices.
Boothman’s bluntly jocular style occasionally caused ripples. But his good humour and obliging nature, combined with a larger-than-life personality and commitment to maintaining contact with ordinary members and clubs, made his 1994-1997 term of office a popular one.
By his own calculation, Boothman travelled 152,000 miles during his presidency, turning up indefatigably at club events all around the country. A big man with a recognisable scar on his head – the result, as he recalled, of a tussle with a heifer during his work as a veterinarian – he was one of the highest-profile holders of the office.
On election to the GAA presidency in 1993, much was made of Boothman’s Church of Ireland background – a fascination that made him weary: “I’m also the first vet to be elected, but no one seems interested in that,” he said at the time.
John Henry Boothman was born on October 12th, 1935, one of four children of parents William and Jane. The Boothmans were a farming family in Blessington, Co Wicklow and throughout his life he maintained an interest in the farm and agricultural matters.
School rugby
His initial sporting involvement was with rugby. While a pupil at Dublin’s King’s Hospital school he was No 8 on the team that reached the 1951 senior cup final, which was lost to Belvedere College. Young Jack impressed in the back row.
The Irish Times of that year recorded in match reports (versus Castleknock) that "generally Cox and Boothman were out quickly to cut short any hostile intentions," and (versus Terenure) "AF Cox and JH Boothman merit particular praise for their fine work in the King's Hospital pack".
Boothman continued to play rugby with Monkstown after school. But it was with Blessington GAA club that his primary sporting allegiance would be established. His father provided land for the club in the 1950s and the proximity of the playing fields played a role in attracting the young man’s interest. He became a committed GAA volunteer and remained involved with the club all of his life.
Jack Boothman graduated from veterinary college and became a Department of Agriculture vet working in Kildare.
As well as playing with Blessington, he served as club secretary in the early 1960s (and also later in life) and in time became vice-chair of the Wicklow County board and chair of the Leinster Council in the late 1980s.
His administrative acumen had also been noted by Croke Park. At the start of Paddy Buggy’s presidency in 1982, Boothman was appointed chair of Central Council’s Youth Committee.
First run
In the presidential election of 1990, Jack Boothman first contested the position. However, after losing to Peter Quinn he appeared to drop any national administrative ambitions and went back to his roots to again take up the position of club secretary in Blessington.
Relatively late in the day, Boothman decided to revise his intentions and successfully ran for the presidency in 1993. He was the second Wicklow man to hold the office, after Hugh Byrne in 1961-1964.
The mid-1990s was an eventful time for the GAA. During his term of office, Boothman established the committee that brought in the biggest championship reform in history: diluting the traditional knockout format by allowing defeated Munster and Leinster finalists to re-enter the All-Ireland phase. This was was accepted by the 1996 annual congress, which was held in London.
Among the other initiatives during his presidency were the completion of phase one of the Croke Park redevelopment, the first sponsorship of the All-Ireland championships, and the establishment of a Players Advisory Group, to raise and address players’ concerns.
Callous carnage
It was also a turbulent time in Northern Ireland, with the original IRA ceasefire and then its sudden cessation after the Canary Wharf bombing– which Boothman criticised as “wanton, callous carnage”.
He also believed in the deletion of Rule 21, which prohibited members of the British security forces from joining the GAA, and described the failure to achieve that as regret of his presidency.
Always a traditionalist, however, Boothman championed amateur status and as a past president opposed the relaxation of Rule 42, which banned the playing of other sports on GAA grounds.
Rule 42 was modified in 2005 to allow rugby and soccer internationals to be played in Croke Park.
Jack Boothman and Nuala Williams were married in 1961, and she worked as tirelessly as her husband during the presidency, frequently accompanying him on his daunting itineraries and becoming a familiar figure in her own right.
She survives him, as do their children Siobhan, Patricia, Robert, Janet, John and Catriona. Pre-deceased by his brother Mac, Jack Boothman is also survived by sisters Jean and Pam and an extended family.