Mr. Kieran Mulvey:

No, this was on 22 August. We were so concerned about this at council level that I asked council to meet representatives in the IABA as a matter of urgency. We met them at our request. That followed a series of engagements going back to last February. I met them on 20 August along with the chief executive; Mr. Paul McDermott, the high performance and NGB liaison officer with the sports council; Mr. Bernard Allen, vice chairman of the council, former Minister of State with responsibility for sport and former Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts; and Mr. Liam Sheedy, who would be known to members in GAA circles and is chairman of our high performance committee. We put the point to them as to how urgent and essential it was that this should be resolved, as Mr. Walsh had an offer from the United States, which he had not accepted or signed. We needed to move. I got so upset at that meeting that towards the end, I had to ask the directors present if they wanted to keep Mr. Walsh. I got an answer of "Yes". After that meeting, I consulted with colleagues and said it was the most unconvincing "Yes" I have heard in my professional career.

We then insisted that they would meet with us as a matter of urgency within the next 48 hours. I cancelled other arrangements and scheduled at meeting on the Saturday morning in the Clayton Hotel in Leopardstown. Over three or four hours, the meeting took place with Mr. Walsh present, along with the chief executive of the IABA and a board of directors member. I thought the chairman would have at least attended but he did not. I do not know the reason he did not. I attended because I thought it so important. We negotiated a deal over four hours and shook hands and that was to be brought back to the board of directors of the IABA for approval. We were told on one day it would be done but on Monday evening we were told that a sub-committee had decided it would not be put to the board. After that, the issue cascaded.

The Minister called us together in Athlone and I attended the meeting. We heard all the good noises to the effect that the issue would be sorted out and Mr. Walsh would be given a new contract. His permanent contract would be changed to a fixed-term contract. Everything would be okay. The Minister was assured, right up to the weekend, that everything would be all right. It may be for another occasion but the issue was what they were asking Mr. Walsh to do on the non-financial side; there was no problem with the financial aspects, as we, through the State and taxpayers, would have been funding it. I will give an example of a non-financial issue. The high performance or head coach could not engage with the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Irish Sports Council or the media without the written permission of the chief executive officer. We do not operate on that basis. There are meetings on a weekly or monthly basis. Imagine an organisation saying this to its chief coach. Imagine Joe Schmidt being told he had to contact Mr. Philip Browne every time he selected a team, made a decision or talked to the media.

This is unconscionable and unacceptable. I am sorry to be very strong about this but we are losing the best coach in this area. I do not mind if there are other good coaches. We have the best man, who has been poached by the United States with oceans of money. It is not the first time Mr. Walsh has been approached. What do we do on the eve of the Olympics? We let him go.