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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
John Hand

Derry GAA rejects claim Rory Gallagher was at post-match celebrations

Derry GAA has insisted Rory Gallagher has had "no involvement" with its footballers since he stepped away, amid claims he had enjoyed celebrations with players following Sunday's Ulster championship win.

A video purporting to show Gallagher - who stepped back from his duties after media reports of claims of domestic abuse - in a pub on Sunday did the rounds on social media earlier this week.

It is understood the footage, which shows Gallagher wearing a Derry top, was recorded on a previous date, possibly last year.

READ MORE: Derry and Fermanagh GAA respond to Nicola Gallagher domestic abuse claims

Other posts claimed that he had continued to prepare Derry for their clash against Armagh, which they won on penalties last Sunday, despite stepping aside from the role.

And a Derry GAA spokesman told the Irish Mirror: "Rory Gallagher had no part in Sunday's post match celebrations and has had no involvement since the statement of last Friday.

"I hope that clarifies the matter."

Last week, Gallagher's ex-wife, Nicola Gallagher, published a post on Facebook in which she made a number of domestic abuse allegations against her ex-spouse.

In response to her claims, Gallagher released a statement through his solicitors on Thursday insisting all of her allegations had been investigated and dealt with by the proper authorities.

On Friday, Gallagher released a statement to confirm he was stepping back from his role as Derry manager.

He cited "a desire to protect my children from the ongoing turmoil" as the reason why.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Nicola said of the allegations the GAA "knew about all of this, 100%.

She added: "The county boards of Fermanagh and Derry knew because [my father and I] told them."

The Sunday Independent reported that an email, including claims against Mr Gallagher, was sent to the management of Derry GAA on May 25 last year by Nicola’s father, but he did not receive a reply.

But Derry GAA said: ""We have rigorously checked our email system and we have no record of receiving any such email then or at any time subsequent to that.

"We have not been able to verify the address the email was sent to, but we believe it may have been sent to a defunct administrator address."

Fermanagh GAA, where Gallagher also managed between 2017 and 2019, said it had not received any "official complaints" of domestic abuse about him.

Both boards condemned all forms of domestic abuse.

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