Mayo county board and the Mayo International Supporters Foundation financier Tim O'Leary have reached an agreement to resolve their financial dispute.
The foundation had withheld €250,000 it had fundraised for the county over concerns around the governance, and O'Leary had opened up legal proceedings against the county board.
But in a joint statement last night, the two parties confirmed that the dispute had been resolved, that O'Leary has now terminated the legal case against Mayo GAA, and that the money raised will be released to fund the county's academy.
The statement read: "Mayo GAA, Mayo GAA International Supporters Foundation and Mr. Tim O’Leary can confirm that they have reached an agreement in respect of the dispute between the parties.
"In reaching this agreement all have accepted that the best interests of Mayo GAA had to come first so that a resolution could be found in the shortest time possible."
According to the statement, O'Leary also apologised "for some of his own his own behaviours during the dispute."
“I’m very happy that a resolution has been reached and that the Foundation money can now be released to Mayo GAA in accordance with the April 9th, 2019 email.
“I’m most grateful to the many donors who have supported the Foundation and delighted to see that their donations are going to be used to help fund the development of the Academy which is so important to the future development of Mayo teams." O'Leary said.
Mayo GAA Chairman Liam Moffatt added: "We are delighted to have reached an agreement and I would like to thank Mr. O’Leary and Mr. Terry Gallagher, Foundation Trustee, in bringing this dispute to an end.
"I fully accept that Mr. O’Leary’s motivation, as indeed all parties motivation, from the outset was to assist Mayo GAA and it is regrettable that relationships between Mayo GAA and The Foundation deteriorated over governance concerns.
"We have outlined the financial reforms that are taking place within Mayo GAA and I have offered Mr. O’Leary and his family an apology for any inappropriate and personal remarks towards him, an apology which Mr. O’Leary has accepted.”
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