FORMER Antrim county secretary Gerry Barry has spoken out about the events that led to several senior officers of the county board being replaced at last weekend's county convention.

Oliver Kelly, who had been chairman for 12 years, dramatically withdrew his re election bid just before the convention at Ballymena's Leighinmohr Hotel started, and his only opponent, Joe O'Boyle, chaired the meeting. Barry himself, secretary since 1985, was defeated by outgoing treasurer Eamonn McMahon, and the assistant treasurer, Brendan Totten, lost the treasurer's election to Eamonn Grieve.

Opposition to the officers, has recently cent red on the administration of the Casement Park Social Club, but it is thought likely that the offices would have been contested even without that controversy.

"Most definitely," says Barry, "there was a campaign. There was going to be a challenge anyway. If that hadn't come up, other reasons would have been found.

"I feel disappointed and disgusted at some of the shenanigans that went on. But it's not the first time in the GAA and won't be the last that this sort of thing has happened, but I don't remember it before in Antrim.

"It's regrettable but it's part of life. It was most definitely a personal thing against Oliver Kelly, myself and the assistant treasurer."

Details of the social club controversy have been emerging during the last week or so. The club is located in Casement Park and pays rent to the county board, to which body it also makes a grant of around £25,000.

Allegations have been made that the club had fallen behind in its tax affairs and incurred penalty charges as a result, and that its statutory obligation to hold annual general meetings hasn't been observed for the past two years.

Both Oliver Kelly and Gerry Barry held posts equivalent to their county executive positions of chairman and secretary within the club. The outgoing county treasurer, Eamonn McMahon - a revenue inspector - had declined to become involved with the club during his term of office. His county assistant, Brendan Totten, became the club's treasurer.

The social club's officers strenuously deny anything irregular about its affairs, pointing out that the tax position was addressed and that, whereas the 1995 a.g.m. was not held for reasons that apparently can't be elaborated upon, the 1996 a.g.m. has been set for next month, February 17th, because it was thought better to convene it for after the county convention.

Furthermore, it is argued that the club's licence would not have been renewed, as it just has been, were there anything untoward about the club's administration. It is also maintained that the usual £25,000 grant to the county board will be paid once the club's books have been audited.

Media coverage of this dispute - was angrily seized on by supporters of the outgoing officers as evidence of a broad campaign to topple Kelly, in particular. Nonetheless, a desire for change was evident in a county which has experienced a lot of frustration at playing level, with the hurlers failing to build on their one All Ireland final appearance, in 1989, and the footballers still without a championship win since 1982.

Eamonn Grieve, who managed the footballers for a spell earlier in this decade, was elected treasurer on Sunday and believes there was a desire for change.

"I think that was evidenced by the number of motions, all in the same vein, seeking to restrict the number of years a chairman can be in office. There's a feeling that we have been losing the impetus for Gaelic games, and I can understand that that can happen when you take your eye off the ball. Field activities were suffering.

"It's important to get new faces involved. People are always enthusiastic starting off, but it's only human nature to say the enthusiasm's not the same after a few years as it was in the beginning. There was a push for change, a recognition that they'd gone a wee bit stale.

"There wasn't enough emphasis in relation to field activities, including refereeing and discipline, which are extremely important. The other (outgoing) administration did many good things, like appointing coaches. But the feeling was that there was dissatisfaction building."

Gerry Barry accepts that there was a desire in some quarters to limit the term of office of at least the chairman. "I've no difficulty with it, but I wouldn't quite agree either. It's excellent in theory, provided you've a long queue of people waiting to take up the position. But that's not the way in the GAA or most other voluntary organisations.

The motions were not reached at Sunday's convention due to time constraints and will be discussed by the county executive on a date to be arranged.