The Early Years : 1884 - 1922

• In 1886 the GAA introduced County Committees. These became the units of representation for the new All-Ireland championship.
• Cusack wrote: The Association swept the country like a prairie fire.
• Rules for football and hurling were drawn up at the third meeting of the GAA in January 1885 and were published in the United Irishman newspaper.
• The GAA had an immediate rival. In February, 1885, a group of Dublin-based clubs formed the Irish Amateur Athletic Association (IAAA).
• Relations between the two organisations deteriorated rapidly. In March, athletes were banned from participating in sports organised by the rival body. The GAA also banned non-Gaelic players from competing in their events.
• The first All-Ireland Championships in hurling and football were organised on a county basis in 1887. Twelve of the 32 counties entered, although only five competed in hurling and eight in football.
• The finals were not played until the start of the next season in April 1888.
• In 1887, members of the radical secret society, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) took control of the Association, prompting the resignation of Maurice Davin as president.
• A split in the GAA loomed, but a "reconstruction" convention of January 1888 restored Davin to the presidency.
• For political reasons, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) had been monitoring GAA activities since its foundation. Members of the RIC were banned from GAA sports in 1888.