The GAA is making great strides on various fronts, even in the face of the considerable pressures involved in working against the ever-threatening Covid-19 backdrop.
n a world currently undergoing unprecedented upheaval, there is an acceptance that the Association simply cannot afford to rest on its laurels.
While the pace of change within the island's biggest sporting body has undoubtedly quickened of late, there are areas in which I feel that more progress can be made.
The support which the GAA has afforded the LGBT community over the course of the past two years in particular has been impressive, yet I feel there is still a lot to be done.
The two most prominent figures to have 'come out' to date are former Cork hurling goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack and high-profile referee David Gough.
Both have since championed the LGBT cause to such an extent that they may well have laid the groundwork for other prominent personalities to 'emerge'.
Irish society has undergone a major shake-up on several fronts, and it's no surprise that diversity is now a component in a buoyant sporting body such as the GAA.
There is now a widely-held acceptance of LGBT culture on this island, and I feel that this can become even more firmly grounded.
This is rather in contrast to the situation which pertained in the 1990s when prominent England soccer star Justin Fashanu, who played for Norwich City and Nottingham Forest among other clubs and was one of the first players from the sport to 'come out', took his own life in 1998 at the age of 37.
Today, acceptance of and support for members of the LGBT community are much more pronounced.
Two years ago the GAA participated in the Dublin Gay Pride parade, an event which attracts thousands of onlookers, as does a similar annual event in Belfast.
While the crowds which flock to such spectaculars are not necessarily members of the LGBT community, by their presence they nonetheless show their support for and appreciation of the gay community.
Gough, who became the first openly gay top-level GAA match official, has spoken candidly over the last number of years about his experience suffering from homophobic abuse in the past.
He said the GAA has made important strides in recent years towards being more inclusive of the LGBT community. He himself and well-known former Cork ladies footballer Valerie Mulcahy have already had discussions with GAA President John Horan, a man who has been at the very heart of a number of recent GAA initiatives.
For my part, I would have thought that even more progress might have been made in relation to the acceptance of gay players within the GAA in recent years.
Those who have come out have been few and far between, and there still appears to be a stigma attached to this process, while there are those who take the view that Gaelic football is still 'a man's game'.
This being the case, I can see how it is quite difficult for a young player in particular to publicly admit that he is gay. The numerous campaigns which have been waged in society as a whole in support of the LGBT community do not appear to have created the platform from which gay people can espouse their status.
I would urge LGBT players and officials never to be ashamed of their sexuality - instead, I would like to see them immerse themselves more fully in GAA activities.
We may have dragged our feet in certain respects but, with renewed impetus, lost ground can be made up.
To be quite honest, I thought that by this stage we would have moved on from the phrase 'coming out' and all that this might entail. We need more support from the GAA because it's a lack of education that can prove problematic. The Association needs to create an environment where gay footballers are comfortable to say, 'I'm gay'.
Players, and indeed others within the GAA, should feel comfortable in being who or what they want to be.
Sport in general and the GAA in particular have not quite got to where they want to be, but the journey is ongoing.
Dubs ensured they're nobody's 'Pool
There may be no GAA action right now, but there are certainly compensatory factors.
Indeed, where to start in relation to last weekend is my problem. The Super Bowl and Tom Brady's ascent to immortality? Ireland's gallant failure against Wales in the Six Nations? Manchester City's stunning eclipse of Liverpool?
Yes, let's go with the latter. If ever a game lent itself to cutting edge punditry then this was it - and let's just say that Roy Keane was not found wanting.
His curt dismissal of Liverpool as a potent force following their Premier League triumph of last year was perhaps nothing more than we should have expected on a day on which the team's morale was not so much damaged as utterly shattered.
Keane lost no time in picking holes in Jurgen Klopp's side and, to be honest, it has to be said they were fair game for his verbal blast.
It was Keane's disparaging condemnation of Liverpool that set me thinking - haven't Dublin worn the badge of honour as All-Ireland champions with considerable distinction for the past six years?
Human nature being what it is, you could be forgiven for thinking that somewhere along the line they might have slipped up and conceded some sort of advantage to their opponents.
No siree! Instead, they just get better and better. Dessie Farrell, in his first season, had the formidable task of plotting the retention of the All-Ireland title within a markedly limited time-frame - and with a partially recalibrated side.
Yet in a matter of weeks, the Dubs, with Robbie McDaid, Sean Bugler, Paddy Small and Brian Howard underlining that the future is in their safe hands, strode majestically into the history books - again.
In doing so, the team revealed a special kind of mindset, but it was Farrell's masterstroke in adding fresh faces that cemented his credentials as a worthy successor to Jim Gavin.
Players who were unknown a matter of weeks ago are now credible candidates for coveted All-Star awards and will be to the fore when they put their Leinster and Dublin titles on the line again this year.
Contrast this to what appears to have been the pointless switching and changing which Liverpool boss Klopp has engaged in of late.
It has only served to undermine confidence within his squad and heaped embarrassment on a club renowned for its past achievements.
We must live in the now, though - and now is not a good time to be a Liverpool fan.
Ladies better off by Moyles
Ladies' football is perceived to be the fastest-growing sport on this island.
And it's no great surprise that county teams in the ladies' code are now assembling management teams that are on a par with men's outfits.
Much was made of Jim Gavin's reportedly 23-strong 'team behind the team' during his tenure as Dublin boss, but right now the ladies are taking bold steps to prove that they are not going to be left behind.
New Mayo boss Michael Moyles is at the helm of a 10-strong management team that will oversee the county's operations, while his Galway counterpart Gerry Fahy will be at the head of a similar operation.
There is no doubt that a lot of former male county players are being drawn to the ladies' game simply because it is very well organised, hugely competitive and highly entertaining.
Ulster teams have also been working feverishly behind the scenes to amend their management line-ups. Time was when a ladies' side might have had to be content with a manager and his or her assistant, but right now there is a role for a video analyst, a nutritionist, a strength and conditioning coach, two selectors (at least), a performance director, a skills coach and goalkeeping coach.
Lob in another couple of 'helpers' and you find that there is a formidable array of backroom talent available to nurse the team.
With sponsorship from Lidl, the ladies' game has flourished at the top level, and although the Covid-19 pandemic took its toll, this did not deter the Ulster Council from proceeding with its provincial Final right on the cusp of Christmas.
It went off without a hitch. Now that's progress!
