A former chairman of the Leinster Council, O'Neill initially sought the GAA presidency at the 2008 Congress, but Christy Cooney defeated him.
[4] A primary school principal,[4] O'Neill set out in his inaugural address a manifesto centred on sports issues (refereeing, discipline, fixtures planning and the promotion of hurling), organisation (finance, infrastructure and the development of officers) and growth (youth involvement, recruiting new members, forming new clubs and the challenge of urbanisation).
[5] Following the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, O'Neill related that All-Ireland winning captain Michael Murphy, as they exchanged the Sam Maguire Cup, had offered his condolences on the sudden death of O'Neill's sister the previous day.
President O'Neill went on to express his admiration for Murphy and called him an "exceptional young captain".
[6] Since departing as president, O'Neill has acted as a spokesperson for the GAA, such as in the aftermath of the Armagh eye-gouging incident in 2022.