After protesters declined GAA president Jarlath Burns’ request for them to leave on Saturday, he adjourned congress for lunch before proceedings resumed shortly after 14:00 GMT.
After congress had resumed, Burns hit out at the protesters saying they had “crossed a line”.
Referring to an attack on a bar by the UVF unit known as the Glenanne Gang in his home town of Silverbridge 50 years ago, the GAA president said he “didn’t need any lessons on illegal occupation having grown up during the Troubles”.
“I don’t need any lectures or people shouting in my face about what it’s like to go to bed at night fearful that somebody would barge into your bedroom and riddle you with bullets because that was my lived experience when I was young,” he said.
The Armagh man’s friend was killed in the attack by the loyalist paramilitary group.
Canavan called that a “strange comparison”.
“There were a lot of atrocities went on, and what kept us going was the GAA,” he said.
“We had something to do, something to be part of, and for a lot of us it was the GAA that saved us. There’s thousands of children that aren’t getting that opportunity.
“Jarlath is still sore from something that happened 50 years ago, and rightly so.
“He mentioned that there were no convictions on those killings. That was 50 years ago. Why? Because so many people buried their head in the sand, and didn’t want to know what was going on.”
When asked about his role as RTÉ pundit for the GAA National Leagues, which are sponsored by Allianz, Canavan said: “I’m employed to give my opinion on the game and that’s what I’m doing. It may not go down well in some quarters but I’ll say what I think.”