Brolly on a funny kind of Irishness? - Free State Unionists

ceegee

xflyer wrote: »

WesternZulu wrote: »

Maybe if other sports had put half as much effort and money into their own sports at a local level as the GAA has done throughout the years, we would be more successful at an international level.

That's the standard excuse and it ignores the history of the ban which froze out anything other GAA, particularly in rural counties. While it's gone now, it's effect is still evident.

Every sport feeds off tribalism, wait till the summer when the whole country gets behind the soccer team for the European Championships. Same difference.

The whole country including the North will be behind the Irish team, that's nationalism. The Irish soccer team is a classic example of the effect of the dominance of GAA. That's why they often have to resort to players born in Britain. There is a much smaller pool of soccer players to choose from once you move away from the Dublin, Cork and other big towns with a tradition of playing soccer. I wonder how many members of the Irish team have come from GAA strongholds like Kerry, Tipperary, Kilkenny over the years?

The whole country, INCLUDING THE NORTH???

Not sure if you got the memo but a sizable amount of the Norn Iron fans arent exactly enamoured with the FAI or their teams.


With regard to GAA strongholds producing soccer players, the last Irish squad had players from Wexford, Waterford, Galway, Tipp, Derry and Donegal. Not to mention that Cork and Dublin are also strong GAA areas. Picking players born outside of Ireland isnt down to the GAA, it happens in every country in the world. Did England pick Barnes and Hargreaves cos London GAA had robbed all their midfielders? Maybe its only cos of the Munich Shamrocks that Podolski got into the German team.

Duckworth_Luas

ceegee wrote: »

The whole country, INCLUDING THE NORTH???

Not sure if you got the memo but a sizable amount of the Norn Iron fans arent exactly enamoured with the FAI or their teams.


With regard to GAA strongholds producing soccer players, the last Irish squad had players from Wexford, Waterford, Galway, Tipp, Derry and Donegal. Not to mention that Cork and Dublin are also strong GAA areas. Picking players born outside of Ireland isnt down to the GAA, it happens in every country in the world. Did England pick Barnes and Hargreaves cos London GAA had robbed all their midfielders? Maybe its only cos of the Munich Shamrocks that Podolski got into the German team.

You have to admire Bayern Munich who struggled against the oppressive regime of Munich Shamrocks all those years. Once the ban ended a young hurler called Proinsias Beckenbauer was convinced to take up the rather odd sport of soccer. The rest as the say is history!

cournioni

As someone who lives just south of the border I think he has a point.

forfuxsake

ceegee wrote: »

The whole country, INCLUDING THE NORTH???

Not sure if you got the memo but a sizable amount of the Norn Iron fans arent exactly enamoured with the FAI or their teams.


With regard to GAA strongholds producing soccer players, the last Irish squad had players from Wexford, Waterford, Galway, Tipp, Derry and Donegal. Not to mention that Cork and Dublin are also strong GAA areas. Picking players born outside of Ireland isnt down to the GAA, it happens in every country in the world. Did England pick Barnes and Hargreaves cos London GAA had robbed all their midfielders? Maybe its only cos of the Munich Shamrocks that Podolski got into the German team.

Podolski is a German citizen who has lived there since he was two. Hardly comparable to the average English ROI player whose sole claim is that his ma got spit-roasted in a bar and the guy on the rump end was so drunk he might have been a paddy.

Doc Ruby

xflyer wrote: »

But we're under achieve even in other sports not dominated by these countries.

Actually per capita we scored as many medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics as the UK, and what, about three times more per capita than the USA.

Jimoslimos

xflyer wrote: »

This made sure that sports minded kids were funneled into GAA and that remains the case. Our record in international sports is poor compared to countries of comparable. If the local GAA club expanded it's activities to include other sports like athletics or whatever. That could improve. Whatever you think of GAA sports they don't travel well and there is little scope for even the best GAA player to move onto the international stage.

Your attitude is reminiscent of the old East German /Soviet bloc countries. International sporting recognition at all costs. Identify kids at an early age and *encourage* them to concentrate on those sports which they show most aptitude for.

"What's that Jimmy?", "You want to play hurling?.....sorry is there Olympic gold medals in that sport?....What?? No.....a world cup or championship?....No....How about concentrating on the long jump instead?? You're decent enough at that. Good lad!"

Kids should be free to play any/all or none of the sports available to them - they're not tools to be utilised in boosting our future gold medal count

Jimoslimos

xflyer wrote: »

The Irish soccer team is a classic example of the effect of the dominance of GAA. That's why they often have to resort to players born in Britain. There is a much smaller pool of soccer players to choose from once you move away from the Dublin, Cork and other big towns with a tradition of playing soccer. I wonder how many members of the Irish team have come from GAA strongholds like Kerry, Tipperary, Kilkenny over the years?

What about the English rugby team? A country with by far the highest number of registered players of all the unions, still select players like Flutey, Vainikolo, Tuilagi, etc. Don't even get me started on the cricket....Morgan :pac:

ceegee

forfuxsake wrote: »

ceegee wrote: »

The whole country, INCLUDING THE NORTH???

Not sure if you got the memo but a sizable amount of the Norn Iron fans arent exactly enamoured with the FAI or their teams.


With regard to GAA strongholds producing soccer players, the last Irish squad had players from Wexford, Waterford, Galway, Tipp, Derry and Donegal. Not to mention that Cork and Dublin are also strong GAA areas. Picking players born outside of Ireland isnt down to the GAA, it happens in every country in the world. Did England pick Barnes and Hargreaves cos London GAA had robbed all their midfielders? Maybe its only cos of the Munich Shamrocks that Podolski got into the German team.

Podolski is a German citizen who has lived there since he was two. Hardly comparable to the average English ROI player whose sole claim is that his ma got spit-roasted in a bar and the guy on the rump end was so drunk he might have been a paddy.

Care to mention any examples of these players? Pretty sure theres a grand total of ZERO players in the Irish squad with an English mam and Irish dad, let alone one conceived during a spit roast.

The majority of our recent recruits from outside the Replublic have been from catholic areas of Derry - hardly an area free from GAAs influence. In fact English born players are becoming a bit of a rarity compared to the Charlton era

benway

I think we can all accept that, in the recent past, the boxers, middle distance runners, swimmers (*ahem*), cyclists, and even the cricket XI have done the country proud.

The reason that the soccer team is what it is - still doing reasonably well in the grand scheme of things, imho - has very little to do with the GAA and everything to do with the fact that the sport is a shambles at grass-roots level, and that most diehard soccer fans in this country wouldn't dream of actually going to a league of Ireland game.

Going down the pub to watch Manchester United and droning on all week to anyone who'll listen about the glorious win "we" had is about as far as it goes with most of them ... in my experience these same people tend to be some of the most self-righteous critics of "gah" and all.

While I'm at it, these same people are often very keen to run down traditional music as "diddley eye" "paddywhackery", and to dismiss efforts to promote the language, like TG4, as a waste of money. While happily sitting through the X-Factor before getting on to the Premiership of a Saturday night.

Generalising horribly here, obviously, but you get the point. This is before even getting started on the Cruisers and Harrises of this world.

c_man

ceegee wrote: »

let alone one conceived during a spit roast.

Well, we can't be sure of that :pac:

forfuxsake

ceegee wrote: »

Care to mention any examples of these players? Pretty sure theres a grand total of ZERO players in the Irish squad with an English mam and Irish dad, let alone one conceived during a spit roast.

The majority of our recent recruits from outside the Replublic have been from catholic areas of Derry - hardly an area free from GAAs influence. In fact English born players are becoming a bit of a rarity compared to the Charlton era

It's hard enough for these lads to accept the circumstances of their conceptions without me going into the details on a public forum.

TBH I am quite supposed that you would ask me to do!shame on you

ceegee

forfuxsake wrote: »

ceegee wrote: »

Care to mention any examples of these players? Pretty sure theres a grand total of ZERO players in the Irish squad with an English mam and Irish dad, let alone one conceived during a spit roast.

The majority of our recent recruits from outside the Replublic have been from catholic areas of Derry - hardly an area free from GAAs influence. In fact English born players are becoming a bit of a rarity compared to the Charlton era

It's hard enough for these lads to accept the circumstances of their conceptions without me going into the details on a public forum.

TBH I am quite supposed that you would ask me to do!shame on you

Fine, regardless of how they were conceived, can you name one current player who qualifies solely through having an Irish dad? Or explain why you feel Podolski (who got citizenship because his grandparents were born in a part of Poland that was then under German rule) is more entitled to play for his team than someone with Irish parents who grew up in the UK

awec

Speaking as a northerner (and someone from Armagh!), Brolly is a sad, bitter, waste of column inches and anyone taking anything he says with any ounce of credibility or seriousness needs their head felt.

He takes a subject, sensationalises it and then comes down as controversially as he can because he adores the attention.

awec

xflyer wrote: »

The whole country including the North will be behind the Irish team, that's nationalism.

Haha, I wouldn't be so sure! :pac: :pac: :pac:

As an aside, NI are an Irish team as well. The clue is in the name.

mattjack

xflyer wrote: »

People are often more proud of being from Kerry or Cork than being Irish. I would think that this is where much of the problem lies. The Northerners see themselves as Irish first and foremost because "we had to fight harder for it". The Laois guy is a Laoisman first and Irish a distant second.

I'm from Dublin ,live in Meath but giving precedence to county over country or vice versa has never occured to me.

That's your problem.

xflyer wrote: »

This made sure that sports minded kids were funneled into GAA and that remains the case. Our record in international sports is poor compared to countries of comparable. If the local GAA club expanded it's activities to include other sports like athletics or whatever.

Maybe a few years ago this was the case ,nowadays a lot GAA clubs allow other activities use their facilities.My own club allows soccer clubs train and use their gym, local kettle bell use the facilties,Aussie rules have visited and
as well as various martial arts and wrestling events.

My own GAA club now have arrangements as far as is possible not to have soccer and rugby training and matchs overlap,I'd imagine any modern GAA would do the same.

As for funnelling better players to GAA clubs , dunno bout that ,but I can give you a personal example ..My own sister played county and club football ,but just to keep her fit, her club were happy to have her as a player..her preference was hockey and athletics,both of which she won titles at national level.

xflyer wrote: »

. But it has had a detrimental effect on the playing of other sports and it feeds off the innate tribalism of Irish people. I don't think that's a positive thing.

There is reckoned to be more soccer clubs per head capita in Ireland than there are in Holland,I'd at a guess suggest that the reason soccer doesn't thrive at a pro level is English soccer clubs cherry picking players.

xflyer wrote: »

forfuxsake

ceegee wrote: »

Fine, regardless of how they were conceived, can you name one current player who qualifies solely through having an Irish dad? Or explain why you feel Podolski (who got citizenship because his grandparents were born in a part of Poland that was then under German rule) is more entitled to play for his team than someone with Irish parents who grew up in the UK

Of course Podolski is more entitled to play for his team -Germany-than someone with Irish parents who grew up in the UK.

Why would someone with Irish parents who grew up in the UK be entitled to play for Germany?

Terrontress

ceegee wrote: »

forfuxsake wrote: »

ceegee wrote: »

Care to mention any examples of these players? Pretty sure theres a grand total of ZERO players in the Irish squad with an English mam and Irish dad, let alone one conceived during a spit roast.

The majority of our recent recruits from outside the Replublic have been from catholic areas of Derry - hardly an area free from GAAs influence. In fact English born players are becoming a bit of a rarity compared to the Charlton era

It's hard enough for these lads to accept the circumstances of their conceptions without me going into the details on a public forum.

TBH I am quite supposed that you would ask me to do!shame on you

Fine, regardless of how they were conceived, can you name one current player who qualifies solely through having an Irish dad? Or explain why you feel Podolski (who got citizenship because his grandparents were born in a part of Poland that was then under German rule) is more entitled to play for his team than someone with Irish parents who grew up in the UK

Firstly because he has lived in Germany himself, not just his granny or parents. Secondly because he has come through the junior ranks of the DFB and is representative of that country's footballers. Thirdly because Germany is his first choice, rather than playing for a country as second choice as his home association felt him not good enough.

laoch na mona

that secondary school mentioned doon its near me
my area's famous.......sort of.....not really