A "Real GAA Man" Views on the LOI - Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

[Boh_So_Good]

So there I was at a school board community meeting last night and we were looking at ways of getting local kids involved in community activities and sport and all the great and good of the local community and business leaders were there.

The night was going productively until it came to the issue of fund raising. Various ideas were thrown around and somebody suggested we have the local GAA clubs donate kids jerseys as prizes and everyone agrees this is a good idea. Then somebody mentioned that the local LOI club (who shall remain nameless) be brought on board and what I experienced next was unreal and very eye-opening.

A local very wealthy business person laughed jeeringly and stated "we don't want to be exposing the kids around here to that rubbish!" As he said this an almost manical look came over his face. The person I know to be normally a nice enough bloke, transformed into some kind of Mad Mullah when the issue of the League of Ireland was brought up. An English person present interjected. "It's not a bad idea at all, our local club back in England was heavily involved with kids groups in the town and worked out great" The Real GAA man comes back with with spittle flying from his mouth and his eyes bugging. "The kids around here have GAA, they don't need soccer. We shouldn't even have a bloodly soccer league in this country as it takes funding away from GAA. Look what happened out in Tallaght, they give that shower a stadium for free so a man and dog can watch that rubbish!" The rest of the real GAA men around the room agreed and the idea of getting the local LOI club involved in the community was tossed out just like that.

I was left absolutely speechless at the sheer intolerance of the GAA folks there. They were in no way at this event for any other reason to help anyone but the local GAA club which is already rolling in it.

It was also an insight into just what Shamrock Rovers were up against in Tallaght with these fanatics. Until last night I had no real dislike or issue with the GAA, but know I see it it a different light. For all their success and power, the GAA lives in terror of the League of Ireland and will put every obstruction in its path even if means taking sport activities away from kids. By extension you see this in the Irish media were 90% of sports journalists are farmboys from rural areas who take this mentality with them.

What also struck me is how money is some kind of trigger mechanism for GAA heads. This is something they want to control and keep for themselves no matter what. They really are weirdos who care nothing for society as a whole beyond the GAA clubhouse. The GAA do not benefit their local communities as much as control them.

[SunderlandBohs]

What a ****!!! That crap really boils my ****! It just shows GAA heads up for the shower of racsits bigots & backward bunch of people then are!:mad:

[Rocky77]

"we don't want to be exposing the kids around here to that rubbish!"

Bad form alright, I can never understand the paranoia that prevails in irish sport. Kids should have the choice of playing any sport they like. I grew up in a rural area and was severely restricted in this regard.

However, and I ask this in deadly earnest, is the person who made that remark any worse than some of the people who post similar sentiments on these forums, albeit from the other side of the coin?

[placid casual]

However, and I ask this in deadly earnest, is the person who made that remark any worse than some of the people who post similar sentiments on these forums, albeit from the other side of the coin?[/QUOTE]

fair point.
the reason i would have disparaging comments about the gah is as a direct result of their involvement in trying to close down Rovers which left me not best pleased you can imagine.
i had been to a few dublin games in the past few years in croker as a nice day out in a cracking stadium.
now all i wish on them is disease and pestilence.

the point made above about the gah heads being fearfull of a resurgent LOI is very true.:)

[Titan]

So Boh So Good were you in a position to say anything or were you just there on a watching brief?

I have come up against this rubbish a couple of times when I have been trying to get into schools. I'm lucky in that when I come across this I can Ask a Dublin Selector or a former Dublin legend to have a word. Thankfully I have been able to sort these 'individuals' out myself so havent had to call on either of the lads but at least I know theyd help if needed.

[deecay]

Id only have a big rant if the person was in front of me or on this forum

[finnpark]

So there I was at a school board community meeting last night and we were looking at ways of getting local kids involved in community activities and sport and all the great and good of the local community and business leaders were there.

The night was going productively until it came to the issue of fund raising. Various ideas were thrown around and somebody suggested we have the local GAA clubs donate kids jerseys as prizes and everyone agrees this is a good idea. Then somebody mentioned that the local LOI club (who shall remain nameless) be brought on board and what I experienced next was unreal and very eye-opening.

A local very wealthy business person laughed jeeringly and stated "we don't want to be exposing the kids around here to that rubbish!" As he said this an almost manical look came over his face. The person I know to be normally a nice enough bloke, transformed into some kind of Mad Mullah when the issue of the League of Ireland was brought up. An English person present interjected. "It's not a bad idea at all, our local club back in England was heavily involved with kids groups in the town and worked out great" The Real GAA man comes back with with spittle flying from his mouth and his eyes bugging. "The kids around here have GAA, they don't need soccer. We shouldn't even have a bloodly soccer league in this country as it takes funding away from GAA. Look what happened out in Tallaght, they give that shower a stadium for free so a man and dog can watch that rubbish!" The rest of the real GAA men around the room agreed and the idea of getting the local LOI club involved in the community was tossed out just like that.

I was left absolutely speechless at the sheer intolerance of the GAA folks there. They were in no way at this event for any other reason to help anyone but the local GAA club which is already rolling in it.

It was also an insight into just what Shamrock Rovers were up against in Tallaght with these fanatics. Until last night I had no real dislike or issue with the GAA, but know I see it it a different light. For all their success and power, the GAA lives in terror of the League of Ireland and will put every obstruction in its path even if means taking sport activities away from kids. By extension you see this in the Irish media were 90% of sports journalists are farmboys from rural areas who take this mentality with them.

What also struck me is how money is some kind of trigger mechanism for GAA heads. This is something they want to control and keep for themselves no matter what. They really are weirdos who care nothing for society as a whole beyond the GAA clubhouse. The GAA do not benefit their local communities as much as control them.

The reason for this is very understandable. These guys are pocketing a lot of money from the GAA. Where do you think all that gate money goes. I would say a very small percentage goes back into the GAA. A GAA club that I know has had €100,000+ go "missing"

[reder]

The LOI is obviously moving in the right direction if GAH people are reacting in that manner when the words "League of Ireland" and "local community" are mentioned in the same sentence.

The Rovers stadium victory was a massive step in the right direction but it is critical that the football club gets its act in gear and fills that ground week-in week-out when they move there.

One GAH man I know was telling me that he his worried by the level of participation in football (soccer as he calls it). In my local area, the kids are going off on Sat and Sun mornings to play football not GAH. The future of the game looks promising and if managed well, could be very fruitful at all levels.

[sligoman]

You should have ****ed a chair at him and walked off.

[6yardpunisha]

You should have ****ed a chair at him and walked off.

direct and right to the point:D

[ashbournebohs]

Funnily enough my daughters were doing football coaching in school for a few weeks.Gaelic football of course.......They then told me that they were going on a school trip.... to Croke Park and were being encouraged to wear jersies on the trip.Steeling myself to fork out for two Gaa jersies i was delighted when without any input from me my 2 lasses both piped out at the same time.."dont bother Dad we are wearing our Bohs jersies"
Legends in the making and i might even stump up for a camera for them

[finnpark]

The LOI is obviously moving in the right direction if GAH people are reacting in that manner when the words "League of Ireland" and "local community" are mentioned in the same sentence.

The Rovers stadium victory was a massive step in the right direction but it is critical that the football club gets its act in gear and fills that ground week-in week-out when they move there.

One GAH man I know was telling me that he his worried by the level of participation in football (soccer as he calls it). In my local area, the kids are going off on Sat and Sun mornings to play football not GAH. The future of the game looks promising and if managed well, could be very fruitful at all levels.

Ive heard a few "English" premier league fanatics discussing the eircom league recently. MNS is working wonders. The media is the key to the future success of the LOI

[OneRedArmy]

The GAA is dead. You heard it here first.

They are on the brink of tearing themselves apart over pay for play which has driven a huge wedge between the intercounty elite and the rank and file members.

If it wasn't for soccer, rugby and the Dubs Croke Park attendences were pitiful last year and are a sign of things to come.

They'll try and blame everyone else but they should look at themselves first.

[Bluebeard]

Sadly not uncommon.

Growing up in a hurling county where things were regularly done to support and nourish the game. The notion of foreign sports wqas one that regularly would crop up in and among my GAA brethren. Generally folk of my age were not overly dogmatic about such things, but there appeared to be a less tolerant approach on high. The order of sports in my locale was very much Hurling first, football a bit behind, and Gaa-ball a long way back - loads of people played Gaa-ball, but generally as training, or to convince their club Obermeisters that they were serious about hurling.

I do seem to recall hearing about a survey or hurlers, perhaps in Limerick, I disrecall. It was one commissioned by the GAA to help develop the game. The simple question was:
"What do you think is the biggest threat to hurling in the county?"

As one would expect, the authorities were looking for the typical answers "Soccer" "Rugby" English / Foreign games". Apparently, the overwhelming response was "Gaelic Football". If I recall correctly, it may have been somewhat suppressed by the powers that were.

In my other hat, as a hurling fan from a hurling county, I don't give a monkeys about Gaa-ball, and always saw it as a greater threat to numbers taking up hurling. I have in recent years felt that the GAA has been holding hurling back by linking it so inextricably with Gaa-ball, and forsaking it's development outside of the traditional hurling areas.

I may be out of turn in asking this, but but was this in a predominantly Gaa-ball oriented neighborhood, Boh_so_good? I merely ask for information.

[pete]

This is the reason a lot of LOI really hate the GAA. They should learn to look at themselves instead of looking to attack others.

I watched with pleasure the way they tore themselves apart on recent payment of players issue. Unfortunately the government shamefully agreed to pay the players themselves.

Cork were unable to field teams recently & the GAA postponed their games & now need league play offs to decide league placings.

At inter-county game a lump of wood was thrown at a player in Mayo. At another game an official alleged to headbutt a player. :eek:

IMO a lot of GAA people are jealous of football. Why else would they create a made up game just to add an International element?

[Boh_So_Good]

So Boh So Good were you in a position to say anything or were you just there on a watching brief?

I was only there with an offer of free use of some tennis club courts for kids free lessons during the day when the courts are idle. I was in no position to say anything as I was there the first night mostly as an observer.

[Boh_So_Good]

I may be out of turn in asking this, but but was this in a predominantly Gaa-ball oriented neighborhood, Boh_so_good? I merely ask for information.

Funny enough I would say Junior Soccer being the biggest sport around here and the local LOI is well supported (it's not Bohs). GAA is not that popular (hurling is not even talked about) yet the GAA club's facilities are incredible. I am also a member of a local tennis club and a lot of LOI supporters there too. More each year too and laped fans returning.

[reder]

GAH football and hurling are summer sports. Thats when they make their money. You see clips in the news of games during the winter and spring and the crowds are way down in numbers. I would love to see the attendance figures minus the dubs for the year.

Can anyone explain to me why the government agreed to pay the players? I dont get that. Surely they should have just said, there's the money, off you go and sort it out yourself.

[sullanefc]

However, and I ask this in deadly earnest, is the person who made that remark any worse than some of the people who post similar sentiments on these forums, albeit from the other side of the coin?

I have to disagree with you there. I don't think LOI fans hold contempt for the GAA in the same numbers that the GAA hold contempt for LOI.

I am not surprised by the story above in the slightest. Junior soccer faces the same problems.

The main thing that LOI clubs have to do, is to fight the good fight and continue to get involved in community projects. MNS is doing wonders as are the FAI funded promotion officers.

Keep up the good work.

[JC_GUFC]

You should have ****ed a chair at him and walked off.

Forget that - a leg of lamb would've done the trick!

[Rocky77]

I have to disagree with you there. I don't think LOI fans hold contempt for the GAA in the same numbers that the GAA hold contempt for LOI.

I don't want to split hairs, but of course the numbers are smaller when the total number of LOI fans is smaller to begin with. I'd estimate the the percentage of respective fans would be in the same ballpark.

[pete]

I have to disagree with you there. I don't think LOI fans hold contempt for the GAA in the same numbers that the GAA hold contempt for LOI.

If the GAA minded their own business I wouldn't care what they did. You don't see LOI clubs going to the High Court to stop the GAA getting free land? Cork City Council proposing to hand over acres of valuable land to the GAA in docklands redevelopment.


Can anyone explain to me why the government agreed to pay the players? I dont get that. Surely they should have just said, there's the money, off you go and sort it out yourself.

I still fail to understand what makes GAA amateur players so special over all other amateur sports people. The fact they get big crowds is actually a reason NOT to pay them.

BTW the latest inter-county league game at Mayo where wood was thrown at opposition player had 3,000 attendance. Don't think figures released for other games.

[forza]

A lot of members of a GAA club I was part of before I moved out of Dublin for a while attend Pats games players from this club also play football as well as GAA. Theres no ill feeling with any clubs or vice versa.

Also I know of some other clubs that even share facilities.

I find its mainly the older GAA members that provide barriers and who have the hardoned attitudes.

They'll eventually die off.

Any younger members I know or have coached tend to love any sort of sport and were encouraged to play whatever in our eyes keeping them off the street was just as important as fielding a team.

Its not uncommon to see young people in Ballyfermot DLS/Liffey Gaels jackets for example at Richmond and that has been the case for years.

At the end of the day sports clubs/associations should not be at war.

They should be all pushing for the one goal keeping children off the streets and away from drink and drugs.

[sullanefc]

At the end of the day sports clubs/associations should not be at war.

They should be all pushing for the one goal keeping children off the streets and away from drink and drugs.

Well said. Unfortunately, most people in the GAA don't see it this way.

[Woody]

Nothing surprices me about this GAA inbreds reaction. I've hated all thing GAA since I was 12. My family were after moving back to Ireland from England then and after I was enrolled in the local primary school me and a mate tried to take up hurling with the school team. We were the only ones banned from playing any Gaelic games in the school. The reason I was an English c unt (apparently) and my mate was a prod. We were told we shouldn't even be in the school. So now I take great delight in seeing the catholic church crumble and slagging off the incestuous inbred ways of the GAA.

League of Ireland and it's supporters s hits all over the GAA and it's pig eyed mutants.

[strangeirish]

League of Ireland and it's supporters s hits all over the GAA and it's pig eyed mutants.
I think you just paid Marty Morrissey a compliment there.

[Mental Man]

Its not so long ago down in Waterford that broken glass was been scattered in among the goalposts of a certain junior league soccer club and that it was linked to member(s) of another local GAA club :mad:
On local radio a few months back a stalwart GAA bigot came on Matt keanes show "terrace talk" to say that he would openly go out and dig up all the GAA fields if they were left open to "foreign" sports.
Now how bad is that ??
I f***ing hate the p***ks in the GAA.:mad:

[LeixlipRed]

I was at the Ireland Cyprus game and there was a family in front of me in their Thomas Davis gear. I was almost foaming at the mouth at the hypocrisy of these *****s. Sure we'll take free tickets to Croker but on the other hand try and exterminate a local football club. The GAA, while a professionally run organisation, to me is a relic of a bigoted past. They belong in the time of priests, corporal punishment and leprechauns. Many a time were we ran off our local GAA pitch by a hurley wielding lunatic who thought it was a sin for us to play a "foreign" sport there. A grown man attacking kids with a hurl is an image I'll never forget. Bigoted *****

[Pablo Escobar]

This is the type of attitude that has made me vow never to pay into a GAA match again.

[passerrby]

dont be silly theres no such thing as priests
the old bigots are a dying bred ,mothers and fathers will not be lectured by the GAA or the church about what there children do, most people play both sports and dont see a problem .
and your right that same ****er chased me with a hurley as well but i think it was because he fancied me

[LeixlipRed]

***er chased me with a hurley as well but i think it was because he fancied me

Are you hot? I might chase you with my hurley too :D

[zenokelly]

I think a lot here are getting annoyed over nothing here. Don't say you have never met an ignorant boll**** like that before. Better to not get ****ed off about these things or that creep is definitely winning.

By the way on a side note, how come you say an unnamed LOI club? Is there a law stating you can't:rolleyes:

[LeixlipRed]

I think the OP was just trying to protect his own identity there

[Niall]

I think you just paid Marty Morrissey a compliment there.

Have had a really crap day at work, but that post have improved my mood no end - marvelous stuff

[pól-dcfc]

Gaelic games (well basically just the hurling - not that made up 19th Century football rubbish) are a huge part of our national heritage. It's such a shame they are run by silly buggers intent on grabbing as much Government money as possible. Thank god we don't seem to have much of a problem with them in Derry.

[elroy]

i think the gaa are more scared of english football that the LOI if im honest. I hate this undercurrent feeling towards football that is prevalent even still in alot of gaa people. There may be a few who support football principally who have a similar feeling towards the gaa but no where near as many imo. I even think the media in ireland are biased towards the gaa over football. Now i know the fai dont help themselves but any time the fai do something wrong it gets much more coverage than if the gaa do. I cant understand how the gaa's finances are not scrutineered more. The organisation is making millions for letting of croke park, ticket receipts, sponsorship etc etc and yet there are numerous clubs throughout the country who have to fund raise to survive.

I hate the sort of them against us attitude that they have. I would love for football to have such a widespread and successful network in Ireland that they have. However, i do feel that this sort of attitude that i experienced myself playing gaa at underage prevents the development of football to its true potential in ireland. I know of many underage players who were treated badly from a gaa perspective because they played football for the local team as well.

I guarantee that if the roles had been reversed a few years back and the FAI had the 80k seater stadium and the gaa were left homeless and needed somewhere to play their big games, would there have been half the hassle?? No because the fai and its supporters wouldve been more than happy to let out to stadium and make a tidy profit on it as the gaa have done on the fais games. To be honest i cant wait to get back to LR, for one i dont think croker suits football, the atmosphere is rubbish there and im sick of the gaa attitude towards the fact that they are 'doing us a favour' by allowing us to play in their stadium

[KianD]

I went to a secondary school where one specific teacher manages to this day to prevent it having a football (sorry, spent too long in the UK to say 'soccer') team. And enforces a hurling team - in Kildare. Needless to say, sports in that school is for the most part dead - the GAA football team occasionally manages to do OK, but thats about it.

[Nesta99]

My third level college also remaining namless runs a sports course where most of the lecturers/administrators would be GAA people. We had a choice between taking Gaelic or Soccer coaching badges. Little did i know that those who chose soccer would be penalised at any oppertunity. First and foremost while the GAA group were out coaching in local schools the soccer people were just not timetabled to coach in the community and were not allowed to do so when the head lecturer was approached. Many examples occured where the GAA group recieved better marks also....i s*it you not - we as a soccer group handed in logbooks plagerised from some of the GAA lads and all recieved inferior marks. One GAA lad handed in 4 pages of a log no cover, unstapled, no bibliography etc and recieved 72% not one of us got over 65%!!!! When it came to events or fundraising the soccer group were just not included or were given the ****tiest of jobs. Our development as coaches and other aspects of our course development were significantly hampered by our choice of soccer. The SU Pres was also a gaa head so we got no joy there either. I wont even go on about the GAA team being flown to match in Cork while the Soccer team were sent by coach for a more important match (the GAA were already relegated from their section)....equipment, paid coach and so on... bah im getting annoyed again

[Tir Oilean]

Boh so Good I hope you done the right thing and rang your clubs CPO to give him the details of the school for him to get involved with them..... never mind throwing chairs at him get the EL club in there that'll have him foaming at the mouth!!!

[Poor Student]

I went to a secondary school where one specific teacher manages to this day to prevent it having a football (sorry, spent too long in the UK to say 'soccer') team. And enforces a hurling team - in Kildare. Needless to say, sports in that school is for the most part dead - the GAA football team occasionally manages to do OK, but thats about it.

Same as my secondary only replace GAA with rugby. They're not the only ones at it.

[Jamjar]

The reason I was an English c unt (apparently)


So are you no longer an English c unt ?

[John83]

So are you no longer an English c unt ?
He had a sex change. Now he's a Chinese Richard - a Wang.

[Lim till i die]

The GAA is dead. You heard it here first.


Wishful thinking here.

The combined attendances at Limericks 4 Munster championship games last year was roughly 150,000

Which is pretty darn healthy no matter what way you look at it.

[ciaraa]

I think you just paid Marty Morrissey a compliment there.


pure class

[Comic Book Guy]

The way I see it is that some of these Gah heads (especially those besotted with 'football') are the way they are because deep down they realise their hybrid game is vastly inferior to the association variety.
Even within GAA circles there are those hurling folk who look down on their 'football' cousins.
All I would say to those people in your school is f*** them, if you provoked that type of a repsonse from them then the EL must be doing something right.

[BohDiddley]

However, and I ask this in deadly earnest, is the person who made that remark any worse than some of the people who post similar sentiments on these forums, albeit from the other side of the coin?
What a pathetic defence. This one comes up in almost every thread citing GAA bigotry and only the most feeble-minded are taken in by it.
Football people in Ireland are exercised about GAA only insofar as that organization maintains the kind of attitude reported in the original post. You talk about the other side of the coin: where have you seen this level of ignorance aimed by a football person at GAA or any other sport at community level?

[kingdomkerry]

im obviously in a minority here but the way i see it i am a sports fan. i love soccer, football, hurling and rugby. My first love was always soccer. one thing i hate is people who support "the pool and utd" There is'nt any kerry team in the loi but i still follow it because its my league. I support kerry in the football because I love it when it comes to the crunch. I understand yere point about the narrow scope "gaa heads" but remember this is a tiny minority. Most gaa people i know are sports fans brought up in a gaa area and would not object to a loi club trying to make something of itself.

[oldyouth]

It is because of Gah heads like this, that I have returned (after a long absence) to LOI football to follow Wexford Youths. OK, the standard is not great at the moment but Mick Wallace has brought senior football to a Hurdlin' county.....and the Gah heads don't like it:p. Not only that, he has taken away the traditional sh*te that they use to put the game down, such as begging for money & pitches, professional sportsmen, not linked to the community etc. This is a sport for all club

All they have been left with is shouting about breaches of planning regulations. The Beautiful Game is here to stay in Wexford. Get used to it......

PS It's nice to see that the Youths all weather pitches are being used on Saturday mornings by dozens of young kids for hockey practice. Why not???

[Ash]

A local very wealthy business person laughed jeeringly and stated "we don't want to be exposing the kids around here to that rubbish!"

"The kids around here have GAA, they don't need soccer. We shouldn't even have a bloodly soccer league in this country as it takes funding away from GAA..."

I've known ardent GAA men like that in the past ... and they are usually the
1st ones in the pub on a Sunday, all decked out in their colours ... to watch
Liverpool or Man U.

I have a vague memory of one occasion years ago when a man like that
was lapping up the Ford Super Sunday and someone asked if he'd head up
to the pitch to help umpire or something for a Junior B game. His response
was something like ... "This match is more important than that sh!te" ...
and then he kissed the Liverpool crest!

[Straightstory]

What a nasty bunch of bigots the GAA are. And nobody's even mentioned their crude sectarianism... (Oh! - I've just done it there).