GAA and FAI

[paul_oshea]

sorry i thought he said the 9 ulster counties, my bad.

however the second point is still correct

[Dodge]

however the second point is still correct

Which you added after the BBC link was added. Not a great day for you and editing is it?

[gspain]

Excuse me, you mentioned GAA writers, I thought you meant anyone purporting to speak on behalf of the soccer community, whatever that is.

It is absolutely nothing like blacks and the Klan in the USA, come on.

Pointing out examples of GAA bigotry is one thing. Pointing it out while making patronising remarks about the entire organisation and crowing about soccer's popularity is another.

I was looking for examples of comments made by FAI officials. To the best of my knowledge there were no public statements until recently when Delaney said there was no problem.

Numerous GAA writers have been saying "the FAI are getting too cosy" "want photo opportunities" etc etc. Seems to me elements in the GAA are stirring it up internally and trying to blame the FAI.

The GAA are the ones that have had and still have the bigoted rules. It is GAA officials that are coming out with the nonsense like Fogarty and Lynch came out with recently.

Maybe it is time for somebody in the GAA to take on the bigots once and for all.

I find it mildly amusing you are upset by Dervan's article.

The lephant in the room that no journalist has touched yet (Well Kevin Myers did briefly but had to do a crawling piece on how wonderful the GAA were a few weeks later) is continued GAA support for terrorism. On the last sunday in July Nicky Brennan missed all the GAA championship because he travelled to Derry to open Kevin Lynch GAA grounds for Kevin Lynch GAA club. Lynch was a convicted terrorist who died on hunger strike in 1981. The ceremony that included Adams and McGuinness also include a paramilitary parade. It wasn't deemed worthy of a mention in any mainstream paper in the Republic. I wonder if Portadown renamed Shamrock Park Billy Wright Park and the president of the IFA joined in the ceremony with leading Loyalists would it cause an outrage. You bet it would!!!!!

[paul_oshea]

Which you added after the BBC link was added. Not a great day for you and editing is it?

No i am hungover, but i didnt edit that, i edited a dif part of it after the bbc link. As i had a dif link before that good man nice try.

[gspain]

sorry i thought he said the 9 ulster counties, my bad.

however the second point is still correct

Maths lesson number 2.

227 Yes Votes
97 No votes.

Total valid poll 324.

97 No votes out of 324


= 29.94% approx

which is

greater than

25%

which was the point you disputed.

[Wolfie]

Liam Brady was expelled form school because he captained the Irish schoolboy team. Why was it an isolated incident? Con Martin was banned from GAA after playing in the Leinster final. He got caught playing football before the All Ireland, got banned for life and didn't get his Leinster winners medal for over 30 years until the ban wa slifted.

It is more than a lunatic fringe. Over 25% of the GAA congress voted against opening Croke Park. This is still a significant number.

Now perhaps you can give examples of bigotry the other way?

Can you also give examples of the FAI comments that have caused such offence. i know there are numerous GAA writers complaining about the FAI attitude etc

I described Liam Brady's situation with the Ireland Schoolboys Team was an isolated incident as I was only referring to this one specific incident that I was aware of. I'm well aware that the Ban was far reaching and devised to keep Soccer in a state of arrested development in this country.

I think Brady himself has written that he bears no animosity towards the GAA over the incident and it was the bidding of one Christian Brother as opposed to the whole GAA organistation banning a 15 year old from playing foreign games.

A bit of balance never does any harm however - the fact that the vote was passed in the first place surely points to the fact that there are broad minded and moderate members within the GAA.

25% of the GAA Congress (Council et all) voting against opening Croker doesn't make them biggots. I'm certainly no GAA apologist (far from it) but in fairness - its their patch.

[paul_oshea]

my point was that some counties have more votes than others.....which would deflect a true representation of the individual counties and supporters "for" within those counties.

[geysir]

I may hate the GAA and all their works but not because I'm a bigot but because I recognise that they are and that they have a "last man standing" agenda. Anyone who thinks that GAA aren't out to destroy Rovers, and on a larger scale to hold football back, is being just a wee bit naive.KOH

If I were in a Rover's shoe, so to say, then I would assume the worst scenaria of intention by the GAA clubs and retaliate appropriatly in order to win for the last time the right to control the use of the Tallaght stadium.
But save me the eve of destruction evil empire star wars scenario.
The ailing state of professional soccer in Ireland is a victim of it's own ineptitude.
GAA clubs throughout the country have themselves have bought the land, built up the grounds - owned by the members, controlled by the members since the 1900's.

[Dodge]

GAA clubs throughout the country have themselves have bought the land, built up the grounds - owned by the members, controlled by the members since the 1900's.

And so have 1000s of football clubs throught the state

[paul_oshea]

And so have 1000s of football clubs throught the state

And whats your point? which is in better condition?

I blame the church, as my old man says "the church is owned by the community, therefore the land is the communities, not the church".

[Dodge]

And whats your point?

The point was the geysir's point was redundant.

[pete]

Moderator Notice: All posts referring to bigotry "discussion" will be removed.

[gspain]

I described Liam Brady's situation with the Ireland Schoolboys Team was an isolated incident as I was only referring to this one specific incident that I was aware of. I'm well aware that the Ban was far reaching and devised to keep Soccer in a state of arrested development in this country.

I think Brady himself has written that he bears no animosity towards the GAA over the incident and it was the bidding of one Christian Brother as opposed to the whole GAA organistation banning a 15 year old from playing foreign games.

A bit of balance never does any harm however - the fact that the vote was passed in the first place surely points to the fact that there are broad minded and moderate members within the GAA.

25% of the GAA Congress (Council et all) voting against opening Croker doesn't make them biggots. I'm certainly no GAA apologist (far from it) but in fairness - its their patch.

The Ban was rigidly enforced. How was Liam Brady an isolated incident. The ban applied whether it was for Home Farm or Fairview or for the Irish schoolboys. Exceptions were only made for really top GAA stars such as Mick Mackey and Mick O'Connell. Even then the Limerick County board had to make Mick Mackey a "Watcher" and the Kerry county board had to pretend a front page photo in the Cork Examiner was made up.

Of course there are broadminded and moderate members in the GAA. They are in the majority. They are in a large majority in the Republic of Ireland.

[Wolfie]

The Ban was rigidly enforced. How was Liam Brady an isolated incident. The ban applied whether it was for Home Farm or Fairview or for the Irish schoolboys. Exceptions were only made for really top GAA stars such as Mick Mackey and Mick O'Connell. Even then the Limerick County board had to make Mick Mackey a "Watcher" and the Kerry county board had to pretend a front page photo in the Cork Examiner was made up.

Of course there are broadminded and moderate members in the GAA. They are in the majority. They are in a large majority in the Republic of Ireland.

I think the phrase "isolated incident" was a misleading phrase to use on my part. What I'm trying to say is that I don't have any lived experience or further evidence of the Ban on a personal level though am no way suggesting the Ban was not restrictive or unfair to generations that endured it.

[Donal81]

There it is in a nutshell - the ridiculous belief that the GAA are a vital part of the fabric of Irish society and yet scoffing at the very notion that there might even be a "soccer community".

The "soccer community" is the largest sporting community in the state and on the island. Unfortunately we've had decades of neglect from our ruling body but don't let that fool you into thinking that the work of the 1000s of coaches and volunteers every week doesn't actually happen.

The only thing I respect about the GAA is their PR machine. it's very impressive, still doesn't change any of the fundamental truths about the organisiation.

KOH

Where did I scoff? My point was with Dervan acting as chief spokesperson for the soccer community. I played juvenile football for years, never miss a game in Lansdowne, consider it my favourite sport and follow the whole thing religiously but Dervan certainly doesn't speak for me with his childish name-calling and I would have thought he didn't speak for a lot of football fans. Maybe I'm wrong. Either way, nowhere did I make the point that you're saying I did. GAA is vital to communities all around the country as are football clubs, obviously, and I've plenty of experience with both.

[Donal81]

thats a ridicilous statement. the Dublin GAA voted to support TD after the Chairman of TD stated it was his intention to keep Rovers out. Its policy of the association and no doubt they will foot the legal bill.

They're not paying for this. One person in Thomas Davis is driving the whole thing. My information on this is that Dublin's GAA county board want the whole thing to go away but they've got to go along with their clubs. Also, at least one of the clubs is just putting its name to it out of respect for Thomas Davis.

A public example of this was the email sent from Dave Kennedy of Thomas Davis to John Costello of Dublin GAA's Central Council - this wound up in a number of newspapers when the story broke:

"I have also sought to be supportive of a multi-code use [keeping soccer]. Tactically I think this has to be right for now. I'm confident that in any bout with Rovers that the GAA will be the last man standing."

This is filthy, sneaky stuff and indicates what Thomas Davis are really thinking and the whole thing should have ended there. But how did an email sent from Kennedy to Dublin's Central Council end up with newspapers? From the very start, it weakened Thomas Davis and especially this Kennedy fellow. I don't know but there are only so many parties that could have leaked it.

Secondly, when the clubs were considering their legal move, Dublin GAA requested their solicitor to give them legal advice on the matter. They quietly told the solicitor to come back with negative advice. Obviously, it didn't make much difference.

Look, if Croke Park comes out and throws its full lobbying weight behind this, I'll put my hands up and admit to having been extremely naive in thinking that it was a local dispute pushed by a small band of chancers. That hasn't happened yet.

[geysir]

The point was the geysir's point was redundant.

My point is entirely relevant to the homeless state ("the leagues most famous professional club") Shamrock Rovers had got into, which is the football club issue of the day, germane to the thread and to my general opinion that FAI have been doing it ars'eways since decades without any intervention needed by the GAA to help them along.

[Dodge]

So why not say, nearly every other football club in Ireland has build a ground rather than bring the GAA into it?

Either way there is no defence for the despicable way Thomas Davis have acted in Tallaght (backed by Dublin GAA and GAA HQ). Thats the bottom line. I have no problem with Croke park receiving massive govt funding and nor did I have a problem with the GAA using it solely for their games (and concerts, conferences and american football - but anyway) but their actions in tallaght are ridiculous.

We can argue the semantics of what ahppened in previous GAA/FAI regimes but today, in tallght, the GAA are completely at fault.

[pete]

And Pete, go onto any Gah forum, we are west brits, loyalists and all sorts. Why are we not allowed call them bigots in return?

Just because they lower themselves does it mean we have to as well? Just because they do it does it make it ok? Don't see why can't be debated without the abuse. If you have an issue with it you can make a complaint.

[Billsthoughts]

Either way there is no defence for the despicable way Thomas Davis have acted in Tallaght (backed by Dublin GAA and GAA HQ). Thats the bottom line. I have no problem with Croke park receiving massive govt funding and nor did I have a problem with the GAA using it solely for their games (and concerts, conferences and american football - but anyway) but their actions in tallaght are ridiculous.

We can argue the semantics of what ahppened in previous GAA/FAI regimes but today, in tallght, the GAA are completely at fault.

This is a FACT I wish the GAA apologists would get into their heads!