GAA and FAI

[Donal81]

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

This is rubbish Bill and it's the worst element of this website. Once the phrase GAA is uttered, everyone lines up to throw all manner of abuse at it. We've so far had an awful article by Dervan praised to the hilt and a conspiracy theory about the GAA in league with the Catholic Church went more or less unchecked. If someone dares to stray from this, they get called an apologist. What have I excused so far? All I've pointed out is that Shamrock Rovers don't own the ground and lost their hold on it through their own mucking about, leaving themselves open to Thomas Davis' opportunism, and that most evidence so far points to this being a local issue rather than a national one.

Like Pete pointed out, what good does it do us to respond to examples of the worst in GAA by simply lowering ourselves to their level of namecalling?

We've heard the same arguments about Croker get trotted out despite an overwhelming majority of the GAA voting in favour of opening it. This seems to get forgotten in the melee to slag off the whole organisation.

It drives me mad when GAA people I know mindlessly slag off soccer, grouping Shamrock Rovers, the FAI, Sky Sports and Jose Mourinho into one. What makes it worse is when soccer fans respond in kind.

The future for sport in this country will not be based around division and the GAA know it as well as the FAI and IRFU know it. The last few years have seen an unprecedented amount of cooperation between the organisations. Rednecks in Thomas Davis will have their big day out in court and make their little stand but when it all hopefully goes away, the GAA will be as relieved as any of us. They have nothing to gain from this and well they know it, especially with acres of land in Rathcoole waiting to be developed.

[Billsthoughts]

How is it rubbish?
The GAA is at fault in Tallaght. They are dragging out a court case. They can tell the clubs to desist if they wanted to. They do it often enough in relation to other things.
The Dervan article was praised by Rovers fans because it highlighted the issue which is something other papers have not been doing.
Personally I mentioned the sunday indo article which is not actually on their website for some reason. but it was a whole article defending the GAA without mentioning the tallaght situation.
Football is the nations sport and should be accorded its proper status. Most people in the state participate in it. it should be funded accordingly.

[Donal81]

How is it rubbish?
The GAA is at fault in Tallaght. They are dragging out a court case. They can tell the clubs to desist if they wanted to. They do it often enough in relation to other things.
The Dervan article was praised by Rovers fans because it highlighted the issue which is something other papers have not been doing.
Personally I mentioned the sunday indo article which is not actually on their website for some reason. but it was a whole article defending the GAA without mentioning the tallaght situation.
Football is the nations sport and should be accorded its proper status. Most people in the state participate in it. it should be funded accordingly.

It's rubbish if you're referring to me and others who haven't agreed with you as 'GAA apologists.'

Hang on, the Thomas Davis story made the Indo and the Irish Times when it came out. Emmet Malone has written regularly about Shamrock Rovers since the stadium story kicked off in the late 90s. Through the involvement of John O'Donoghue, it's become a national issue, rather than a council one. How much more attention does the club require? It's received the backing of the Council, most local councillors and the Department of Sport, not to mention favourable articles in the IT and the Indo. This is a well-known issue.

From what I could see, people didn't just like the raising of Thomas Davis in Dervan's article, they also liked the childish GAA-bashing.

[Soper]

The situatuion is basically the same as the council building a school...and the prison service wanting access to it to use as a prison as well.Logical of course...

[pete]

This is rubbish Bill and it's the worst element of this website.

Firstly this is a football forum so i've no idea what goes on in GAA forums.

As you have been quick to remind people this is a thread about Tallaght & Thomas Davis yet you have not addressed that issue & prefer to talk in generalities.

Thomas Davis are being self serving & parochial in their opportunistic opposition to Tallaght Stadium. If they were to win that case would mean possibe end to public funding os sport. TD have no case at all & are just trying to delay the Tallaght stadium completion in the hope Rovers fold. The GAA Central bigwigs are supporting this. Now the FAI central bigwigs have come out to support Rovers to send out the message that issue won't go away just because Rovers can't afford the legal fees. The government amazingly enough is supporting the football club ahead of the GAA club for probably first time ever...

[Donal81]

Firstly this is a football forum so i've no idea what goes on in GAA forums.

As you have been quick to remind people this is a thread about Tallaght & Thomas Davis yet you have not addressed that issue & prefer to talk in generalities.

What are you talking about? What do you want me to address? That Thomas Davis are chancers, making the most of Rovers' difficulties and deserving of contempt? I've said that more than enough times - where have I spoken in generalities? Where have I argued for Thomas Davis? Absolutely nowhere. But if I don't row in with slagging of the GAA that's as mindless as a GAA person slagging off soccer, I become a GAA apologist? Thanks for reinforcing my point, Pete.

Thomas Davis are being self serving & parochial in their opportunistic opposition to Tallaght Stadium. If they were to win that case would mean possibe end to public funding os sport. TD have no case at all & are just trying to delay the Tallaght stadium completion in the hope Rovers fold. The GAA Central bigwigs are supporting this.

I've addressed all this loads of times Pete. In fact, I used the same word you used plenty of times - opportunistic. I've never argued TD's case - I've argued that Rovers don't own the stadium and as such have left themselves open to this challenge, not that the challenge should have happened in the first place.

Now the FAI central bigwigs have come out to support Rovers to send out the message that issue won't go away just because Rovers can't afford the legal fees. The government amazingly enough is supporting the football club ahead of the GAA club for probably first time ever...

More 'us against the world' stuff Pete, it's unneccesary. The Government is supporting Rovers because it's their policy that this will be a soccer stadium and they're bang on.

[Merc67]

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!!!!!

jaysus, ye might not like the GAA, but anyone who's calling themselves 'Irish' and comparing feking Billy Wright to a hunger striker can go and jump off the top of the Hogan Stand as far as I'm concerned.

Not that im on here very often, but your moniker will now go down on the 'ignore - hasnt a brain' list... disgraceful.

Kevin Lynch Park = 'supporting terrorism'... wake up to the real world and the real history of this country fella. your a disgrace.

namechecking Myers only helps you prove so as does using Thathcher's terminology.

apologies for posting this on a football site, but the origingal poster went OTT in my eyes.

[Merc67]

back to the original point...
here's a piece from the Sunday MIrror last April.. it may shed a little light on the GAA'S viewpoint - that has not been seen on here..


Football: CROKER CHOKER
Sunday Mirror, Apr 2, 2006 by CIARAN O RAGHALLAIGH

STEVE STAUNTON'S Republic of Ireland could be kicked out of Croke Park in 2008 if there is no solution found to the new row between the Government and the GAA.

The home of Gaelic Games agreed to open their doors to this 83,000-capacity super stadium as a gesture of goodwill while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped.

But that could all change as the GAA are getting fed up at their treatment by the Government over Lansdowne and now Tallaght's municipal stadium. Having seen plans dumped to host Gaelic games in the new Lansdowne Road, the latest row is over Shamrock Rovers' half- built stadium in Tallaght - and who plays there.

The Government, who are funding the project, want only soccer played there, but the GAA are demanding they open it to all.

If they don't, the GAA are ready to withdraw their goodwill over opening Croke Park in 2008 - and that means no home for Staunton & Co.

A Croke Park insider said: "This started off as a local issue but it's now become a national one. We are disappointed that after the good gesture the Association made in opening Croke Park, this is being thrown back in our face.

"Only six months ago we were told that Lansdowne wouldn't be big enough for GAA after being promised it would be.

"Now we see a stadium 100 per cent publicly funded and we're not allowed in there either.

"This taps into an overall feeling of our members especially following the goodwill gesture in Croke Park.

"There is a hardening of attitudes from GAA members across the country now and while it won't trouble soccer and rugby games in 2007, it could easily affect 2008.

"It wouldn't take an enormous leap to see someone or club make a proposal next year to not allow soccer in again."

When Rule 42 was amended last year the new wording gave Central Council the power to open Croke Park to other sports while Lansdowne was being redeveloped. This power was used in December to open the ground for 2007, but no decision has yet been taken on the usage for 2008.

The spokesman added: "If there is goodwill there come next summer, then I'm sure it won't be an issue.

"However, you will see members applying the letter of the law to see Croke Park closed to soccer.

"After the Lansdowne fiasco there is a feeling that the wool could be pulled over our eyes."

[bennocelt]

Amid all this discussion, everyone - including the GAA of course - is forgetting that the GAA have a prime site in every village and town in Ireland - many of which they now want to flog off for enormous profit - merely because the unholy trinity of the GAA, the Catholic church and the politicians ensured that the GAA got these sites, essentially for free, over the decades - while the "foreign" sports were banned to the wilderness.

Funny how the GAA always forgets where the ludicrous imbalance originally started.

def too true
this has to be the best post of the month, cheers mate

The Ga have had a 80 years of a head start over football, bloody ga heads try to wipe out the beautiful game as best they come, and beleive me i live in the countryside so i know what they are like down here
if i happen to mention that i have no interest in Ga, or how my county is doing.....its a lynchable offence..............****s

fcuk bogball

rant over
feeling better now!

[p_o_r]

def too true
this has to be the best post of the month, cheers mate

The Ga have had a 80 years of a head start over football, bloody ga heads try to wipe out the beautiful game as best they come, and beleive me i live in the countryside so i know what they are like down here
if i happen to mention that i have no interest in Ga, or how my county is doing.....its a lynchable offence..............****s

fcuk bogball

rant over
feeling better now!

Yawn,

Same old chiches, 'the beautiful game', 'bogball', yawn, any chance of a counstructive argumnet ?

Two points
1. For the last 100 years the GAA have saved the governmnets and thus the tax payersof this country billions by supplying and manintaining sports fields and facilities for kids to play and take part in sport. In the UK and other countries who do you think has to pay to maintain all the playing fields ?. So a partial funding of Croke Park is a small price to pay for all that has been saved over the decades.


2. The Liam Brady ban issue - The ban went over 30 years ago, the ban on British soliders and PSNI member being members of the GAA went 6 years ago. I know it's hard for some here top swallow but the GAA are moving on and are a progressive organisation.

[Merc67]

imagine the church *who i have no time for* and irish politicians trying to mantain the country;s heritage...

shame on them eh!

ffs sake, wise up lads, your doing the sport of soccer in ireland a disservice. you are coming across so bloody anti-irish, like a fecking rangers website.

of course some of you share opinions the rangers fans do, without even knowing it. time to look in a large mirror...

[Superhoops]

.........you are coming across so bloody anti-irish, like a fecking rangers website....

Can you give a link to an anti-Irish Rangers website?

[bennocelt]

Yawn,

Same old chiches, 'the beautiful game', 'bogball', yawn, any chance of a counstructive argumnet ?

Two points
1. For the last 100 years the GAA have saved the governmnets and thus the tax payersof this country billions by supplying and manintaining sports fields and facilities for kids to play and take part in sport. In the UK and other countries who do you think has to pay to maintain all the playing fields ?. So a partial funding of Croke Park is a small price to pay for all that has been saved over the decades.

2. The Liam Brady ban issue - The ban went over 30 years ago, the ban on British soliders and PSNI member being members of the GAA went 6 years ago. I know it's hard for some here top swallow but the GAA are moving on and are a progressive organisation.

why dont you go back to your Ga websites and let us talk about the beautiful game
you are hardly comparing bogball to football are you?

my point is that the Ga have a stranglehood in a lot of communtities, you see what happens when a lot of the lads want to play football, the ga will rearrange their training for the same day
i remember when i was in school, we were NEVER allowed to play football, we did anyway, bit that was only 10 years ago,

tx to the ga for saving the tax payers so much money!

the facts are....................we have the same old same old ****e in ireland............catholic church, ff and fg, and ga heads, all into their country and western...........i dont have to go far to meet the above!!!!!!!

i know a lot of county players, and their ilk...............its so easy to wind them up about football.............i hate their attitude that they are more irish than the rest, cause they play a sh it sport, get over it

if im not making much sense, sorry i have a hangover!

[Donal81]

imagine the church *who i have no time for* and irish politicians trying to mantain the country;s heritage...

shame on them eh!

ffs sake, wise up lads, your doing the sport of soccer in ireland a disservice. you are coming across so bloody anti-irish, like a fecking rangers website.

of course some of you share opinions the rangers fans do, without even knowing it. time to look in a large mirror...

This is when I tune out...

[Donal81]

def too true
this has to be the best post of the month, cheers mate

The Ga have had a 80 years of a head start over football, bloody ga heads try to wipe out the beautiful game as best they come, and beleive me i live in the countryside so i know what they are like down here
if i happen to mention that i have no interest in Ga, or how my county is doing.....its a lynchable offence..............****s

fcuk bogball

rant over
feeling better now!

As long as you're slagging the GAA, you can write any old rubbish here, it seems.

[khoop]

As long as you're slagging the GAA, you can write any old rubbish here, it seems

As long as you are blindly defending the GAA - you can write any old rubbish here, it seems.

The GAA doesn't need any detractors really - it's killing itself with it's own blinkered stupidity.

It's only a matter of time.....

[Dodge]

Thread locked. It might be re-opened