Irish Independent - letter to editor

[Paddyfield]

I see a GUFC fan wrote a letter to the editor of the Irish Indo last Saturday, giving out about the GAA......

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/le...e-1345717.html

Saturday April 12 2008


On the day after two Champions league quarter-finals, and the eve of probably the greatest of all the majors in golf, the Independent gives its back page yet again to Mr Breheny and his never ending crusade concerning the finances of the GAA.

No mention of millions of taxpayers' euros injected into the GAA at the last minute, but yet we still should feel "grateful" to the GAA for allowing us to use a stadium that we have all paid for and yet feel sympathy for the GAA and its financial headache for the clash with the Munster tie.

Mr Breheny's comments about the disappointing returns of "just" €2.9m from the league this year beggars belief, and just confirms that people like Mr Breheny live in the past and are devoid of reality and are wrongly fearful of sports other than the GAA.

Oh, what my local League of Ireland club would give for just such a "disappointing" budget this year.

Yet again, Mr Breheny's comments confirm what the GAA is all about: An outdated money-grabbing organisation that thinks paying its players might upset the gravy train.

F MURTAGH,

GALWAY

[gufcfan]

Yet again, Mr Breheny's comments confirm what the GAA is all about: An outdated money-grabbing organisation

Unfortunately, from all my dealings with my local GAA club, I can only concur with your opinion that it is an out-dated money-grabbing organisation.

When I played underage soccer, certain members of the team were warned that they would be barred from playing GAA if seen playing soccer.

The bias against soccer contiues to this day. The same people who shouted at children for playing soccer are the same ****ers down the pub shouting for Man Utd and Arsenal.

The main pub, which is seen as the GAA pub, easily turned its back to GAA before on a Paddy's Day when the premiership and rugby clashed with a Galway team in the All-Ireland Club final. 3 TV's, and 2 with soccer and the other with rugby.

I'm on a bit of a rant, but the fact is that the GAA think the world of themselves, and cry treason when anyone questions them.

The GAA haven't got a penny from me in years and hopefully never will again.

[pixiehead]

Great Letter

[Terry-Lander]

Anyone who knows me will know that I'm no fan of the Grab All Association but on a local level I have recently witnessed the dedication of some members and the time they give to train kids as young as four. I no longer paint all of them with the same brush because there are individuals who are only concerned with putting something back into their local community..... Even reading this back I can't believe I'm actually defending individuals within the GAA. (get the restraints)

[MyTown]

You'll never guess where Martin Breheny is from.................

Mountbellew, Co.???????????????????????

He's had a major gripe since Denis O'Brien came up with the readies for Trap.

But I've always been of the view that the GAA & Rugger were always amateur associations in NAME only. (even before Rugby Union went pro).

It's always been an old boys network when you look at the number of past GAA and Rugby players - even on a local level - who occupy senior positions in Financial Services and Marketing jobs.

Soccer has always been the poor relation when it came to crumbs from the top table & the GAA apologists who bang on about its amatuer ethos and all that happens at a voluntary level always conveniently ignore the FACT that JUST as much happens at a voluntary level within soccer in Ireland.

[Terry-Lander]

[quote=MyTown;921714] You'll never guess where Martin Breheny is from.................

Mountbellew, Co.???????????????????????

He's had a major gripe since Denis O'Brien came up with the readies for Trap.

But I've always been of the view that the GAA & Rugger were always amateur associations in NAME only. (even before Rugby Union went pro).

It's always been an old boys network when you look at the number of past GAA and Rugby players - even on a local level - who occupy senior positions in Financial Services and Marketing jobs.

Soccer has always been the poor relation when it came to crumbs from the top table & the GAA apologists who bang on about its amatuer ethos and all that happens at a voluntary level always conveniently ignore the FACT that JUST as much happens at a voluntary level within soccer in Ireland.[/quote]


I'm not a GAA apologist and I'm not ignoring the fact that just as much happens at a voluntary level within soccer in Ireland. I am simply acknowledging the FACT that there are those who give freely of their time to kids in the gaa too. By the way senior posts in Education are also filled by the old boys network

[MyTown]

I'm not a GAA apologist and I'm not ignoring the fact that just as much happens at a voluntary level within soccer in Ireland. I am simply acknowledging the FACT that there are those who give freely of their time to kids in the gaa too. By the way senior posts in Education are also filled by the old boys network

Chill T-Lander. I wasn't replying to your post in particular, but to the thread in general.

People who put in voluntary time to any sporting endeavour are worthy of respect IMO - regardless of the code. To read some of the stuff you'd think volunteerism was restricted to one organisation.

[Terry-Lander]

My apologies. In my confused state whereby I actually said something nice about the gaa I mis-understood your post.

[Eire06]

GAA has more following than LOI
No Irish teams in Champions League
As for Golf I don't follow it but as far as I know only Harrington was in it and wasn't winning.

Why not have the back page of an Irish paper dedicated to an Irish sports story..

Knock that GAA chip off your shoulder

[eamo1]

I wrote a similar letter to that around 3 years ago,"Breheny is a broken record etc etc".They heavily edited my letter though,that Murtagh guys letter was probably edited too but they let him get his point across i suppose.
Anybody see the letter in the Galway Adver and Indo from that utd fan defending the board from the O.T.T criticism?

[deecay]

The GAA are a disgrace to this country,good letter

[snookerloopy]

GAA has more following than LOI
No Irish teams in Champions League
As for Golf I don't follow it but as far as I know only Harrington was in it and wasn't winning.

Why not have the back page of an Irish paper dedicated to an Irish sports story..

Knock that GAA chip off your shoulder

Completely agree! The GAA is a great organisation.Look at the facilities which have been developed at clubs through out the country. While it may be part funded by central council the community spirit involved is something refreshing.Why not give our national sport the back page?Its where the money is?Giving LOI the back page in order to appease the pockets of fans around the country will not sell papers. I have no connection wth the GAA I have always been a soccer man but have great regard for the GAA as an organisation. On the networking point, I remember being told that playing GAA is an important way to gain contacts even when I was in school.So be it.It shows the sense of community members of the organisation have.

[gilberto_eire]

Lads what has this to do with GUFC?.

I know your man is a fan but the letter is only about the GAA's greediness?!

[GuisaSaigon]

No Surrender to The GAA!

[WoodquayBoy]

People, the rallying call - for both sides of this argument - should be 'remember Europe'.
The club were refused use of Pearse Stadium for the first their European adventures because of a GAA rule (boo hiss), but the GAA communities in Carraroe and Ballinderreen supported the club and opened their grounds to it (will never be forgotten).
So as Terrylander said, while the GAA as a body is deserving of our scorn, don't tar all associated with the GAA with the same brush.

[GuisaSaigon]

The pitch in Carraroe is owned by the local community not the GAA, not sure about Ballindereen but I think it was a similar situation. So feel free to tar them all, No Surrender!

[WoodquayBoy]

And that was my point, the cvommunity - a predominately GAA community - opened their pitch to Galway United. They didn't have to but they did. Don't get me wrong, if Galway and Kerry were playing the All Ireland football final in my back garden, I'd pull the curtains and call the cops about a shower of muck savage trespassers who I want arrested, but the GAA communities in Carraroe and Ballinderreen did come to the club's aid

[Norm]

People, the rallying call - for both sides of this argument - should be 'remember Europe'.
The club were refused use of Pearse Stadium for the first their European adventures because of a GAA rule (boo hiss), but the GAA communities in Carraroe and Ballinderreen supported the club and opened their grounds to it (will never be forgotten).
So as Terrylander said, while the GAA as a body is deserving of our scorn, don't tar all associated with the GAA with the same brush.

The G.A.A refused access to Pearse Stadium,because to allow soccer to be played there would be breach of their rules at the time.

The fact that the "GAA communities in Carraroe and Ballinderreen" supported the club and opened their grounds suggests to me that the ground does not fall under GAA laws and is in fact a community ground.
If this issue was pushed and enough people were to get behind it, we would not be thanking "GAA communities" for allowing us to play on what are community grounds. A community ground should be open to all regardless.

Can you confirm if the pitch in question is a GAA ground or a community field?

[Norm]

The pitch in Carraroe is owned by the local community not the GAA, not sure about Ballindereen but I think it was a similar situation. So feel free to tar them all, No Surrender!

That was my point! Cheers GuisaSaigon!
If a field is a community ground, where does it state that we have to beg the GAA to use it?

[WoodquayBoy]

Oh for the love of God. It was a GAA pitch owned by the local community. The local community gave United access to their GAA pitch.