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Football Championship 2021

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "The championship is unfair
The GAA has made and has no intention of trying to mitigate that imbalance

They don't even try to promote hurling in half the country ffs.

There is a fair way to do it though.

3 tiers
Serious contenders in tier 1
Tier 3 played earlier than tier 1 and be given the option of appearing in as divisional teams in tier 1

Just copy the Kerry county championship format- seems to work ok for them

Split Dublin in 4, Kerry in two and separate all cities from their counties.
Top 8 counties plus 8 divisional teams into All Ireland senior championship

8 divisional teams would be
Connacht, south Munster, South Leinster, North Munster, Dublin, West Ulster, East Ulster, north Leinster"
Certainly a huge improvement on what passes for a football competition presently.

ONdeDITCH (Limerick) - Posts: 873 - 27/07/2021 22:09:56    2364902

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't see what relevance your driving a taxi round Belfast has to the fact that the protestant/unionists will never embrace the GAA,
ok you'll have the exceptions butt he vast vast majority have a british identity, the soccer crowd here are a bit mixed but there's a big majority of them that are anti GAA too, it's a bit strange tbh.
Even when Donegal were winning the All ireland they were begrudging, but you had the usual few hopping on the bandwagon.
The population head counting really tells you nothing until you break it down into a sectarian head count."
I don't think any right-headed GAA man would want to play for a team (in any sport) called the Cromwell Invaders - so why would a Brit want to play for a 'Padraig Pearses' GAA club? It cuts both ways.

As a non-northerner, I can't fully relate to the points you've made - so I'll grant you this - even if we showed more olive branch via club naming gestures - perhaps certain bigotry would not subside ?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2582 - 27/07/2021 22:26:18    2364907

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Replying To omahant:  "I don't think any right-headed GAA man would want to play for a team (in any sport) called the Cromwell Invaders - so why would a Brit want to play for a 'Padraig Pearses' GAA club? It cuts both ways.

As a non-northerner, I can't fully relate to the points you've made - so I'll grant you this - even if we showed more olive branch via club naming gestures - perhaps certain bigotry would not subside ?"
Ah for sure I'm not saying they would straight away. But down the line if there is to be some form of reunited country there will have to be reconciliation. Historically many leaders of the various Republican movements from 1798 onwards from Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet, Henry Joy McCracken to Roger Casement and Erskine Childers were Protestants. There are many GAA clubs named after some of these men. Every Republican movement there has been in this country has religious equality as a core principle. Hurling and Football are great sports. For a United Ireland to be viable long term more Protestants in the North will have to want to be part of it. Small steps like the newly formed "East Belfast GAA club" can only be a good thing for the GAA and the country at large. Projects like this need support from the organisation not dismissed by lads in Donegal. Anyway I said I wouldnt get into politics but I felt you deserved an answer.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11841 - 28/07/2021 09:44:30    2364972

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Kerry favourites now to win All Ireland. That's the bookies, not me."
I'd imagine kerry are only favourites as they only have to beat Tyrone or monaghan which should be handy enough, where dublin have to beat kildare and mayo to make it to the final which is allot tougher, if dublin do make it through to play kerry in the final I suspect that dublin will be the slightest of favourites.

Royal.Legend (Meath) - Posts: 665 - 28/07/2021 13:25:18    2365070

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Replying To Rockies:  "Have friends from Belfast and Dublin who still shun GAA . Not because of any politics, just they would rather support Liverpool than follow GAA . Happens in Cork too.., mainly in city ... premiership interest is massive! I guess it's an international game whereas the GAA is viewed as very provincial and archaic!"
There are lots of Irish people of "nationalist" background who have inferiority complex towards anything Irish. Most evident in their preference for TV soccer and soap opera and "reality" TV and tabloid rags. It is not even a political thing judging by the voting preferences of some of the "west Brits" I know in Dublin! Could have been born in Birmingham for all the nationality in them.

At least the northern unionists have some sort of cultural reason for not being GAA people!

Which is their own business and in event of a united Ireland that would hardly change.

We seem to be obsessed with having others approve of our own culture as if that provides some sort of validation. You don't preserve something by diluting it, that's for sure.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2554 - 28/07/2021 13:37:38    2365075

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Replying To Royal.Legend:  "I'd imagine kerry are only favourites as they only have to beat Tyrone or monaghan which should be handy enough, where dublin have to beat kildare and mayo to make it to the final which is allot tougher, if dublin do make it through to play kerry in the final I suspect that dublin will be the slightest of favourites."
Spot on, two fairly evenly matched teams and one is already in the semi final before the other has even played their provincial final, it's common sense that Kerry would be slight favorites at this stage.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 28/07/2021 14:00:55    2365087

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "There are lots of Irish people of "nationalist" background who have inferiority complex towards anything Irish. Most evident in their preference for TV soccer and soap opera and "reality" TV and tabloid rags. It is not even a political thing judging by the voting preferences of some of the "west Brits" I know in Dublin! Could have been born in Birmingham for all the nationality in them.

At least the northern unionists have some sort of cultural reason for not being GAA people!

Which is their own business and in event of a united Ireland that would hardly change.

We seem to be obsessed with having others approve of our own culture as if that provides some sort of validation. You don't preserve something by diluting it, that's for sure."
There's no evidence to back up or even suggest "lots of Irish people of "nationalist" background have an inferiority complex towards anything Irish".

Just because someone doesn't like the taste of black porter or doesn't find Hurling or Gaelic football as being the sports for them doesn't mean they have an inferiority complex towards anything Irish.

The worst thing anyone can do is try and force someone to like something they do.

Calling someone a West Brit just because they don't like what you do just gives them a good excuse to keep their kids away from Gaelic sports and look down at you as being inferior and uneducated.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 28/07/2021 14:37:41    2365105

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Replying To AfricanGael:  "There's no evidence to back up or even suggest "lots of Irish people of "nationalist" background have an inferiority complex towards anything Irish".

Just because someone doesn't like the taste of black porter or doesn't find Hurling or Gaelic football as being the sports for them doesn't mean they have an inferiority complex towards anything Irish.

The worst thing anyone can do is try and force someone to like something they do.

Calling someone a West Brit just because they don't like what you do just gives them a good excuse to keep their kids away from Gaelic sports and look down at you as being inferior and uneducated."
You would want to be in a pretty low state of affairs for the people I'm talking about to be looking down at you!

I don't particularly care what they do, nor their low cultural level, and wouldn't be bending over backwards to get them involved in anything, least of all the GAA.

Each to their own as you imply.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2554 - 28/07/2021 14:49:48    2365114

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Replying To Royal.Legend:  "1 Dublin 1,345,402
2 Antrim 618,108
3 Cork 542,868
4 Down 531,665
- Fingal 296,020
- South Dublin 278,767
5 Galway 258,058
6 Londonderry 247,132
7 Kildare 222,504
- Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown 218,018
8 Meath 195,044
9 Limerick 194,899
10 Tyrone 179,000
11 Armagh 174,792
12 Tipperary 159,553
13 Donegal 159,192
14 Wexford 149,722
15 Kerry 147,707
16 Wicklow 142,425
17 Mayo 130,507
18 Louth 128,884
19 Clare 118,817
20 Waterford 116,176
21 Kilkenny 99,232
22 Westmeath 88,770
23 Laois 84,697
24 Offaly 77,961
25 Cavan 76,176
26 Sligo 65,535
27 Roscommon 64,544
28 Monaghan 61,386
29 Fermanagh 61,170
30 Carlow 56,932
31 Longford 40,873
32 Leitrim 32,044
Here's the proper list as per census 2016, going by this antrim even if you half the population are massive underachievers along with kildare who always had a big population, kerry are pound for pound the best achieving county in ireland considering they have a half decent hurling team too, other notable mentions are kilkenny Roscommon monaghan Cavan and Fermanagh, looking at the population of meath we should be doing allot better at present and hopefully we will learn to turn our large population to our advantage."
Good grief - Londonderry - where's that? You forgot about Queen's County at 23 and King's County at 24.

ErneSheugh (Fermanagh) - Posts: 3 - 28/07/2021 15:23:56    2365135

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What I found in areas of Donegal where there was a 50/50 split between GAA and soccer you always had the narrative that the GAA were bigoted and the "grab all association" and all that rubbish.In reality nearly all GAA players would dabble at a bit of soccer while very few soccer people had much interest in the GAA.If Donegal had a big game on there was always some reason why they couldn't go or even watch it on tv.GAA wasn't seen as "cool" by certain people although I think that has changed a bit in recent years.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1056 - 28/07/2021 15:29:29    2365141

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Replying To Viking66:  "You started the post I replied to by saying I obviously knew nothing about the north. I was just pointing out to you that I did. I've numerous friends in the north predominantly republican but some loyalist small l and some nationalist small n. I've some protestant friends who would see themselves as British and some who see themselves as Irish. The point I was trying to make was that little steps make a big journey. Football and especially Hurling are great sports in their own right. People like you politicising them will ensure they never grow in the North. I could get into a long political debate with you but I'm not going to. This is a sports forum."
OK I take your point re your knowledge of the north, I don't see how me stating what I see as plain obvious is politicising sport, I have protestant friends myself, the best of people but they just don't identify as Irish and the GAA to them is as alien as the orange order is to us, even though I know there's no comparison between the 2 things but that's kind of how it is and I don't see it changing for a very very long time if ever,
I wish were all pulling together, no doubt we could unearth some fantastic players from the other side of the house.
As for our own English premiership loving anti GAA folks well I just can't figure them out at all, at least I understand the unionists point of view.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2747 - 28/07/2021 15:47:03    2365154

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "You would want to be in a pretty low state of affairs for the people I'm talking about to be looking down at you!

I don't particularly care what they do, nor their low cultural level, and wouldn't be bending over backwards to get them involved in anything, least of all the GAA.

Each to their own as you imply."
But you see what I mean Barney you are separating "them" from yourself and your own view point, who are calling West Brits and why ?

I believe being Irish is more of a state of mind than anything else nowadays, same with all nationalities really, it doesn't make you more Irish if you drink more porter or eat more potatoes.

Lets take one example, Johnny Giles, do you think Joe Canning is more Irish than Johnny Giles ?

Of course he's not but maybe someone like Giles or Brady you might categorize as "West Brit".

I'm just interested to know what makes you believe that there are "lots of Irish people of "nationalist" background who have inferiority complex towards anything Irish" ?

And what your definition of being Irish is. Are you and I not "West Brits" seeing that we are doing the most English of things anyone can do, communicating in the English language, even though we are "supposed" to be Irish.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 28/07/2021 15:58:58    2365162

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "OK I take your point re your knowledge of the north, I don't see how me stating what I see as plain obvious is politicising sport, I have protestant friends myself, the best of people but they just don't identify as Irish and the GAA to them is as alien as the orange order is to us, even though I know there's no comparison between the 2 things but that's kind of how it is and I don't see it changing for a very very long time if ever,
I wish were all pulling together, no doubt we could unearth some fantastic players from the other side of the house.
As for our own English premiership loving anti GAA folks well I just can't figure them out at all, at least I understand the unionists point of view."
I watch a variety of different sports. Even slow 1s like baseball and cricket. But Hurling is by far my favourite followed by Football, rugby and soccer. I agree that people following English and American sports rather than their own is frustrating. It's like they think these sports are better because they're bigger, international or because theres more money involved. Certainly the premiership has a marketing system unrivalled in Europe. I know down here there was a little social bias as lads from the estates in the village or the cottages in the country had the perception that players were often picked based on how many acres their fathers farmed. I havent found this to be the case in my time. Soccer has always been a massive thing in Wexford but generally underage and local league the seasons dont clash as soccer is played in the winter. Certainly the 2 shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Rugby has been increasing in popularity too since it went professional especially. Some top hurlers and footballers have gone on to play professional soccer, rugby or AFL and you cant blame them for wanting a career. Overall I think the GAA from top to bottom is trying to be as inclusive as possible which will stand to it going forward.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11841 - 28/07/2021 16:04:33    2365163

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "OK I take your point re your knowledge of the north, I don't see how me stating what I see as plain obvious is politicising sport, I have protestant friends myself, the best of people but they just don't identify as Irish and the GAA to them is as alien as the orange order is to us, even though I know there's no comparison between the 2 things but that's kind of how it is and I don't see it changing for a very very long time if ever,
I wish were all pulling together, no doubt we could unearth some fantastic players from the other side of the house.
As for our own English premiership loving anti GAA folks well I just can't figure them out at all, at least I understand the unionists point of view."
Imagine what George Best couldve added to Down in the 60s?!!!!!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11841 - 28/07/2021 16:09:02    2365168

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "OK I take your point re your knowledge of the north, I don't see how me stating what I see as plain obvious is politicising sport, I have protestant friends myself, the best of people but they just don't identify as Irish and the GAA to them is as alien as the orange order is to us, even though I know there's no comparison between the 2 things but that's kind of how it is and I don't see it changing for a very very long time if ever,
I wish were all pulling together, no doubt we could unearth some fantastic players from the other side of the house.
As for our own English premiership loving anti GAA folks well I just can't figure them out at all, at least I understand the unionists point of view."
Imagine what George Best couldve added to Down in the 60s?!!!!!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11841 - 28/07/2021 16:14:27    2365174

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Replying To Viking66:  "Imagine what George Best couldve added to Down in the 60s?!!!!!"
George would have been some player to have alright, think he might have enjoyed being with the 'party boys' back in the day with Donegal more though!!

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2747 - 28/07/2021 16:21:27    2365176

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "George would have been some player to have alright, think he might have enjoyed being with the 'party boys' back in the day with Donegal more though!!"
It's the one thing wrong with all sports these days. Lads arent let have fun or they are accused of everything. Letting themselves down. Letting the team down. Letting the supporters down. Even the amateur sports are gone too serious!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 11841 - 28/07/2021 21:05:59    2365270

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Replying To Viking66:  "It's the one thing wrong with all sports these days. Lads arent let have fun or they are accused of everything. Letting themselves down. Letting the team down. Letting the supporters down. Even the amateur sports are gone too serious!"
Nail on head, could start with midweek football or at least Saturday evenings. This lets them get out on Sat nights. Others doing gym work at 6 in the morning and this is only 2nd division club I'm talking about.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2012 - 28/07/2021 22:00:13    2365303

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Replying To Viking66:  "It's the one thing wrong with all sports these days. Lads arent let have fun or they are accused of everything. Letting themselves down. Letting the team down. Letting the supporters down. Even the amateur sports are gone too serious!"
Yes it must be boring as hell being a county player now, a great honour but a dull life for a young man looking to enjoy his youth, think we done things a lot better years ago, but I seem to think that about lots of stuff these days.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2747 - 28/07/2021 22:42:36    2365321

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Replying To omahant:  "Oh yes - Barry's Tea - my usual black tea of choice, even in the US ! And, I oscillate between the Gold (preferred) and Breakfast blends, depending on my mood.
Many moons ago, I lived on the "Black Ash" (near Vernon Mount motor cycle track) and not far from Barry's HQ - are you old enough to remember that ?"
I'm still curious, Bennybunny, if you know of Barry's HQ area ?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2582 - 29/07/2021 01:51:49    2365344

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