bumpernut County: Antrim Posts: 162 217079 samin, So maybe your mates are doing something they shouldn't!! Funnily enough I've lived in west belfast nearly 40 years(worrying I know that Im replying to people with the IQ of a box of eggs!) not once has my house been broken into, never had a car stolen or wrecked. In fact I can expand that to almost all of my immediate and not so immediate relatives. So, tell me your point is what?? theres no burglars or muggers or hoods in lurgan/portadown/craigavon!! This is all irrelevant by the way, my question was about the compromise rules not about you or your alter ego's issues with the people from west belfast. ___________________________________ Eh Mr IQ, i was answering your question about naming a city which did not suffer from similar crime rates. Nothing to do with compromise rules, so learn to read your own stupid questions before you slag someone of for answering them. Just for the record this is the question i was answering. __________________________________________________ In reply to our brethern from the orange county show me a city in ireland where opportunist car thieves do not congregate. Maybe the solution is to arrive in your Massey Ferguson!!

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 24/02/2009 16:53:55    217101

no agenda suspicious West Belfast man, just wrongly worded. Belfast as a whole city is a regular enough city. Like all big cities it has its rough areas. Andytown is one of the worst. Unfortunately Casement Park is stuck in the middle of it. End off.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 24/02/2009 16:58:12    217104

I would say there were a number of negatives that would have swayed the GAA from using Casement Park, including the unauthorised rally, the robbery of a large sum of money from a GAA official travelling back from Casement Park a couple of years ago, the stadium, the parking and the poor access despite the motorway.
It really is a shame though as it would have given much needed publicity to the GAA in an area that has saw quite a deterioration in interest. One of the lads at work who lives in West Belfast told me that he wouldn't be watching Tyrone in the All-Ireland final as the Celtic match would be on in the bars in West Belfast and it would take precedent!!!
I suppose the Ulster Council could offer to have a warm-up match for the International Rules, with say an Ulster select playing the Aussies. I know this sort of a match used to be common place.

MB1 (Tyrone) - Posts: 360 - 24/02/2009 17:01:24    217107

being honest lads i think we need here in Limerick as much as anyone else. I am sick to my teeth of rugby and the prawn sandwich brigade creeping into the munster bandwagon. Why dosnt anyone talk of Gaelic Games down here anymore.

If you look at one of our local newspapers here The Post - only about 3 inches for the hurling or football but 4 page to rugby, even junior soccer gets more attention. Even the county edition of the Limerick Leader has more rugby than GAA.

Look i play soccer aswell as hurling and a keen supporter of rugby (not one who only goes to big games, have refused 3 heineken cup final tickets because i would be taken a die hard fans ticket).

But what i'm trying to say is that limerick city and county needs a boost to help along a revival of gaelic games in this county. And also the 50,000 people that would be at that game would be hugely benefical to the local economy which has taken a massive nose dive since the start of January.

giveheralash (Limerick) - Posts: 53 - 24/02/2009 17:05:33    217111

As I said before they filmed the Butcher Boy in Clones because they didn't need to change anything. It is set in the 1950's.

And I think Samin and others in the past said they were afraid of the big boys who hang around Casement.

Oh, Casement doesn't have enough seats. It holds a lot more than Clones, because it is mostly standing.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 24/02/2009 17:39:32    217156

giveheralash,

I appreciate exactly what you are saying in respect of Munster's rugby success and Id say Limerick City is also an area the GAA think could do with a high profile game. I have no axe to grind with Limerick getting it, I just happen to think for obvious reasons that my own city could have done with the publicity and financial benefits(belfast feeling the credit crunch too). In fact maybe they should look at playing the games in alternate provinces regularly. Theres no reason both tests could not have been played in Belfast and Limerick. To get back to the question at hand Belfast is Ireland's second city whether people like it or not and should have been recognised as that by playing the test there. Issues about parking/changing rooms/outdated facilities are a smokescreen. Lets be honest here with the stadium at Long Kesh ditched our beloved sports minister is going to plough money into windsor park, ravenhill and as a result casement. Surely, having this test in casement would have focussed his mind that wee bit more towards upgrading the facilities.

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 24/02/2009 22:51:10    217409

If Gregory Campbell authorises some sort of grant issue to rugby, soccer and the GAA, which I think he is about to given the the absence of a Maze Stadium, the money must go to Casement. The other two Belfast sports venues at Windsor and Ravenhill will see money spent on them so if the GAA tries to redirect this money to Clones, Breffni or Omagh there will be outrage in Antrim GAA circles. Despite what some people in Ulster and Croke Park think a strong Belfast GAA scene is important. I agree that some residents, businesses and pubs around Casement could do a lot more to welcome GAA events and our country cousins but the citizens around Croke Park also have their issues with games there so that is not an excuse. We need to chill out more when these events happen and go with the flow. The games need to have better stewarding, controlled and available car parking AND enough various entertainment for the people who come. Sometimes there can be misunderstanding and a coolness between city and rural people. We think they are all loud red faced spud eating farmers while they think we are all baseball cap clad earring wearing carthieves waiting to rob their motors. Time for a change of image and stereotype folks.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9816 - 24/02/2009 23:34:43    217442

Patrique, Patrique, you really have to keep up with the Maths here. You could stand everybody on their heads in Casement and it would still hold fewer than Clones, even if they could all get off the M1 and through the few turnstiles in time for the throw-in. Samin10 has correctly pointed out that Casement's capacity is roughly 31,000, of which about 4,000 to 5,000 would have seats. Capacity in Clones is about 37,000, about half of which is seated. Whatever way you stack them, that is a difference of about 6,000 people between Casement and Clones and in the latter venue the extra 6,000 would all be in seats at the match instead of sitting in their cars on the motorway.
The reason that the Ulster Final is held in Clones has nothing to do with taxes or anti-Belfast bias. It is because St Tiernach's Park is the designated provincial ground and the Ulster Council has first call whenever it wants to use the ground or stop others from using it - even if it is decidedly unwilling to put its money where its mouth is and carry out long overdue work.
Casement is fine for the MacRory Cup Final or first round Ulster Championship matches, but only a relocation to somewhere like the Maze (oops, have I said something?) would make it a practical choice for the provincial final - in football at least. You'll be pleased that we probably all agree it's more than adequate for the Ulster Hurling Final, as well as the Camogie - both the really important codes in Ulster.
Oh, and The Butcher Boy was filmed in Clones because it was written by Clones writer Patrick McCabe who easily convinced director Neil Jordan to make it there. The fact that it has spectacular streetscapes - including The Diamond - helped. I did notice, meanwhile, that Tom Hanks's recent post-Apocalyptic movie featuring the dark, underground 'Amber City' was filmed in Belfast. Maybe Patrique could turn his film expert's knowledge to an explanation of that.

Borderboy (Monaghan) - Posts: 277 - 24/02/2009 23:44:39    217445

MB1
County: Tyrone
Posts: 19

. One of the lads at work who lives in West Belfast told me that he wouldn't be watching Tyrone in the All-Ireland final as the Celtic match would be on in the bars in West Belfast and it would take precedent!!!


When I said that 766 posters from Tyrone told me I was talking nonsense.

Thank you MB1.

On the other hand, if it was Derry playing.................

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 25/02/2009 00:31:28    217468

Bumpernut - I think the current sports minister will have to be given valium before he upgrades any GAA ground.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 25/02/2009 07:11:03    217508

I would even go as far as saying that there is no need for Casement, in my opinion it should be sold to developers and the money ploughed back into the GAA in Ulster. I re,member going to warch St Galls playing in the All Ireland final in a bar not too far from casement, they had decked out the bar in St Galls colours but refused to show the match as the racing was on and then celtik were playing. Says it all. Belfast and particularly west Belfast resembles inner city London and you could not tell the peole from these areas apart except for their accents, they all wear the same clothes support the same english soccer teams, speak the same spidey language, spray paint walls et cetera.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 25/02/2009 08:50:08    217523

I did notice, meanwhile, that Tom Hanks's recent post-Apocalyptic movie featuring the dark, underground 'Amber City' was filmed in Belfast. Maybe Patrique could turn his film expert's knowledge to an explanation of that.

That's pretty simple, it was filmed down at the ship-yard because it has an absolutely massive warehouse in which they could create the entire City of Amber inside. Not too many other suitable places going for that! Plus, of course, the funding that was obtained for filming in the UK.

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 25/02/2009 09:58:14    217575

Tom 1916 - that is a scurrilous post. You tar the whole area with the same brush - thats like saying all people from south armagh are diesel smugglers and lawless. How would you feel about that - put some thought into your posts man. Have you ever been to London?

joenot90 (Armagh) - Posts: 22 - 25/02/2009 10:13:37    217594

You couldnrt honestly hold this game in casement as it is a hole and badly needs refurbished, also it wouldnt be safe at night the locals would have a field day if you no what i mean

fiannablue (Tyrone) - Posts: 326 - 25/02/2009 10:34:28    217612

You tar the whole area with the same brush

That is because it is true.

thats like saying all people from south armagh are diesel smugglers

So what there is nothing wrong with this as it provides employment and brings money into our area whilst removing money from the british exchequer.

Have you ever been to London?

Yes, 6 times already this year and going again Friday.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 25/02/2009 10:35:41    217614

Tom another immature stereotypical post slating all the population of West Belfast, you should think before you post!! The argument of who has a bigger crime rate etc is getting quite boring and is irrelevant as regards to the use of Casement Pk, the only time i have been robbed at a game was in last years Ulster final in Clones when i had to pay 11 euro for 2 burgers for my 2 lads. But i still prefer Clones, the 2 strong posts are the ground itself and the atmosphere. The atmosphere on a big day in Clones is unequalled anywhere else in Ulster football, ill be the first to admit the prices can be steep and some locals view the day as a lottery win, but for sheer craic it's a great day out. The smell of the 5.50 burgers and hotdog sellers as you head up the big hill, the nerves starting to kick in, and the crowd packed tightly together, helps create that special day out. The ground itself is excellent, apart from the top section of the hill which, on big days, seems to be holding a lot more than it should be. I know the journey home can be a long one, but the craic with the Portadown/Lurgan buckfast buses makes the journey a wee bit shorter. That special atmosphere is not re-created in Casement, as Ulsterman says in his excellent post the A.Town locals could be doing a bit more in that regard. Im not having a dig but i work with 3 A.town folk and none of them have ever actually set foot in Casement, goes to show what the Antrim lads on here are up against. Im not being patronizing but fair play to you folk for keeping our games going in Belfast, which being honest is a soccer town. The original intention of this post is why Belfast was ignored for the Aussie rules (something i dont watch to be honest) , it should have been in Belfast and it could have created an oppurtuinity for local schools/GAA clubs to increase the interest in our national game. Sadly, a great chance, missed!!

sean og (Armagh) - Posts: 1072 - 25/02/2009 10:39:24    217619

bumpernut

In totall agreement with you there. Fair point on the Compromised rules being played regulary around the country. Why play it i a half full Croke Park, when you can play the game in a full Clones, Casement Park, Gaelic Ground, Semple Stadium etc. This would mean that people who could not afford to splash out 200 euro on a trip to Dublin could watch a good game and have a 20min drive home.

Time for the GAA to spread the wealth around.

The country is littered woth fines stadia such as Pairc Ui Caoimh, the Gaelic Grounds, Semple Stadium, Pearse Stadium, Clones and Casement Park so why not give everyone a fair crack at the whip.

giveheralash (Limerick) - Posts: 53 - 25/02/2009 10:43:53    217626

Think it would be a great idea to have one in Belfast. The north seems to get a bit left out in relation to the big occassions and they are passionate (to a fault :-) ) about there GAA up there.

ColinWex (Wexford) - Posts: 901 - 25/02/2009 10:51:38    217637

finnablue as usual you are totally correct and I completely agree with you.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 25/02/2009 10:53:04    217639

What better way to engage the youth of Belfast with GAA than for Antrim to start winning some all-irelands. Surely only a matter of time!!

stranmillis29 (Antrim) - Posts: 788 - 25/02/2009 11:09:52    217654