One of the Tyrone - possibly Omaghjoe - lot was posting 'facts' about how dangerous it was to get to Casement from south Derry. The real facts are that you drive round Toome, skirt Randalstown, use the motorway until the west Link at the New Lodge, use the westlink until you desire to leave and head to Casement through West Belfast. Now correct me if I am wrong but surely Toome, Randalstown, the New Lodge and West Belfast are pretty safe to be sporting a GAA top? I'm an Antrim man I know so don't quote facts at me. Coming from the the Tyrone side - where a lot of people who seem to be crying about this whole idea are from incidentally - you can get on the motorway at your end in Dungannon and drive right through nice and safe on a nice big road. No problems, no danger and any that you are likely to encounter will come at your end, it would seem.

In regards to people claiming that West Belfast isn't a GAA hotbed i think you should look at the record books and see just how well clubs - Rossa, St Johns - have done on the national stage in the last two decades. Both codes are lapped up in Antrim and we are making great strides. How have Clonoe done this year btw outside Tyrone?

The 'fact' that hoods are standing round eyeing up your car is questionable as to the extent which you believe it happens. You seem to believe media hype and that which comes from rural neighbours about their horrible time dodging hoods in the big bad city when the 'fact' is very few of them get further than the Bot and the Kebab shop. I won't lie and say there aren't hoods but that is what you will find in any big city. Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Derry all have theifs, that is just the way it is so dry your eyes and if it bothers you don't come when we get a shiny big new stadium.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 31/03/2009 05:15:53    244171

Patrique

i was at two ulster semi finals in casement in 1990 between Armagh and Down, so you dont need to be over 50 to have been to big game there.

NSG
I have no problem with them developing Casement, all i ever said was that at present Clones was a better stadium. For some reason this seemed hard for Antrim people to accept. Personally i will always prefer clones as a town but if Casement is the better stadium in the future i will have no problem going there for Ulster finals etc.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 09:30:17    244200

Antrim fans have no problem with people who prefer Clones whatsoever. Obviously preferences for both venues are mainly based on how close they are to the participating counties and accessibility. As for atmosphere, Croke Park we all agree is fantastic on any all-ireland day, however, look at the recent soccer matches involving the 26 counties. It was like a morgue on saturday, maybe had something to do with the quality on show but thats another issue.
The problem I have with an eejit from Armagh/Tyrone or anywhere is the nonsense about the surrounding area and the sweeping generalisation that everybody in 'andytown' wants to steal their 4x4 or Massey Ferguson. By all accounts if you disagree with the stand/pitch/toilets/the colour of the seats/the brightness of the floodlights go ahead and construct an argument illustrating your point. To simply state that 'andytown' is full of hoods. firstly is lazy, secondly nonsense and thirdly makes me worry about the future of this association. Maybe there's too many gaels watching the oul foreign games on sky, ndeed judging by some of the antics on the pitch it does seem like it!!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 31/03/2009 10:34:07    244253

bumpernut County: Antrim Posts: 173 244253 Antrim fans have no problem with people who prefer Clones whatsoever. Obviously preferences for both venues are mainly based on how close they are to the participating counties and accessibility. As for atmosphere, Croke Park we all agree is fantastic on any all-ireland day, however, look at the recent soccer matches involving the 26 counties. It was like a morgue on saturday, maybe had something to do with the quality on show but thats another issue. The problem I have with an eejit from Armagh/Tyrone or anywhere is the nonsense about the surrounding area and the sweeping generalisation that everybody in 'andytown' wants to steal their 4x4 or Massey Ferguson. By all accounts if you disagree with the stand/pitch/toilets/the colour of the seats/the brightness of the floodlights go ahead and construct an argument illustrating your point. To simply state that 'andytown' is full of hoods. firstly is lazy, secondly nonsense and thirdly makes me worry about the future of this association. Maybe there's too many gaels watching the oul foreign games on sky, ndeed judging by some of the antics on the pitch it does seem like it!! _____________________________________________________ Firstly i cant remember anyone saying everyone in Andytown is a hood, all i remember anyone saying is that it has an alarming crime rate. By the way how many cars were burnt out in it yesterday? I have made my arguement numerous times as to why Clones is a better ground. As a town it is also a far nicer atmosphere both before and after games.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 10:51:59    244270

My point exactly, there were no cars burnt in 'andytown' yesterday but there two 'insurance jobs' in kilwilkie if memory serves me right!!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 31/03/2009 12:29:08    244338

The M1 was shut city-bound close to the intersection with Lurgan, Co Armagh, due to an abandoned hijacked vehicle. There are reports that two cars were hijacked in the nationalist Kilwilkie estate in Lurgan. Other incidents included the closure of North Queen Street close to the city centre because of an abandoned vehicle near the police station and the closure of Hillview Road in the Oldpark area due to an alert. Blacks Roads, Stewartstown Road, Tennant Street and Andersonstown Road in Belfast have been reopened. The alerts at Woodbourne and Tennant Street police stations have been declared hoaxes. The first incidents happened in the north of the city on Monday afternoon. A van was hijacked by armed men and set on fire on the Upper Crumlin Road outside the Holy Cross Church, in Ardoyne. A van has also been burned out in Edna Drive in the same area. A lorry was also set on fire at the Upper Springfield Road in west Belfast __________________________________________________ just got this from the news website. Dont know what went on in kilwilke, surely burning your own car in an insurance job is better than hijacking someone elses, scaring the life out of them and burning it? Not going to continue a silly arguement with you, you clearly dont want to open your eyes and see the problems that exist in and around the Casement Park area.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 12:44:05    244352

Aye Clones is great when there is a load of Tyrone and Armagh youngsters that can't hold their drinking rolling about eating burgers. It is a real sight to behold and one that make me so proud to be a Gael. The fact that there are scores of people lying in ditches too and from the place makes the whole experience better as does the one cash machine strategically positioned at the top of the town to serve the needs of the 1000's of people there. Look after your own youths before you are so quick to critiscise ours!

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 31/03/2009 12:58:11    244360

Give me a drunk Armagh or Tyrone youth anyday ahead of 15 year old West Belfast glue sniffer

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 14:30:25    244442

Likelyhood is the gluesniffer which I hastened to add there aren't very many of these days has had a very unfortunate backround. Unlike your typical middleclass clown of an Armagh/Tyrone fan with their hair all gelled back, big rosy cheeks and the nice replica gear on. Just like their big brothers who disgraced themselves over St Patricks on their 'bhig day oan tha rip, hey' From what I have heard as well your lot were more than happy to mix with a few of the local youths you mock when it comes to fighting with the authorities, so who is worse really?

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 31/03/2009 15:12:32    244499

CheFinny County: UK Posts: 19 244499 Likelyhood is the gluesniffer which I hastened to add there aren't very many of these days has had a very unfortunate backround. Unlike your typical middleclass clown of an Armagh/Tyrone fan with their hair all gelled back, big rosy cheeks and the nice replica gear on. Just like their big brothers who disgraced themselves over St Patricks on their 'bhig day oan tha rip, hey' From what I have heard as well your lot were more than happy to mix with a few of the local youths you mock when it comes to fighting with the authorities, so who is worse really? _____________________________________________________ Seriously, what planet are you on? Everybody from Armagh and Tyrone are middle class with gelled hair and rosy cheeks. This is priceless stuff, and everyone from West Belfast had a tough up bringing. Them boys were a disgrace, i warned the wee brother when i left him to Belfast (him and his mates were on the trailer of my Massey Ferguson) the night before Paddy's day to behave himself. Who were these people who were misbehaving anyway or where were they from? I have heard from a few students that the place was full of wee West Belfast hoods who came into holylands intent on causing bother. Obviously there was more than them involved but there was plenty of them there.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 15:54:57    244551

'By the way how many cars were burnt out in it yesterday?'


To burn - to set on fire

To hijack - to forcibly remove against one's will


Again genius where were cars burnt????

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 31/03/2009 16:08:59    244584

Vehicles burnt in Belfast - Etna Drive/Springfield Road/Crumlin Road

Now given your extensive knowledge of casement and the surrounding area, it would be a long walk from either Ardoyne or the Springfield Road to get to Casement!!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 31/03/2009 16:13:45    244594

bumpernut

You're obviously clutching at straws there if you're playing it down to that the cars were only hijacked and not burnt. The Anderstown Road was closed for a while yesterday due to the whatever went on. Suppose thats nowhere near Casement either. The Springfield road might be a long walk for lazy city people. For us healthy, red cheeked country folk it would only be a short dander, or two minutes on the Massey.

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 16:43:14    244642

Sorry Samin but yet again your on here running off the normal drivel that you come out with.

Fighting on the streets of belfast to do with a political conflict, fighting in the centre of crossmaglen every weekend to do with eeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr a drunken conflict. Dont even go their samin.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 31/03/2009 16:49:10    244649

NSG im sorry but its you coming out with your usual drivel, typical West Belfast wannabe top man Republican rubbish. Poltical conflict is over, probably a bunch of teenagers thinking they are big men. I wouldnt know what goes on in Crossmaglen at the weekend, no doubt you do though?

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 31/03/2009 16:57:12    244660

Well said Samin10! at least there's being great effort into trying to curb underage drinking in Armagh and Tyrone the bus's that bring teenagers into the towns for the Disco and Clubland have mostly been alcohol free and its confiscated if found and the introduction of a Ticket for these events was a great idea so that there's not 100S of board teenagers that couldn't get into these places without a ticket, and left wondering about looking to cause trouble.

williewentwell (Tyrone) - Posts: 1712 - 31/03/2009 17:00:11    244664

Not saying everyone in either county is middle class the crowd that go to the football seem to be though. All have enough money for the nice wee pristine replica kits,, a feed of booze, by the look and state of them possibly something stronger and a couple of Kebabs.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 31/03/2009 17:11:26    244679

And talking about about things being burnt. Is Lurgan or Craigavon or whatever it is called not in Armagh, maybe I am mistaken but did bad things not happen there recently? Ohhhh shiver shiver lets never go further than Aghagallon incase we get hurt. Talking about the lads disgracing themselves on St Pats I would say the vast majority were middle class boys from the sticks - aka our future (haha) - looking at where those who got arrested where from. Belfast is a great wee city and i will back it to the hilt esp against someone like you from a rural backwater with nothing going for it.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 31/03/2009 17:24:50    244708

Because of this tread I decided to go to Casement Pk yesterday evening as its one of few county grounds Ive never graced with my presence. Ended up being stopped by PSNI on Andersontown Road due to a susicious device up ahead...which was intersting seen as when me and my mate were asked why we were goin down there we had no valid reason. True story!

But in other news. Its a fine lookin stadium and good fans can create an atmosphere anywhere. There would be a possibility of trouble about as great as in Clones or anywhere so I dont see what the problem is.

spudenator (Laois) - Posts: 1052 - 31/03/2009 17:46:59    244755

Reading some of the above there is alot of scare mungering going on about how safe west belfast is. All i can say is how safe is your car in any city nowadays. Believe it or not many cars are also stolen and burnt out daily all over irelands cities like dublin/cork/limerick.....

Going back to OmaghJoes origional theme Casement is the best option in the six counties for the money to be spent. People are entitled to their own opinions on clones and casement, personally i have good memories from both and i am sure the ulster council will decide what venue best suits the two participating ulster finalists in the future. Are we not blessed as an association to have such a wide variety of choice of venues unlike other sports, some of which couldnt even be bothered to Rowl their fields and make them level to stop goalkeepers making themselves look silly.

mugsys_barber (Tyrone) - Posts: 2160 - 31/03/2009 18:10:16    244785