Blah blah blah is all i'm hearing dry your eyes. We had problems getting to football practice on the loughshore in east Tyrone in the 1980s and early 90s and look at the academy and Tyrone in general.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 29/10/2009 12:02:57    469553

Che;while I lament the lack of GAA success in the school, as previously stated the schools sporting emphasis is on Athletics(Running) and Basketball; in your research would you like to comment on the number of Senior Ulster & All Ireland Titles in both Basketball and Cross Country St Malachy's have won as compared to any other school in Tyrone

KevHill (Antrim) - Posts: 271 - 29/10/2009 16:02:18    469838

Having witnessed up close the Malachys basketball and athletics machines you boys wanna hope they don't change focus or they will run off Mac Rorys for a laugh. Back to the point who are the favourites?

getonwithit (Carlow) - Posts: 527 - 29/10/2009 23:24:01    470405

Nothing against basketball & athletics in St. Mal's I was an old cross country runner there myself. I only wish they would put a tenth of the effort into Gaelic Games that they do with the other two sports. They have had great success in Ireland and abroad in both athletics and basketball so why can't they give the pupils the chance with the national games? The one teacher who really carried the GAA there for decades has been fighting a commendable battle on his own.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9816 - 30/10/2009 22:40:18    471426

Not one player on the antrim senior team is an old boy though. serious questions must be asked of this school by the GAA in Antrim and Belfast

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 02/11/2009 09:50:28    472752

Che; the Principal of the School is ex head of PE with a Doctorate in Sports Education and laid the legacy of a successful running club in 1970's which is still the case; there are 5 full time PE staff, with the current head of PE is from a ball background along with his deputy, and a third who I think is the son of former head of PE, the fourth is a Cross country running background, whose son won 2 gold medals in last years paralympics, the last I do not know of his background; the two GAA members of staff who I know off are no longer teaching PE; so as you can see there is no willingness to invest in GAA from the school hierarchy.

KevHill (Antrim) - Posts: 271 - 02/11/2009 20:40:17    473403

The GAA scene in Belfast and the Antrim county board need to start asking questions of St. Malachy's about this perceived anti-GAA bias in the school. It is quite shocking for a College with 1200 pupils and several grass pitches.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9816 - 02/11/2009 23:05:36    473545

As an ex-Malachian myself, I'm extremely annoyed at the comments made by 'CheFinny' regarding St. Malachy's College. There is some stern work being done by coaches at the College, and as stated previously there is a serious influx of female teachers who have no interest whatsoever in GAA games. The College is a soccer mad, basketball, water-polo and athletics school. Balancing all these codes at the highest level (which is evident if you actually done some research in to the College, as stated by 'getonwithit' it would completely run away with the McCrory if it ever turned it's attention away from athletics and basketball!) Also along with a highly acclaimed music department to boot, it is very difficult to handle and always will play sixth fiddle to the previous after school activities. Situated in North Belfast, there are only four GAA clubs that the College can choose from (Éire Og, Pearses, Kickham Ardyone & St. Enda's) where as West Belfast has at least ten clubs to pick and choose, and the same with East Tyrone where they only ever focus on the big ball game alone and an added bonus that the boys are football mad before they set foot in the schools. (No harm in that!) Having left the College in recent years, I know that they now have in place a future plan to be playing McCrory by 2013, with one of the teachers Noel McGuckian taking the first years from the class of 2007 and gearing them for the future. The work done my Alec McGoran has been a one man show for decades, and he brought the first senior silverware to the College since Martin O'Neill & Co won the McCrory in 1970, in 2006 when the College won the Brother Nolan Cup; only to go on to narrowly lose the All-Ireland semi by a single point. With a new 3G pitch out the back in place of the dreaded all-weather pitch, this can only further improve the GAA scene in the College. Watch this space!

N.Belfast_Gael (Antrim) - Posts: 10 - 03/11/2009 02:28:15    473640

Is there not a fine hurler from north Antrim at the PE department in that school and one of Antrim's finest ever camogs in the irish department? How come they don't even have a hurling team.

Also the fact that none of you lot could turn round to me and say Brady, Finucane and Maxwell (all current Antrim panel members) went to that school just shows you how unnoticed GAA is in is.

Get offended all youse want but the situation as it stands is a disgrace.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 03/11/2009 11:37:23    473800

And as for continually talking about the otther foreign games, I'm not interested in them, and rather than being an excuse they make it worse.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 03/11/2009 11:45:03    473804

CheFinny, i have to agree with you in your condemnation of St Malachys. They are a massive boys Grammar school who should be competing at McCrory Level and thus feeding our county team (as they have done with Colin Brady, Finucine, Ciaran Anderson (although those boys learnt much (if not all) of their football in their clubs)). the problem is that the boys there mostly dont have an interest in the GAA --if they do its a passing interest --one said to me last year "i dont support antrim in football, they're *****, i support Tyrone" i nearly chinned him. The boys are class at basketball and athletics,--each summer before the start of 1st year, the soon to be first years are brought into the school for a one week sports camp--this is effectively designed to allow the PE teachers to work out early who is naturally talented at what sport--the boys are then streamed into Basketball or Athletics with little care about the other sports although soccer would be next highest on the list of priority. I played soccer at school all the way through and for a club but was always obsessed by the GAA--i now cant stand soccer--it bores me to tears but the problem is these boys almost to a man love Celtic and Cliftonville--why anyone would support a soccer team playing in a foreign land, with only one team as competition is beyond my comprehension--how could ANYONE care if an Austrailian scores a goal in another land against some soccer team. These boys think the world begins and ends in Celtic--otherwise they are in to the BBall or running. These boys need to be taught their culture --in this part of our country everyone is fixated by England --whether its the x factor, Eastenders, MOTD, Hollyoaks, Radio 1, The Sun--by this i mean nearly everyone--boys who are meant to be great Irish Republicans in Belfast are obsessed by england, by saying things like "we'll beat you" refering to Manchester Utd otr Liverpool--it sickens me. Its ok CheFinny to criticise, but how to we rectify the problem? Noel McGuckian is trying to get the boys out playing GAA and takes them before and after school--but at the moment he's swimming against a strong tide --the boys are mostly obsessed by Soccer before school and are then forced into BBall and Running upon entry to the school There should be a drive in all Catholic Grammars to make GAA the top sport. The clubs also need to get into communities and get boys into the clubs before soccer etc takes the boys for good. Anyone want to go and see Celtic v Falkirk?? Do me a favour!!

CLG_09 (Antrim) - Posts: 42 - 03/11/2009 13:43:16    473939

I have a very good mate from University who went to this school, played football for St Endas seniors in the late 1980s while still a student there, he was disgusted by the school's anti-gaa ethos. He was however convinced there was enough interest and natural talent within the school and north Belfast to go places in both codes and from all sections of the community that the school serves.

Why in the name of god then do some of the middle class GAA mad famalies, who after all have a lot of power over these Grammar schools, make this school do what they and the working class famalies want. It is after all there school, for their community, not some centre of excellence that the headmaster can use to fulfill his basketball and athletics dreams.

You all come on here crying about the lads loving English Soccer but lads do somehting about. Get them playing football. I was only slabbering about St Marys, they are on the up as are St Louis, Ballymena. For the good of our games in Ulster make St Malachys take them up and give them a serious go.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 03/11/2009 17:58:35    474272

St. Marys has one reason for football being on the up!!! When i went to st. marys i was a boy who loved soccer and only played it but i had no choice to play soccer in st, marys i had to play the real game!! they only have eyes for GAA up there!! Teachers like austin mc toal made me love and the other lads which is why they are startin to improve there coachin is comin through! Dont be writin of a st. marys team that has them involved. Malachys could learn from Marys dont give those boys enterin first the option to play other sports and anyone interested in sport will then follow suit to playin the real ball game!!!

opposition (Antrim) - Posts: 41 - 04/11/2009 00:03:41    474567

NB Gael' in my 1st year we won Belfast League and during my time we won Herald Cup I think 1980; the senior team played in 3 McLArnon cup semi finals 83-85 and the final in 84 in a match we should have won by a country mile against DLS Ballyshannon, all of which were under the mentorship of Pat Kane who no longer is involved in PE. Ulsterman, many of this team went on to backbone St Endas in Div 1 and in seniorchampionship.As you say "Big Alec" had been ploughing a lone furrow for years and I have noted the increasing success in junior teams and I sincerely hope that 2013 will see a reemergence of a credible senior team at McLarnon/ McCrory level

KevHill (Antrim) - Posts: 271 - 04/11/2009 13:06:08    474830

all you people pretending to be GAA geniuses and almost everyone of you spelt MacRory and MacLarnon wrong well done lads, Antrim GAA is on the up . . . . . . . . LIES!!!!

osama_bin_laden (USA) - Posts: 246 - 06/11/2009 14:02:26    477141

as a present member of omagh cbs il give you an example. there is no such thing as soccer teams. no word of soccer actually, everything is based around the national sport, all the PE teachers and football coaches are usually former county players, and credit to our principal who is whole heartedly supportive of all the teams, never misses a match in fact. the main problem is the principal who hires the staff, once he goes you better hope a GAA orintated principal is installed who has a bit of interest in GAA.

tyronegael9 (Tyrone) - Posts: 244 - 08/11/2009 20:59:30    478931

tyronegael09 why is your lot very very very poor then compared to Dungannon? Answer me that.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 09/11/2009 11:04:36    479216

we will see who's poorer by the end of this year. come back to me on st.paddys day

tyronegael9 (Tyrone) - Posts: 244 - 09/11/2009 22:28:06    479828