RTE 'news' this evening
- Thread starter zag
- Start date
Can never get what almost seems like a pride football and rugby fans take in not visiting Croke Park, like it's a badge of honour. No problem if you don't like Gaelic football or hurling (but how could any one not love hurling?), but sometimes it seems more than that, like because Croke Park is the home of traditional Irish sports it's somehow uncool? God lads, come to terms with it: you're Irish.
PS I've been a regular in Croke Park and Lansdowne all my life so I'm terribly ecumenical.
Maybe you were having a pop at me, maybe you weren't. FWIW the reason I have only ever been to one match in Croke Park is that GAA football or hurling were never part of my life. That wasn't a lifestyle choice, it's just how things turned out.
My father was from Cahirciveen but never displayed an interest in the Kerry teams dominating the 1970s. He certainly never tried to foster an interest in me or my brother.
I went to a rugby school and that was my first experience of team sport. My interest in rugby has been sustained since then.
I attended the 1993 League Final in Croke PArk between Dublin & Donegal. That was the day after a family wedding and a lot of Donegal cousins were going so I went too.
I've been offered freebie tickets for big games in the past but have declined them as I thought they should be used by someone who yearned to be there. I despise 'event junkies' and don't want to be one.
I give 90 minutes of my time every Saturday morning coaching GAA football & hurling to a group of 6 year olds - I have no problem with GAA or my Irish identity.
It could be argued that somebody who gets up off their behind and coaches kids in the codes has more practical interest in them than somebody who sits on theirs just watching others play. You know - doers and watchers and all that... Anybody who takes time out to coach kids in sport deserves credit in my opinion. Who cares if they don't spectate?
Agree 100%. The most valuable thing we can give is our time.
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Z100
Guest
Had a feeling there'd be a reply like that, completely mangling the meaning of my comment.
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Z100
Guest
Fair enough, pop withdrawn. Although I too went to a rugby school but managed to see the light: the majesty of hurling! Football's still my first love, though, ie soccer/football.
There's no doubting it though, I hear it all the time, there's an astonishing level of snobbery towards the GAA, particularly from rugby supporters, a little less from football fans ("bogball" and all that). All very curious.
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z107
Guest
What's going on in Croke park this weekend? (I don't listen to RTÉ)
An all-Ireland team is playing a game of Rugby in grounds owned by another all Ireland sporting body. BTW the oldest football club in the world in the rugby club in TCD.
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z107
Guest
Ah, a game of rugby. Thanks Purple.
I'll find out what time that's on at and hopefully the gym will be empty
I got involved in the coaching as my son is at that age. My 'altruism' will last as long as he wants to stay involved.
Where did I post that I "have no interest in GAA sports"
?No mangling required in order to take the following comments as implying that non attendance at Croker and/or not supporting/liking Gaelic games is somehow incompatible with being truly Irish.
A friend of mine who is a London born, Dublin bred, cricket playing, Bohs supporter uses the term "monkey tennis" which sort of sums it up for me.
RTE were at it again this evening. Apparently the fact that it didn't snow was news. I can see how it might be worth reporting on *a bit* if you were stuck for a filler, but this time we were treated to archive recordings of news reports from when it did snow - and not just one instance, but a few. And not just news reports from when it did snow in the past in Ireland, but we were treated to a lengthy playback of a recording of a news broadcast from when it snowed in the US in the 60s or so. Where do we start with that one ? This type of stuff is suitable for the 4-5PM slot or something, not primetime news.
I have a long history of listening to RTE radio, but I am getting close to dropping the thing altogether - it is just pure inertia (and the fact that I remember the wavelength) that keeps me listening. Weekends are pretty poor - hey broadcast a program containing extracts from the weeks programs (usefull in itself) on Saturday morning, but then they repeat the program later the same day in the middle of a whole load of other repeats. Guaranteed to get me to change channel.
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I have a long history of listening to RTE radio, but I am getting close to dropping the thing altogether - it is just pure inertia (and the fact that I remember the wavelength) that keeps me listening. Weekends are pretty poor - hey broadcast a program containing extracts from the weeks programs (usefull in itself) on Saturday morning, but then they repeat the program later the same day in the middle of a whole load of other repeats. Guaranteed to get me to change channel.
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Z100
Guest
Truly comical. This reminds me of the letters to the papers about Enda Kenny's speech about immigration. Can't abide the fella, or his party, but I thought his speech was largely thoughtful, thought-provoking and intelligent. The reaction? It was racist!!
It wasn't. But that seems to be the standard of debate in this country, if someone doesn’t agree with your opinion they toss those oh-so-easy tags at ya, ‘bigot’, ‘racist’, bla, bla, bla, instead of at least attempting to enter a semi-intelligent debate. It’s mind-numbingly dull at this stage. Not that this argument is that lofty.
But no Clubman, I didn’t say anything remotely close to ‘you're not truly Irish if you don't like Gaelic games’, as you know. Why did you feel the need to mangle? What on earth is the point?! I’m not particularly a fan of Gaelic football, I love hurling – so am I calling myself only half ‘truly’ Irish??!!
I wondered why some Irish sports fans seem to almost take pride in the fact that they’d never (or rarely) visited Croke Park – I’ve actually heard umpteen people boast about this over the years. I simply asked: what’s that all about?
I’m not a basketball fan, but I don’t feel the need to boast about the fact that I’ve never been to the National Arena in Tallaght!
So, why do some people sneer at the GAA, Gaelic games and its supporters? Is it because – as I’ve found with some – that because Gaelic games are the traditional Irish sports they are somehow looked upon as being uncool? If yes, why is something traditional and Irish regarded as uncool….by Irish people?
Simple question.
Jaysus, very cool.
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Z100
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I was going to quote you here......Where did I post that I "have no interest in GAA sports"
........and say you can't have much interest in GAA if you've only been to Croke Park once. But then I remembered my Sligo cousin who's a GAA diehard....not sure he's ever been to Croke Park, but that's more to do with the fact that his county are sh1te
Simple question then - what was the point/relevance of this comment?Truly comical. This reminds me of the letters to the papers about Enda Kenny's speech about immigration. Can't abide the fella, or his party, but I thought his speech was largely thoughtful, thought-provoking and intelligent. The reaction? It was racist!!
But no Clubman, I didn’t say anything remotely close to ‘you're not truly Irish if you don't like Gaelic games’, as you know. Why did you feel the need to mangle? What on earth is the point?! I’m not particularly a fan of Gaelic football, I love hurling – so am I calling myself only half ‘truly’ Irish??!!
I don't know. Why don't you ask some of these people?
I wonder the same thing myself about something traditional (since 1890) and Irish that is actually close to my heart - Bohemian FC.
He's not really. Bit of a geek actually.