Drink and GAA matches

Carb

I was just wondering what peoples experiences are of this. Been from Monaghan, unfortunately I haven't had reason to atend many matches with large attendances, so maybe the amount of drunk people that were in Clones last Sunday was normal compared to the size of the crowd, or maybe its a problem thats getting worse.

I'm all for having a few drinks before a match. Part of the whole atmosphere is the banter and singing that goes on inside and outside pubs on matchdays. There have even been funny occasions with drunk people at actual matches. But last Sunday seemed different.

I was in Clones at one o'clock. The pubs had already spilled out on to the street. Bottles, glases were lying everywhere. There was already a number of people staggering about. In alleyways there were 12 to 15/16 year olds drinking carry outs, and already off their heads. Apparently they were seen getting carry outs from the pubs. Some Armagh man in an Offaly jersey was trying to convert us to hurling:) Ater the match the pubs were still packed, almost as if people hadn't left them. I believe some pubs ended up with windows smashed and one had a full scale battle with stools and chairs been smashed.

All that aside, my biggest issue was in the ground. I would hope that at some stage to start taking my son to matches, although it'll be a couple of years before he knows any better. But here are are few crackers i heard from obviously drunk people.

Kick him in the bollox
Rip his f**kin head off
Kick the Sh**te out of him
Lay into the fenian ba***rds

Now is it just me, or does anyone else think that its about time the guards and the stewards stop treating their jobs as a free ticket into watch the match, and actually start kicking out people like mentioned above. I know there is probably a fear of creating a mini riot if there happens to be a group of drunks, but surely a championship match on Sunday afternoon is as much a family day out.

nollaig

Lay into the fenian ba***rds

This is an odd one for a GAA match. Is there protestants follwoing Armagh now or something?

Lemlin

I've heard stuff like that at games in Clones. I remember a Tyrone supporter sitting on a fence in Clones roaring "go on you Free State bastards". Needless to say, the guards sorted him out quick enough.

No offence but some Northern fans take the biscuit when they come up. They're out of the six counties and know the guards won't charge them because its not worth the paperwork and bother so some act up. I've seem everythi9ng in Clones from cars trashed to pint glasses thrown at garda cars. Perhaps this happens in other places but I've never seen it anywhere that Cavan have played but Clones.

It is definitely from a minority though.

Carb

Lemlin wrote:

I've seem everythi9ng in Clones from cars trashed to pint glasses thrown at garda cars. Perhaps this happens in other places but I've never seen it anywhere that Cavan have played but Clones.

Its sort of why I asked the question, as we don't get away from Clones too often:D

Is there any possibility that this may be connected to the access problems in Clones. We were there at one o'clock and the traffic seemd to be parked for about one mile out every approach road. As people have to come so early to get within a reasonable walking distance, are they all pi**ed by match time.

Culchie

T'is Irish Society I'm afraid, nothing to do with the GAA per se.....just an excuse to go on the beer and act like prats.

Lemlin

Carb wrote:

Its sort of why I asked the question, as we don't get away from Clones too often:D

Is there any possibility that this may be connected to the access problems in Clones. We were there at one o'clock and the traffic seemd to be parked for about one mile out every approach road. As people have to come so early to get within a reasonable walking distance, are they all pi**ed by match time.

Alot of people go early to be there for the pub. I've been to Clones plenty of times and its the norm to have people drinking and the pubs jammed by 1 o'clock. Access to the ground or Clones itself has nothing to do with it.

As for the broken windows in pubs, its why places like The Paragon say they charge higher prices for drink on match days. They reckon they have to cover the costs of breakages afterwards.

KMack

On a lighter note...I'm a Dub and was around the Croke Park area after the matches. I was in Quinns in Drumcondra and honestly inside that pub was like the Wild West. The Meath fans were going beserk, I mean buck crazy.All in good humour though. And the Louth fans were there as well in good spirits. Seriously the amount of alcohol consumed was something else. Now I didnt see any major trouble but may have been later on.

Fan of Monaghan by the way. They know how to have a good time when they do get out of Clones...

dbnavan

Lemlin wrote:

I've heard stuff like that at games in Clones. I remember a Tyrone supporter sitting on a fence in Clones roaring "go on you Free State bastards"

Did he realise he had paid the GAA to be there, Muppet, LMAO:D

Waylander

It is rare enough to see trouble in the pubs around Croker, at least the pubs I tend to go to anyway. I did see one arsehole throwing an empty glass at a Meath reg car once but that is about the extent of it. I am sure there have been other incidents that I have not witnessed.

KMack

Ah I'm sure there has been more than its fair share of trouble around Croker and the pubs, probably most when the Dubs were playing but just noting the general jovial interaction betweem the fans on Sunday gone. Maybe a bit dramtic but probably couldn't happen in any other country with any other sport. Mixing fans etc.

The Rooster

"Fcuk off back to the Free State ya Fenian bashtard"
- said the Tyrone official to Dublin's Alan Brogan as he was walking off the pitch in the NFL game between the two which led to the biggest "incident" of that match.

The amount of drinking before games is very much on the increase in my opinion. I've seen it with Dublin, Tyrone and Armagh supporters - people absolutely out of their head with drink before the game has even started - and I'm sure it happens with counties all over the country, particularly when a bandwagon starts.

The later the throw-in time, the worse the problem in my opinion.

solskjaer20

Well you'll find Tyrone supporters are paritcuarly bad at these things.

I'm all in favour of a bit of friendly banter but seriously you should just take a dander around Clones on a Derry v Tyrone matchday.

I love having a bit of craic with the dead on Tyrone supporters.....but theres some you couldn't walk past in a Derry jersey without being called all th names of the day, just for having the audacicity to wear a Derry jersey.

And then of course theres the whole "OH there's no ****in London in Tyrone" chants. Unfortunately we no logner have the "Oh there's no ****in Sam in her either" reply

PeeJa

I generally find that its the 16-23 yr olds who are wasted early on and its the low life 30-45 yr old who is falling about like a tramp after the match.

On several occasions i have, if i felt able to control a situation, told a group of young fellas to wise up or if need be fcuk off or they will get thier asre kicked. Generally they look at this big fella and say sorry big lad or scarper. I would not kick thier asre as young lads these days would stick a glass in ya.

Last week i took my father and 2 young nephews (from Monaghan but in Armagh jerseys)to the match and encountered no problems. If the weather is better on saturday my 3yr old boy will also be coming and possibly another nephew from Belfast(also in Armagh jersey even though his da is a fierce Down man). But my point is i have never been on The Hill, always seated, and have never come accross foul mouthed exchanges. The drinking crowd tend to hit the Hill. Take the child and pick your crowd to sit beside.

Lets hope its a better game and Armagh win. hehe. ARD MHACHA ABU!!

Carb

PeeJa wrote:

I generally find that its the 16-23 yr olds who are wasted early on and its the low life 30-45 yr old who is falling about like a tramp after the match.

On several occasions i have, if i felt able to control a situation, told a group of young fellas to wise up or if need be fcuk off or they will get thier asre kicked. Generally they look at this big fella and say sorry big lad or scarper. I would not kick thier asre as young lads these days would stick a glass in ya.

Last week i took my father and 2 young nephews (from Monaghan but in Armagh jerseys)to the match and encountered no problems. If the weather is better on saturday my 3yr old boy will also be coming and possibly another nephew from Belfast(also in Armagh jersey even though his da is a fierce Down man). But my point is i have never been on The Hill, always seated, and have never come accross foul mouthed exchanges. The drinking crowd tend to hit the Hill. Take the child and pick your crowd to sit beside.

Lets hope its a better game and Armagh win. hehe. ARD MHACHA ABU!!

I thought Armagh would have enough supporters without stealing the precious few we have:D . Sometimes I think around Castleblayney, half the town skipped the end of the Geography lesson, and haven't realised they're in Monaghan.

I take your point on the the hill, it probably does attract more of the trouble makers. But €20 to sit in the rain on possibly the most uncomfortable seats in the country is hard to swallow. I'd imagine the hill probably has better atmosphere if you could avoid the fould mouthed drunks. I suppose you can't have the best of both worlds.

PeeJa

Carb, in fairness, yes a lot of the Blayney folk would support us.

The rest would HATE us!!!!!!!


I will add if Monaghan beat us (some chance) then i will support the neighbouring county and who ever leaves as Ulster champions then i will support them, even if it is Tyrone.

The kids coming to the match may be young but well educated, so of course they will support Armagh, but kids being kids wouldn't be long switching if Monaghan win.

Carb

PeeJa wrote:

Carb, in fairness, yes a lot of the Blayney folk would support us.

The rest would HATE us!!!!!!!


I will add if Monaghan beat us (some chance) then i will support the neighbouring county and who ever leaves as Ulster champions then i will support them, even if it is Tyrone.

The kids coming to the match may be young but well educated, so of course they will support Armagh, but kids being kids wouldn't be long switching if Monaghan win.

I've no issue with people supporting Armagh. I, like yourself would be pretty much the same, support the neighbouring county, and then the province, unless its one of those fairytale storys where the whole country wants the weaker team to win.

I just don't understand how people from Monaghan, who have no connection to Armagh (unless you count trips to Culloville for cheap booze), will cheer for Armagh when they are playing Monaghan. There are quite a few of these sbout. I think a lot of them probably have no interest in football, and jumped on the bandwagon 4/5 years ago.

OT I know, but I think after Saturday, you're going to have a buy a lot of Monaghan shirts

mchurl

As a reguar hill goer, i have to say there is an awful lot of drunks on the hill and people drinking inside the ground on the hill as well. But IMO this helps to add to the atmosphere and to the banter. I have never witnessed any trouble and i have been going there for a number of years now.

Carb

mchurl wrote:

As a reguar hill goer, i have to say there is an awful lot of drunks on the hill and people drinking inside the ground on the hill as well. But IMO this helps to add to the atmosphere and to the banter. I have never witnessed any trouble and i have been going there for a number of years now.

I'd have to agree with you, but there is a big difference in supporters slagging each other, and obnoxious comments been roared out. The comments I mentioned above (except the last one) were roared out on about 10 different occassions by the same person with a guard standing 10 metres from him, and it was just ignored. Even the guys friends were hanging their heads every time he opened him mouth.

cournioni

Saw alot of Louth and Donegal "fans" off their heads before the Division 2 replay. Thought it was quite sad especially at that time of the day. Alot of them didn't have a clue where they were they were that bad.

ardmacha

Armagh, Dublin and Tyrone have more bowsie fans because they generally have more followers all round. If you head into the ground ealry you are in better company as these folks stay in pub rather than go to the Minor match. Within the ground though I've had more problems with ignorant amadáns with umbrellas.

I think the Gardai in Clones are a bit lax overall, it has been noted that there seems to be more drinking in Clones than elsewhere, some people prefer Casement Pk for this reason.

In the new cosmopolitan Clones last Sunday I noticed an Eastern European, possibly a Latvian, standing in the square, bottle in hand, roaring Olé Olé at the passing Armagh and Monaghan fans. He fits well into irish culture!

PeeJa

Carb i already got them kitted out in Declan Loughmans for the Armagh shirts you reckon i might have to do it in Monaghan shirts now? I can see Declan smiling from here!

P.S. Stay away from our village we are well capable of drinking our own drink:D

Where are you from? Just want to beep a little harder when passing your place on Saturday:p

cournioni

Ah yes! Loughman! The man that never stocks any Cavan jersies! Mentioned to him, tongue in cheek one day and he said that he could never get away with it!

mchurl

Carb wrote:

I'd have to agree with you, but there is a big difference in supporters slagging each other, and obnoxious comments been roared out. The comments I mentioned above (except the last one) were roared out on about 10 different occassions by the same person with a guard standing 10 metres from him, and it was just ignored. Even the guys friends were hanging their heads every time he opened him mouth.

I agree totally, those sort of comment shave no place at all and the man in question should of been ejected from the ground, especially with the guard so close by. I feel that a big problem when this happens is that the stewards who are there to protect the fans simply dont do this. It is really just a free ticket to a match for them and something needs to be done about this problem.

blackbelt

At the All Ireland final the Down supporters were the worst as far as I could see/hear.

I am not sure if "up the north" equates into a loyalist chant or comment but it was annoying to listen to some jerk saying these stupid things.If we're fenian bastards,what are they doing living in our country and playing our sport.It must be some in between point between being Irish and being english because nobody cares about Northern Ireland and who or what they are.A piece of sh1t is a piece of sh1t and if you're in the crowd to start trouble with loyalist chants you don't have any business being there.

jank

Like this at most games afaik.

Lots of North bashing on here as usual though

conjon

Lots of North bashing on here as usual though[/QUOTE]


I wouldn't call in North bashing. I have heard both free state/fenian b*stards in Croke Park last summer. It's people calling it as they see it. A friend of mine heard alot of it at the Cavan/Tyrone game last year. I did see a couple of incidents of the Gaurds coming into sort out a couple of incidents in the Hogan stand last year, one involving a Laois fan and one with a Dublin fan.

Conor.

Lemlin

jank wrote:

Like this at most games afaik.

Lots of North bashing on here as usual though

There is plenty of North bashing in here alright Jank but, for once, I have to agree that Northern fans are generally the worst at casuing trouble. I've been to alot of games around the country and the ones involving Northern teams, particularly Tyrone, tend to have the most trouble at them.

cournioni

I agree Lemlin, Tyrone supporters seem to cause the most trouble at games as far as I can see. I've heard this from a number of people too so at least I'm not alone in thinking this way about them. This obviously applies to a minority of their supporters, but a minority that certainly does cause a bit of trouble to say the very least.