The southsiders are coming

g-punkteffekt

Crow-ker? That's on the northsoide, roysh?


IT's roysh, somewhere in Skangerland and you can't even get the Dorsh, so you'll have to get a Jo to Drumcondra and the place is like full of Howiyas and people who read the Stor.

Yes folks, our friends from southside Dublin including the ubiquitous Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, are to receive a specially produced guide on how to get to the northside - and Croke Park.

Sports officials and transport bosses have produced the Croke Park Stadium Transport Guide to provide disorientated rugger buggers and soccer fans with some crucial navigational tips.

The pocket guide cost €120,000 to produce.

In a display of sporting ecumenism, the FAI, IRFU and stadium management each contributed €40,000 towards its production, according to Croke Park director Peter McKenna.

"Each square on the guide's map should not take more than seven minutes to travel on foot," he said.

Copies of the guide will be available from tourist offices and from the various sporting body websites. The guide is, like, chock full of really handy info on the upcoming Six Nations fixtures against France and England and other events with instructions on getting in and out of Croker.

For those unfamiliar with the capital's northern reaches, the guide helpfully points out the following: "Croke Park is situated in the north Dublin neighbourhood of Drumcondra."

Locals in Ballybough might beg to differ.

Natalies

O'Carroll-Kelly and his buddies regularly refer to northside females as 'Jacintas' or 'Natalies' and soon they'll be rubbing shoulders with them for match-day drinks.

The brochure features a map of the area surrounding Croke Park, highlighting suburban rail and DART stations, bus stops, the Luas line and car parks. It's a subtle hint for Ross and the goys to leave the old fella's Merc, Beemer or SUV at home because parking near the stadium is difficult at the best of times.

The guide, roysh, also lists useful websites for transport and accommodation, and a map of the national roads network is also included. The decision to highlight public transport to and from the venue comes as plans for a dedicated park and ride scheme to the stadium have again been put on hold.

The guide will, of course, be available for non-southsiders too.

When Ross does eventually make it across to the northside, he is sure to recall how he once explained the alien game of rugby to prisoners in Mountjoy, just a stone's throw from Croker: "I reach into the Leinster gear bag the old man gave me, whip out a rugby ball and the laughter suddenly stops," he wrote.

"I go, 'this is what we play the game with,' and suddenly, roysh, there's gasps of amazement from everyone and I feel like Indiana Jones waving a shrunken head around in front of a tribe."

Ciaran Byrne


An article from today's indo. Ok so as the majority of rugby fans in Dublin tend to be posh gets from the southside, how are they going to cope with visiting our lovely north inner city? After all the stick they've given us over the years, don't you think we should greet them with huge gangs of angry Antos and Damos? I'll gladly join the angry welcoming party! Who's in?

irlirishkev

So North Dublin will be swamped with Rugby fans, the same as when the GAA matches are on..

Pubs will be packed, streets will be covered in litter and vomit. The Spars, Centras, Londis's and local grocery shops will be full of fans buying Rolls, cans, smokes and coke..

I tend to lock my door and not come out on match days..

Collie D

€120k for a guide telling southsiders how to get to Croke Park? That's money well spent, if even the thickest Kerry fan from the arse end of nowhere can make his way from O'Connell Street to Croke Park, surely somebody who lives five miles away can do it.

Flukey

I am a southsider who has been in Croke Park more times than most people. Between All-Ireland Senior Football Finals and Senior Hurling Finals alone, I've been at 56. Add to that all the other matches I've been to in Croke Park, and my visits accumulate. So I have no problem finding my way there. My first of many visits this year will be on Saturday night next.

It is typical of this issue that there is this image that rugby fans and soccer fans have never been in Croke Park. Many of the people that will be there on Saturday night to see Dublin and Tyrone play will be there at the soccer and rugby internationals and will have graced the stands and terraces of Lansdowne Road on many occasions, as they will have in Croke Park. We're all sports fans and we attend and watch soccer, rugby, gaelic football, hurling and many other sports that you could mention. Not many southsiders will have a problem getting to Croke Park in the coming weeks. It is more for the international fans, that will never have been there, that the directions to Croke Park will be of use to.

Raytown Rocks

Flukey wrote:

I am a southsider who has been in Croke Park more times than most people. Between All-Ireland Senior Football Finals and Senior Hurling Finals alone, I've been at 56. Add to that all the other matches I've been to in Croke Park, and my visits accumulate. So I have no problem finding my way there. My first of many visits this year will be on Saturday night next.

It is typical of this issue that there is this image that rugby fans and soccer fans have never been in Croke Park. Many of the people that will be there on Saturday night to see Dublin and Tyrone play will be there at the soccer and rugby internationals and will have graced the stands and terraces of Lansdowne Road on many occasions, as they will have in Croke Park. We're all sports fans and we attend and watch soccer, rugby, gaelic football, hurling and many other sports that you could mention. Not many southsiders will have a problem getting to Croke Park in the coming weeks. It is more for the international fans, that will never have been there, that the directions to Croke Park will be of use to.

I'm with you Flukey. I too am from the Southside. I will be there on Saturday, with my 2 young daughters ( wont be their first times either) to see the Dubs.
I also hope to be there in March for the soccer Internationals ( fingers crossed on the FAI waiting list).
I also agree this is mostly for foreign fans coming over to see both the Rugby/Soccer Internationals.
I take Ciaran Byrnes article from the Indo, as somewhat tongue in cheek.

InFront

As Flukey says, a huge amont of rugby fans will have already have been in Croke Park for GAA games.

It's a false assumption that this booklet is just for Dublin fans. What about, yknow, the thousands of English fans who have never been to this stadium, and the fact that Croke Park has never really had a significant vistorship from outside the island before?

walrusgumble

sense of humour lads, dont get too bothered, ya know ye lot are easy targets,lol

course its for the foreign supporters.

walrusgumble

and the fact that Croke Park has never really had a significant vistorship from outside the island before?[/QUOTE]

???? the yanks watching the odd nfl game played in croker or the international rules with the aussies? is that not international

Motley Crue

lol as a Southsider myself I find it a disgraceful waste of money. But I do think something like that would be hilarious to actually see, as if its needed, its actually borderline racism i think.

super_furry

Borderline racism? Hahahahahahaha.

Flukey

I don't think any of us are taking the article itself too seriously. The whole Croke Park issue in recent years has often been portrayed as if GAA people are separate and distinct from Rugby and Soccer people, which of course is just rubbish.

As for international events, don't forget the opening and closing ceremonies of the the Special Olympics in 2003. Muhammed Ali fought there in 1972, and there are many other international events that have taken place there. The forthcoming Rugby and Soccer internationals are different though in terms of the amount of travelling fans that will be there and the atmosphere it will create. I'd love to be able to go, but being more of a GAA person, I don't have the contacts and sources for the soccer and rugby that a lot of people do, which are especially needed for these matches. So if any of ye have a spare ticket....:D

Rb

Never been in Croke park before (no interest in bogball or hurling), but I know how to get there. Bit of a waste of money alright, but should be beneficial to the international fans, though they could easily look up the directions on the internet...

g-punkteffekt

I just think it's funny that the D4 sport is being played in the north inner city. Imagine Fiacra and the boys drinking in the Sunset House or pubs in Fairview... although I'd say there'll be a mass exodus right after the game back to the game's heartland in Donnybrook!

Flukey

rb_ie wrote:

no interest in bogball or hurling

I've no interest in bogball either, whatever that is. Hurling is great, being the fastest field game in the world, and one of if not the most skillful, and you should check out Gaelic Football which is marvellous too.

As they are different sports on the days, it is highly unlikely they would do so, but it would be great if on the electronic screens in the ground that on the days of the soccer and rugby matches, they could show a short video introducing Croke Park and showing some of the other key sports that are played there.

Rb

Flukey wrote:

I've no interest in bogball either, whatever that is. Hurling is great, being the fastest field game in the world, and one of if not the most skillful, and you should check out Gaelic Football which is marvellous too.

As they are different sports on the days, it is highly unlikely they would do so, but it would be great if on the electronic screens in the ground that on the days of the soccer and rugby matches, they could show a short video introducing Croke Park and showing some of the other key sports that are played there.

Oh I appreciate the skill and speed involved in hurling, but I went to schools that the sports were Rugby and hockey so never really generated an interest in either Gaelic or hurling. Don't worry though Flukey, its not because they're country sports or anything, I've even less of an interest in football/soccer

InFront

g-punkteffekt wrote:

I just think it's funny that the D4 sport is being played in the north inner city

I thought that rugby had shaken off its D4 image since a load of GAA loving Munsters realised that their province might have a good chance of beating someone called Beer-its in the Heineken Cup last year... the D4 stereotype is just as invalid as the "bogger=GAA" stereotype when you have gaelic teams like the Kilmacuds being fed with players by Rock. It's just silly media stuff, nothing to do with sport.

Flukey

It's all part of the fun and slagging that goes with sport InFront, as you know. Poor Rb_ie misses out on all that, not having any interest in any of them. What a deprived life!

Come along to a big GAA match in Croke Park with us Rb_ie, and once you've experienced the atmosphere, you may just change your mind. Watching on TV is one thing, but there is nothing like being there. This short clip of a goal by Dublin against Donegal that I took in 2002 gives you a bit of an idea. The goal is good, but listen to the atmosphere, especially the guy shouting near me. It's good, but best of all though, is to come and see for yourself.

A goal for Dublin.

ODS

Flukey wrote:

it would be great if on the electronic screens in the ground that on the days of the soccer and rugby matches, they could show a short video introducing Croke Park and showing some of the other key sports that are played there.

That actually is an excellent idea.

Flukey

Yes, but it is unlikely that the IRFU or FAI will want to show what else goes on there, not for any negative reasons of course. They are more likely to show highlights of previous meetings between the teams, or highlights of other matches that Ireland were involved in, or first half highlights at half-time. They may not even do as much as that, with all the ads that will be on. Anyway, the other supporters wouldn't have a clue of what they were being shown if they only got a short clip of Hurling or Gaelic Football. So it might not achieve much. Still, it would be nice if it could be done.

senordingdong

ODS wrote:

That actually is an excellent idea.

I second that.

walrusgumble

Flukey wrote:

Yes, but it is unlikely that the IRFU or FAI will want to show what else goes on there, not for any negative reasons of course. They are more likely to show highlights of previous meetings between the teams, or highlights of other matches that Ireland were involved in, or first half highlights at half-time. They may not even do as much as that, with all the ads that will be on. Anyway, the other supporters wouldn't have a clue of what they were being shown if they only got a short clip of Hurling or Gaelic Football. So it might not achieve much. Still, it would be nice if it could be done.

rugby fans are great for doing the whole spend the weekend in the city their team are playing in, i am sure many supporters will pop into the gaa musuem in the hogan stand to see what the fuss is all about

Flukey

We'll convert a few of them.:D

fly_agaric

InFront wrote:

I thought that rugby had shaken off its D4 image since a load of GAA loving Munsters realised that their province might have a good chance of beating someone called Beer-its in the Heineken Cup last year...

I think rugby in - Limerick say - (where it was always a pretty popular sport) does not have the same associations with wealth, exclusive schools, snobs etc as it does in Dublin.

InFront

Yes I believe you're right, sport of docs and dockers is how my Cork and Limerick classmates describe it:) If only Leinster (or more to the point Dublin) rugby could shake off the reputation that seems to be so keenly attached to it as well.

walrusgumble

ah well so long as you come to the light, you will be ok. no need to worry out your fellow dubliners, just worry about yourself