First Time GAA'ers

BrianCalgary

I have just returned from Ireland.

My son and I got to the Connaught Football final and I would have to say that the crowd in Castlebar was outstanding.

Maigh Eo and Gaillimh supporters sitting side-by-side supporting their counties. No fights, no drunks.

On top of that a great game.

We then went to Clones on Saturday and got to see Monaghan and Cavan in hurling and then the Derry-Monaghan football. Some guy gave me a ticket which was an added bonus.

GAA: you have two new fans. Kudos to all the players: you put on quite a show.

CyberDave

BrianCalgary wrote: »

Maigh Eo and Gaillimh supporters sitting side-by-side supporting their counties. No fights, no drunks.

I'm sure there were drunks. There alway are at these games. But in Ireland they are too drunk to fight.

Pride Fighter

You have not seen a GAA game until you have seen Dublin play. Get your ass to Croke Park if you can for the Football Quarter-Finals.

Flukey

Very true Pride Fighter, but you've yet to top the day by meeting us after a match. We got a good group yesterday. Come and join us next time. All are welcome.

Glad you enjoyed it Brian. The lads are right though. A big Dublin game in Croker is electric. The Kerry game last year was frankly scintillating. Getting to watch two great teams really go for it. Always a pleasure to watch Marc O'Se play.

Next time you are over make sure you see the Dubs but sit in the Hogan or Cusack. Canal sucks and the Hill is an acquired taste.

Pride Fighter

Flukey wrote: »

Very true Pride Fighter, but you've yet to top the day by meeting us after a match. We got a good group yesterday. Come and join us next time. All are welcome.

As soon as I have a job and money I'll go. That'll be soon hopefully:).

Flukey, where do ye meet? I never miss a league or Championship game if I can help it.

DeepBlue

Pride Fighter wrote: »

You have not seen a GAA game until you have seen Kerry play.

Fixed that for you. No charge .

DeepBlue

DeepBlue wrote: »

Fixed that for you. No charge .

The last time I saw Kerry play in the Munster final they were only really there for 35 minutes. Not really sure where they were after that all I could see was red jerseys everywhere.

hunter164

Brian you ain't seen a match until you've gone to see some Munster hurling.
Cork-Waterford preferably.

DeepBlue

You could be right. Perhaps they should just get a video of last years final instead .

Pride Fighter

DeepBlue wrote: »

Fixed that for you. No charge .

Why would he want to see a Kerry game. The atmosphere is lifeless at most Kerry games.

DeepBlue

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Why would he want to see a Kerry game. The atmosphere is lifeless at most Kerry games.

It was a lighthearted comment. Jeez, some people are touchy on this forum.

robo

Have to agree as a Kildare supporter, the atmosphere is great in Croke Park when you play the Dubs...never once encountered a bad atmosphere when Kildare used to get so far in Leinster that they would play Dublin. Great day out especially if the sun is shining. And they were gracious in defeat with a good few of the supporters wishing us all the best in the rest of the championship.

Brian - good to read a nice thing about our country's sport! You really did tour the country to see some great matches.

Pride Fighter

DeepBlue wrote: »

It was a lighthearted comment. Jeez, some people are touchy on this forum.

I know, mine was lighthearted too, should have added smilies :pac::pac::):):D:D:p:p

Orizio

Now now forget about Kerry and Dublin, get to Thurles on Munster Hurling Final day.

I'm sure the Ulster football final day is good craic as well.

To be fair, Dublin v Kerry is the absolute dream game in the GAA Football Championship. All that history and tradition. I have seen a few of these games and though, annoyingly, I have had to watch excellent Kerry teams pip Dublin each time, I have felt a great sense of pride in being from one of these two amazing counties. There is no other game that comes close. Once the Munster Hurling Championship is over the hurling season is normally rubbish anyway.

hunter164

No not really the great Kilkenny Cork battles.

Flukey

Deleted User wrote: »

Flukey, where do ye meet? I never miss a league or Championship game if I can help it.

Madigans on O'Connell Street after championship games and Kitty Kiernan's on Collins' Avenue after the League games. PM myself or Blackbelt and we can make arrangements any time.

Orizio

Deleted User wrote: »

To be fair, Dublin v Kerry is the absolute dream game in the GAA Football Championship. All that history and tradition. I have seen a few of these games and though, annoyingly, I have had to watch excellent Kerry teams pip Dublin each time, I have felt a great sense of pride in being from one of these two amazing counties. There is no other game that comes close. Once the Munster Hurling Championship is over the hurling season is normally rubbish anyway.

Absolute nonsense. Not in Thurles last Saturday night?

Orizio

Orizio wrote: »

Absolute nonsense. Not in Thurles last Saturday night?

Well being a Dub fan...no. However I must stand corrected, that was a truly immense game of hurling.

Mushy

hunter164 wrote: »

Brian you ain't seen a match until you've gone to see some Munster hurling.
Cork-Waterford preferably.

Why would ya send someone to a qualifier:P Tipp is where its at in Munster this year!

OP, glad ya enjoyed it. Hope ya get to more matches now. Actually, I wish I got to some matches more!

Culchie

Playing the Dubs always puts fans and players into a frenzy, outside leinster anyway.

Must say, having been to all the provincial finals, unless it's Dublin V Meath, Galway v Mayo is the best match up there is for 'atmosphere' normally.

It's also been the best match thus far as well from the provincial finals.

Christ the Ulster game was terrible to watch, terrible.

Nalced_irl

Culchie wrote: »

Playing the Dubs always puts fans and players into a frenzy, outside leinster anyway.

Must say, having been to all the provincial finals, unless it's Dublin V Meath, Galway v Mayo is the best match up there is for 'atmosphere' normally.

It's also been the best match thus far as well from the provincial finals.

Christ the Ulster game was terrible to watch, terrible.

What about Kilkenny v Wexford in the hurling?? Great atmosphere, or maybe its the choice of half the seats in the stadium thats good Cant beat the rivalry games in fairness. Havent seen u here for a while Culchie. Altho mybe thats cos im too lazy to wait for my feckin internet to start working to come in so im here less

Culchie

Nalced_irl wrote: »

What about Kilkenny v Wexford in the hurling?? Great atmosphere, or maybe its the choice of half the seats in the stadium thats good Cant beat the rivalry games in fairness. Havent seen u here for a while Culchie. Altho mybe thats cos im too lazy to wait for my feckin internet to start working to come in so im here less

Nah, I took a year off ...just getting over Mayo's capitulation to Kerry in 2006 now.

I was talking football, 'I haven't lived' and been to Muster Hurling final yet.

BrianCalgary

From what I have seen and read the two biggest games to go to football wise would be: Galway-Mayo and Kerry-Cork.

Hurling I understand the two best would be Tipperary and Kilkenny.

I saw Monaghan-Cavan in hurling and it really didn't bring out the crowds. But for a div 3 typ egame it was pretty good.

Still, amidst all the bickering as to what and where is the best, you can get great games and crap games at any level.

I saw a Kerry Football final contested by U14 girls, and it was pretty decent.

hunter164

BrianCalgary wrote: »

From what I have seen and read the two biggest games to go to football wise would be: Galway-Mayo and Kerry-Cork.

Bit off there Brian it'd be Dublin-Meath or Dublin-Kerry.

snowman707

Went to watch my nephew play in a club championship match last year, best value for money ever, a display of football, soccer, rugby, boxing, & wrestling all for the price of 1 .

BrianCalgary

hunter164 wrote: »

Bit off there Brian it'd be Dublin-Meath or Dublin-Kerry.

Next time I'm over, we can hope that I can witness one of these matchups.

BrianCalgary

BrianCalgary wrote: »

Next time I'm over, we can hope that I can witness one of these matchups.

Getting tickets for either usually requires selling a kidney or a family member if you aren't a member of a GAA club. Moreso that is true of Dublin v Kerry as it is in the All Ireland series. Seriously though, last years semi-final between them was probably the best atmosphere game I have been at. Closely followed by the Dublin v Laois Leinster Final where we won by one point.

In all fairness guys, this thread really does show one thing: you really cannot beat the GAA for a spectacular day's entertainment.

BrianCalgary

Deleted User wrote: »

In all fairness guys, this thread really does show one thing: you really cannot beat the GAA for a spectacular day's entertainment.

Well put.

Orizio

BrianCalgary wrote: »

From what I have seen and read the two biggest games to go to football wise would be: Galway-Mayo and Kerry-Cork.

Hurling I understand the two best would be Tipperary and Kilkenny.

I saw Monaghan-Cavan in hurling and it really didn't bring out the crowds. But for a div 3 typ egame it was pretty good.

Still, amidst all the bickering as to what and where is the best, you can get great games and crap games at any level.

I saw a Kerry Football final contested by U14 girls, and it was pretty decent.

In hurling, its Munster Final day in Thurles, or any munster hurling match that involves Cork, Tipp and Waterford.

In fairness, the lower division hurling games are usually of a good standard, its a shame about the lack of TV and fan support those teams get.

KrazeeEyezKilla

Any Munster Hurling Championship Match is worth going to. Dublin are guaranteed to have a full crowd but if it's in Leinster you could end up with one sided matches like last sundays which isn't much fun for a neutral. Matches between Ulster teams also have a great atmosphere.

Good choice to see Monaghan-Cavan despite the bad result. It's a pity more people wouldn't give it a try.

kevmy

hunter164 wrote: »

Bit off there Brian it'd be Dublin-Meath or Dublin-Kerry.

Would ya get out of it. There is shag all tradition between Dublin and Kerry they played a few times in the 70's (where Kerry usually won like they won everything back then) and they have played maybe 3 times in the last 15 years (including a replay).

Galway and Mayo and Cork and Kerry battle it out nearly every year for provincial honours and have built up massive rivalries over the years.

hunter164

The Kerry-Dublin rivalry is massive aswell.

kevmy

hunter164 wrote: »

The Kerry-Dublin rivalry is massive aswell.

No it isn't. Dublin people like to think this because it puts them on the same level as Kerry. Truth is it hasn't been a real rivalry for 30 years.

On the Kerry side well they love beating the Dubs but then so does everyone down the country.

I'll agree that there is a great atmosphere at big games involving Dublin in the Championship at Croker but please don't bleat on to me about a great rivalry where someone under the age of 35 only knows about from watching GAA Gold on TG4

DiscoHugh

Actually have to agree with Kev to a degree there.

I still think Dublin Vs Kerry is the biggest game in GAA because of:
A) Kerry being Kerry and when they meet (usually no earlier 1/4 final) both teams are in the hunt for the big one.

and

b) Dublin being the most talked about team in the country and all the crazy hype that brings.


But as far as rivalries go I, as a lifelong Dubs fan have far more antipathy towards Meath than Kerry purely based on the fact that growing up in the 90's I have so many more vivid memories of Dublin Meath championship battles than Dublin Kerry....

CyberDave

DiscoHugh wrote: »

But as far as rivalries go I, as a lifelong Dubs fan have far more antipathy towards Meath than Kerry purely based on the fact that growing up in the 90's I have so many more vivid memories of Dublin Meath championship battles than Dublin Kerry....

Because of this it's hard to say which rivalry really is the best. Look at the Clare/Tipperary rivalry of the 90's/early 00's, it's not as intense now. Great rivalries come on and off the boil depending on the success of the teams involved. There wasn't many great Dublin/Keryy clashes between 1990 and 2000 because Kerry were not as dominant as they usually are. Whereas you have great Dublin/Meath clashes from those years.

jakk

kevmy wrote: »

No it isn't. Dublin people like to think this because it puts them on the same level as Kerry. Truth is it hasn't been a real rivalry for 30 years.

On the Kerry side well they love beating the Dubs but then so does everyone down the country.

I'll agree that there is a great atmosphere at big games involving Dublin in the Championship at Croker but please don't bleat on to me about a great rivalry where someone under the age of 35 only knows about from watching GAA Gold on TG4

And mayo last won an all ireland...when?Was it even recent enough to be shown on gaa gold?Or do rte have a radio version of that show.Have to say though,it was there for you in 2004,best team in the country over that championship,but didnt turn up on the day.Not for the 1st time either.

Mushy

Deleted User wrote: »

In all fairness guys, this thread really does show one thing: you really cannot beat the GAA for a spectacular day's entertainment.

Oh so very true...and can get good value too. Friend coming over from England next weekend, he was saying he wants to get to Croker, so I told him that there should be matches, prob football 1/4 finals, should be two games for 40-50e. Cant say its bad there.

kevmy

jakk wrote: »

And mayo last won an all ireland...when?Was it even recent enough to be shown on gaa gold?Or do rte have a radio version of that show.Have to say though,it was there for you in 2004,best team in the country over that championship,but didnt turn up on the day.Not for the 1st time either.

What has Mayo winning an AI got to do with the rivalry (or lack of it) between Dublin or Kerry. If anything your reinforcing my point. People don't go around saying Mayo are great All Ireland winners because we won it 55 years ago. Just as people shouldn't go around blowing about a non-existent Dub Kerry rivalry.

Don't get me wrong not saying they aren't massive or important game just saying there isn't a real I-know-where-your-mother-lives type derby edge to it

jakk

kevmy wrote: »

What has Mayo winning an AI got to do with the rivalry (or lack of it) between Dublin or Kerry. If anything your reinforcing my point. People don't go around saying Mayo are great All Ireland winners because we won it 55 years ago. Just as people shouldn't go around blowing about a non-existent Dub Kerry rivalry.

Don't get me wrong not saying they aren't massive or important game just saying there isn't a real I-know-where-your-mother-lives type derby edge to it

OK.so I may have approached this from the wrong direction.Either way I still think you're wrong.Wrong about the dubs v kerry rivalry which alot of us of a certain age would have known about from the 1st hand accounts told to us from our parents & grandparents who attended those games.Long before TG4 even existed,let alone GAA Gold.Rivalry stems from the past,doesnt it.Of course teams from the same province are more likely to meet each other more often,but if you were to speak to some of my kerry friends,they'd tell you a healthy rivalry still exists between the dubs & kerry.Plus,both counties are 1st & 2nd with AI wins.As for the intense I-know-where-your-mother-lives type of derby, it doesnt happen so much at inter county level as it does in the club game.Especially when 2 teams from neighbouring parishes go up against one another.From what I've experienced in those kind of games both playing & from the sideline,I wouldnt encourage any tourists bring their kids to them.

Flukey

Kevmy, the Dublin v Kerry rivalry goes back a long way before the 1970s. The 1970s matches were just some of the later chapters of the story.

blackbelt

Haha,a thread which was started to talk about the first experiences of GAA and our resident posters are coming out in force to "sell" their county/province/brand of football/hurling and rivalries.:D:D

In fairness,rivalries always exist especially where there is history involved.Take Dublin and Meath for example.There had always been a bit of rivalry there but it wasn't until the Boylan era that this rivalry really heated up and now when Dublin play Meath it is intense.Even Meath at their lowest and Dublin at their best,there will be serious talk about the upcoming match between the two counties.

Dublins rivalry with Kerry has sprung from the 30s all the way through to the 70s where the Heffo era really intensified this paricular rivalry when the Dubs beat Kerry in 77.This was the peak of the rivalry.78 it continued but these last few years haven't seen much Dublin v Kerry in the championship.In 2001,the two matches that year revived the rivalry that had existed previous.Last year again rekindled it.Kerry who have won the most All Irelands and Dublin who are second are always going to be rivals even if their paths do not cross every year...it is in many peoples minds the real final...which was really last years semi final.

You have your usual rivalries between neighbouring counties such as Kerry-Cork,Mayo-Galway,Tipp-Cork,Clare-Tipp,Armagh-Tyrone,Derry-Tyrone/Donegal.

Then you have other rivalries which lay dormant and are then rekindled years later such as Cork-Meath and maybe in the future Louth-Wicklow,Meath-Kildare,Dublin-Laois and from 1983 Dublin-Galway.

It is pretty naive to ignore history and say there is no rivalry between Dublin and Kerry.If Mayo were to beat Kerry in an All Ireland in ten years time,the media will have gone through history and talked about the massacres Mayo suffered at the hands of Kerry.

kevmy

blackbelt wrote: »

It is pretty naive to ignore history and say there is no rivalry between Dublin and Kerry.If Mayo were to beat Kerry in an All Ireland in ten years time,the media will have gone through history and talked about the massacres Mayo suffered at the hands of Kerry.

There isn't really a rivalry between Mayo and Kerry it seems to be more of a walkover

Flukey

I wouldn't exactly describe Mayo's defeat of Kerry in the 1996 All-Ireland semi-final as a walkover. You see Kevmy, Kerry and Mayo's history goes back a lot further than their two recent All-Ireland finals. Not only that, during that history it hasn't all been walkovers and it hasn't all been Kerry wins. The GAA started in 1884, with the first All-Ireland Championship being played in 1887. Down through the years, there has been a lot of history between counties, even counties we wouldn't exactly think of as great rivals now. But that is what history is.

People will look at Mayo and Tyrone this weekend and think back to 2004, or look at Kerry and Monaghan and look back to just last year. In both cases though, there is a lot more history in those pairings. Monaghan were disgusted over last year's result, but back in 1985 the two played a great semi-final which Monaghan were on course to winning, when they let in a soft goal. Kerry took over then and it ended up with Monaghan's Eamon McEnaney having to score a last kick of the game point, from a free a very long way out from the goal, to draw level. As was the case then, it had to be taken from the ground. What an incredible point it was. Unfortunately, Kerry won the replay. So it is not just for last year that Monaghan want to beat Kerry. Twice they've had them on the ropes and let them get away. Let's hope they knock them out on Sunday.