Gaelic Games - do they bring out the worst in the Irish

mike65

Rather than be controversial in the GAA forums I thought this could be discussed here as views will be more diverse I think.

Is playing in or supporting a GAA side now licence to behave like a caveman, last week we had that unsavioury business in Carlow as "kill the f**king n-i-gger" was chanted by teenagers with the approval of thier elders while last night saw a pitch invasion and physical assault of match officials and members of the Gardai. Intimidation of match officials now appears to be a standard tactic.

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.

Mike.

pickarooney

Being from Carlow will bring out the worst in people.

jester77

ah now, it's not that bad. When is the last time the crowd had to be segregated at a GAA match or when was the last time there was a riot with the local Gardai.

Quazzie

It is full of redneck behaviour IMHO

arybvtcw0eolkf

If thats an example of the 'worst in the Irish' I thank god I'm Irish.

Pighead

mike65 wrote: »

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.
Mike.

You obviously don't attend League of Ireland games Mike. People get called all sorts of things at League of Ireland matches. Pighead got called a wally once.

In fairness there has been a pretty big media hoopla over this Carlow thing. Its a country wide thing rather than a GAA thing.

CtrlSource

It's not the GAA or the Games they play, it's the people who support them.

Will probably be attacked for this but, in general Gaelic Games are supported by a er.. broad range of Irish society - i.e. every thug mucker and scummer around! Same goes for Soccer. They're so damn popular that they serve as religion for the masses.

Rugby can be violent on the pitch, but you won't see that type of carry-on in the crowd.

Someone once told me a saying that goes: "Soccer is a gentleman's game played by knackers, while Rugby is a knacker's game played by gentlemen."

GAA games are patriotic and fun to watch, but they attract too many ruffians

nice1franko

No offence but that's bollix, Mike. Group mentality brings out the worst in people - not GAA.

stovelid

mike65 wrote: »

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.

According to a lot of gah fans, Irish soccer has a 'hooligan' problem. Obviously, it's preferable to batter referees, umpires and other players instead.

mike65

nice1franko, no offense taken this is After Hours, but I think the post above shows there is a difference.

Rugby can be violent on the pitch, but you won't see that type of carry-on in the crowd.

Mike.

Quazzie

Was there a GAA match in an estate in Mullingar recently??

mise_me_fein

Sometimes it's bad but mostly it's great.

Pure passion because no money is involved.

Cianos

mike65 wrote: »

last week we had that unsavioury business in Carlow as "kill the f**king n-i-gger" was chanted by teenagers with the approval of thier elders

What was this?

Kev_ps3

What nonsence. Typical west-brit boards.ie thread. A few people out of thousands and you get this type of crap.

Gaa is too clean...I miss the old days.

CtrlSource

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

What nonsence. Typical west-brit boards.ie thread. A few people out of thousands and you get this type of crap.

Hehe, i was wondering when someone would say something like this. Only took 23 minutes!

connundrum

Cianos wrote: »

What was this?

Irish Times article. Too long to copy and paste

taidghbaby

yes it definitely brings out the worst in a minority of people.......






......but it brings out the best in a majority of people!!

stovelid

connundrum wrote: »

Irish Times article. Too long to copy and paste

How cool is the name Teboga Sebala?

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

aidan_walsh

stovelid wrote: »

According to a lot of gah fans, Irish soccer has a 'hooligan' problem. Obviously, it's preferable to batter referees, umpires and other players instead.

Well, by keeping it on the pitch the crowd are appeased of their manly bloodlust. Soccer's sanatised over regulation of what way the players can tackle, contact or even look at each other means the fans have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.

Agamemnon

taidghbaby wrote: »

yes it definitely brings out the worst in a minority of people.......






......but it brings out the best in a majority of people!!

Very true. The overwhelming majority of GAA fans get on great and rivals fans mix together in the stands at matches to a degree rarely seen in any sport. The scumbag element is minor, nothing like the armies of hooligans that used to plague English soccer.

Dinter

Agamemnon wrote: »

Very true. The overwhelming majority of GAA fans get on great and rivals fans mix together in the stands at matches to a degree rarely seen in any sport.

Definitely true. Take a walk past Flannerys after a game and you'll see very little trouble between fans despite them having being drinking for 12 hours.

There's certainly no having to segregate pubs or any of that soccer sh1te!

prendy

mike, for a soccer fan to post such sh**e is ridiculous.
I support both soccer and gah and i would much prefer the friendly banter at most* gaa games.
soccer games are like gangs on the terraces

Karoma

prendy wrote: »

mike, for a soccer fan to post such sh**e is ridiculous.
I support both soccer and gah and i would much prefer the friendly banter at most* gaa games.
soccer games are like gangs on the terraces

Amen. Not to mention to all-too-frequent riots at soccer matches. There are scumbags at all sporting events. The examples cited by the OP are the exception, rather than the rule. To assume that this is typical of the GAA is absurd (And typical of AH.)

mike65

I sense some denial, do peeps want a situation where things slide into a situation and fences are put up round the stands to stop invasions? If that happened then an Irish Hillsborough would not be impossible (last min rushes at grounds are well known)

Mike.

stovelid

Karoma wrote: »

Amen. Not to mention to all-too-frequent riots at soccer matches. There are scumbags at all sporting events. The examples cited by the OP are the exception, rather than the rule. To assume that this is typical of the GAA is absurd (And typical of AH.)

They must keep these 'all-too-frequent riots' at Irish soccer matches pretty well under wraps?

I'm flattered people would assume there's big enough crowds to stage a decent riot.

The truth is that riots are not typical of the GAA OR Irish soccer.

Aurora Borealis

Brings out the best if you ask me.
Those yummy little shorts.

Swit swoo!!

ArmaniJeanss

The intercounty senior GAA looks fine, but the junior and club scene seems to attract all the local scumbags.

Last nights they are attacking referees/umpires/police involved etc in Munster after (wait for it) an Under21 game of all things, and theres a big thread in the GAA forum about how the referee is to blame.

Soccer for all its faults would hand out severe bans to the teams involved, bans that would actually stick.

adsgirl

Bollix!!!!!!!!!
GAA like any sport has a rowdy element, but on the whole still somewhere a family can go and enjoy football at its' best..
I have never been at a match with my family that i felt uncomforatable, with the exceptions of the HILL 16 crowd who booed during a minutes silence.. enough said!

rossie1977

adsgirl wrote: »

Bollix!!!!!!!!!
GAA like any sport has a rowdy element, but on the whole still somewhere a family can go and enjoy football at its' best..
I have never been at a match with my family that i felt uncomforatable, with the exceptions of the HILL 16 crowd who booed during a minutes silence.. enough said!

being on the hill during a dublin match is more akin to standing on a soccer terrace like the kop or the stretford end before seating. I remember when i starting watching gaa first around 1983 or so my dad used to say "look at those dublin fans pretending to be english soccer fans"

copeyhagen

thats boll0x. I admit that for the big games like Leinster finals there will be a minority of scum there that wouldnt go to a single league match in parnell and think theyre proper dublin fans cuz theyre going to croker to support their county. dont tarnish us all with the one brush

i have been going to dublin matches since i was young and have only ever seen 1 or 2 events that would make me think badly of the dublin supporters. i go to the league matches home and some away. if im in croker im always on the hill.

2 things i have witnessed that i frowned over.

1. some nackers throwing things last year at leinster final.- nearly got the heads boxxed off them.

2. the fools running onto the pitch early after the wexford match - the entire hill "booed" them and told them what we thought of them

there have been a few other small things but the dublin supporters on the hill as a majority are well behaved and proper supporters.

listermint

copeyhagen wrote: »

thats boll0x. I admit that for the big games like Leinster finals there will be a minority of scum there that wouldnt go to a single league match in parnell and think theyre proper dublin fans cuz theyre going to croker to support their county. dont tarnish us all with the one brush

i have been going to dublin matches since i was young and have only ever seen 1 or 2 events that would make me think badly of the dublin supporters. i go to the league matches home and some away. if im in croker im always on the hill.

2 things i have witnessed that i frowned over.

1. some nackers throwing things last year at leinster final.- nearly got the heads boxxed off them.

2. the fools running onto the pitch early after the wexford match - the entire hill "booed" them and told them what we thought of them

there have been a few other small things but the dublin supporters on the hill as a majority are well behaved and proper supporters.

Well said, totally agree!

Pen1987

Im not a big fan of Gaelic Games but you have to say the GAA is EASILY one of the best organisations on the planet. I have nothing but admiration for it. Oh and for the record, I'm a Dub.

Dyr

One reason you dont get more riots at not-the-eircom-league matches: ya need a crowd to have a riot :pac:

Pen1987

One reason you dont get more riots at not-the-eircom-league matches: ya need a crowd to have a riot

I dont undersatand this... double-negetive. So you get more riots at Eircom League matches because they have a crowd?

Terrontress

Just because there is no infighting between spectators based on their counties does not mean that the GAA are civilised and non-aggressive.

My limited experience of GAA supporters is that alot of them actually enjoy a fight amongst each other based on inter-county rivalries. That's to be expected though as there are a fair few fights on the pitch. Fighting seems to be part of the dna of the entire movement.

Terrontress

Pen1987 wrote: »

Im not a big fan of Gaelic Games but you have to say the GAA is EASILY one of the best organisations on the planet. I have nothing but admiration for it. Oh and for the record, I'm a Dub.

I'd have to say that there is no evidence to support your statement whatsoever but it is 100% UNDENIABLE FACT!

UsedtobePC

Pen1987 wrote: »

I dont undersatand this... double-negetive. So you get more riots at Eircom League matches because they have a crowd?

ermm... I think the two negatives are not gramatically applied to the same subject. But i agree it still doesn't make sense

prendy

Terrontress wrote: »

Just because there is no infighting between spectators based on their counties does not mean that the GAA are civilised and non-aggressive.

My limited experience of GAA supporters is that alot of them actually enjoy a fight amongst each other based on inter-county rivalries. That's to be expected though as there are a fair few fights on the pitch. Fighting seems to be part of the dna of the entire movement.

limited experience indeed!

mike65 wrote: »

I sense some denial, do peeps want a situation where things slide into a situation and fences are put up round the stands to stop invasions? If that happened then an Irish Hillsborough would not be impossible (last min rushes at grounds are well known)

Mike.

mike is your only view of GAA games Dublin in the championship? because other than the hill 16 when Dublin are playing i dont understand where this is coming from? yes about twice or three times a year you hear of some underage/junior club game where tensions spill over and the press jumps on it.. but to say its widespread is a bit OTT.

gixerfixer

GAA is a thugs game and lets face it requires **** all skill

prendy

gixerfixer wrote: »

GAA is a thugs game and lets face it requires **** all skill

so you played alot of GAA ya?? otherwise how can you make that well backed up argument?

you look at hurling and tell anyone that it doesnt require skill??

megadodge

GAA is a thugs game and lets face it requires **** all skill

'GAA' actually isn't a game !!
It's an organisation !!

Nolanger

GAA sports are for culchie retards living down the country in s**t towns.
Love seeing the Aussies beating the crap out of them in the International Rules.

Quazzie

Nolanger wrote: »

GAA sports are for culchie retards living down the country in s**t towns.
Love seeing the Aussies beating the crap out of them in the International Rules.

Is that why Dublin has one of the biggest budgets and revenues in GAA?

kaimera

wow, 45 replies in and no sign of Des to put the boot in..

Must be a busy day for ya

I do like the AH replies tho.

stovelid

Pen1987 wrote: »

I dont undersatand this... double-negetive. So you get more riots at Eircom League matches because they have a crowd?

Not the eircom league is a side-splitting reference to the fact that Eircom may be pulling out of their sponsorship of the league.

rossie1977

Nolanger wrote: »

Love seeing the Aussies beating the crap out of them in the International Rules.

fail, unless you are talking about beating the crap out of the irish physically

since 1984

Australia S:7 T:14 PT:1,681
Ireland S:6 T:14 PT:1,664

S=series won
T= matches won
PT=total points scored

who after kerry has won the most all-irelands in football???

Deadeyes

As a rugby supporter I've always found it very annoying to watch in GAA and football, more so football the way players react to a referee's decision.
But the denial in GAA of issues is becoming a joke. Take the Galvin case, any contact with a referee should not be tolerated. Yet people kept saying "ah sure it wasn't his fault he was just upset". or in the case of the U21 game. The goalie broke the rules, but I've heard people saying that "he was only out a couple of steps so that's not really breaking the rules". There seems to be no acceptance of responsilbilty, players will just keep appealling until they get away with it.

barbiegirl

Love my Gah, it's fast, skillful and gets the juices flowing. It's about pride in your town and county and not about money. The crowd and the banter are excellent. I've been going to local and county games ALL my life and have never seen hassle. Everyone has a bit of a slagging and that's that. I also go to Dublin games on the hill and rarely see anything weird and am not uncomfortable, and though a very proud culchie, I'm no skanger
It's without doubt the best pasttime and when I have kids it's the GAA route I'll be hoping they take rather than the rugby or soccer. Mr Barbie Girl dreams of twin boys in Dublin mid-field :-).

dlofnep

mike65 wrote: »

Rather than be controversial in the GAA forums I thought this could be discussed here as views will be more diverse I think.

Is playing in or supporting a GAA side now licence to behave like a caveman, last week we had that unsavioury business in Carlow as "kill the f**king n-i-gger" was chanted by teenagers with the approval of thier elders while last night saw a pitch invasion and physical assault of match officials and members of the Gardai. Intimidation of match officials now appears to be a standard tactic.

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.

Mike.

Dear Mike,

Why do you burden us with such nonsensical questions?

No, Gaelic Games bring out a competitive nature in us, that gives us something to look forward to. A bit of the old competitive spirit on the field.

There are bad apples in all walks of life. You'll find someone on the street labelling people in a similar manner. Does that mean that walking on a street brings out the worst in us? No, absolutely not. The vast majority of people at Gaelic games, are just father and sons - out for a day away from the house.. Or a few friends, who want to go see a game and have a few pints afterwards.

Questions like this bring out the worst in the Irish, IMO.