[article] Association has monolithic role in society, school told

IIMII

Irish Times, Thu, Aug 13, 2009

THE GAA has risen to a monolithic position in Irish life by combining two of the worst aspects of our society, “short bursts of violence, punctuated by committee meetings”, the Parnell summer school was told yesterday.
The school heard a number of sociologists, nationalists and sporting figures ask if the GAA had now replaced the State and the Catholic Church as the religious and cultural symbols of the Irish.
Addressing the theme Does the GAA still matter after 125 Years? the senior GAA figure Jarlath Burns said that he was “an Ulster bigot” who was jealous of all other sports which distracted young people from focusing on the GAA.
In a comment on State support for Croke Park, Mr Burns said “if the Government emptied its entire exchequer into the GAA” it would still not have repaid the social good the organisation had brought about in every rural parish and town throughout Ireland.
It was the GAA, he suggested which was prepared “to cherish all of the children equally”.
In a tongue-in-cheek way, Mr Burns recalled a priest’s efforts to encourage respect for cultural difference and diversity, by speaking at a club’s annual meeting.
He recalled the priest had urged the players to remember the opponents were just men like them, albeit in different shirts.
The priest asked that at least games be allowed to finish before violence broke out.
The manager replied immediately indicating “with all due respect to you, father, and your cloth”, that that kind of talk sickened him.
Mr Burns said that the GAA had become the major sporting and cultural body in Ireland through “the combination of two of the worst aspects of Irish society, short bursts of violence, punctuated by committee meetings”.
He said the operation was to draw a line down the centre of an estate “and call the person the other side the enemy”.
But Mr Burns, who is from south Armagh, said that far from “being the IRA at play”, the GAA in Northern Ireland had provided nationalists with social cohesion and an ability to express their cultural identity and pride in resistance to the “colonial oppressor”.
© 2009 The Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0813/1224252500577.html

IIMII

Irish Times wrote: »

“short bursts of violence, punctuated by committee meetings”

You gotta love it..

Blackjack

Seems to be a poorly written article to be honest - doesn't say who's coming out with the statement "THE GAA has risen to a monolithic position in Irish life by combining two of the worst aspects of our society, short bursts of violence, punctuated by committee meetings"

Jarlath Burns appears to be responding to the above, but it doesn't say who's making the statement, and who therefore he is responding to.

Orizio

Conor Cruise O'Brien's ghost lives on I see.

IIMII

Yeah, to be honest, I can't understand where the newsvalue is in that piece at all. It is waffle

Orizio

Blackjack wrote: »

Seems to be a poorly written article to be honest - doesn't say who's coming out with the statement "THE GAA has risen to a monolithic position in Irish life by combining two of the worst aspects of our society, short bursts of violence, punctuated by committee meetings"

Jarlath Burns appears to be responding to the above, but it doesn't say who's making the statement, and who therefore he is responding to.

List of talkers:

Sex and Society in Twentieth Century Ireland with Prof. Diarmuid Ferriter (UCD) - Sunday
The Victorian Sporting Revolution with Dr Dilwyn Porter (DMU) – Monday
The GAA and Irish Society with Christy Cooney, President, GAA. - Tuesday
Does the GAA still matters after 125 years with Former Armagh County football captain Jarlath Burns amongst others. Wednesday
A Life in Sport with Micheal O Muircheartaigh Wednesday.
The Role for Women in Sport and Leisure with Joan O'Flynn (President, Camogie Association) and others. Thursday.
Sport and Leisure in a Divided Society? A discussion on Northern Ireland featuring Michael Boyd (Irish Football Association) and Ryan Feeney (Ulster GAA) and others. Friday.

Orizio

IIMII wrote: »

Yeah, to be honest, I can't understand where the newsvalue is in that piece at all. It is waffle

Some revisionist journalist doing his 'best' to make the GAA look bad basically.

flahavaj

IIMII wrote: »

Yeah, to be honest, I can't understand where the newsvalue is in that piece at all. It is waffle

Exactly, it neither makes a point, tells a story or comes to a conclusion. Pointless.