Club or County?

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Simple question, who would you rather do better, your club or your county? For me it's definitely club. What GAA is all about, pride of the parish.

aidan24326

For alot of people it would be their club I'd imagine, but it depends what club and county you're from. I'm sure if your club was Eire Og in Carlow, you'd feel as though they have enough county titles won, and no doubt you would probably trade a few of them to see Carlow win a Leinster title.

But even for the top players the club titles tend to be the ones that mean the most. I remember when Caltra beat An Gaeltacht in the 2004 final Declan Meehan said it meant more to him than his two All-Irelands with Galway. Equally Dara O'Cinneide said that losing that game was the biggest disappointment of his career, as he knew the chance probably woudn't come again (it's so much harder to win an All-Ireland with your club, as evidenced by the fact that neither Caltra nor An Gaeltacht have even won a county title since, though Caltra have been close a couple of times). Just using that as an example. But winning alongside lads who've been your friends and neighbours and classmates since childhood is a pretty special feeling and something you'd probably cherish even more than anything you'd win at intercounty level.

jamsieboy86

Definately County, moved away from my club in Kildare and don't really follow their progress. For me Kildare is definitely the most important.

deisedevil

Now that I'm not playing for my club (no loss there ) and am not living back home so don't see them that often I'd have more interest in County. If it was a case of seeing the club win a county title or Waterford win an AI well I wouldn't have to think too hard about it.

Right just yesterday this came up on Hoganstand and i have to say it was a mess, nobody knew the context.

Some were comparing PLAYING for their club to WATCHING their county, the context wasn't laid out.

Over there CLUB kept coming up, this was understandable as it was basically lads who are involved in clubs, and who weren't part of the county set up. From a spectators POV it would have to be county IMO.

I don't have a club being from the city and my only interest in GAA is my county, if ANY Galway club gets out out Connacht i'll support them the same though.

I'd say from a playing perspective though it's more of an honour to have a county AI, whether a player prefers a club or not it's fair to say a lot of average players have picked up club medals, and you wouldn't know the winners from even three or four years back. whereas if you win a AI you become a great of the game, remembered far outside your own town and county.

Winning a club would be great in your locality, but so would winning the AI adding the fact that 1000's would be out to greet you home(Croker does be fairly empty for the club final too).

Stevecw

aidan24326 wrote: »

For alot of people it would be their club I'd imagine, but it depends what club and county you're from. I'm sure if your club was Eire Og in Carlow, you'd feel as though they have enough county titles won, and no doubt you would probably trade a few of them to see Carlow win a Leinster title.

But even for the top players the club titles tend to be the ones that mean the most. I remember when Caltra beat An Gaeltacht in the 2004 final Declan Meehan said it meant more to him than his two All-Irelands with Galway. Equally Dara O'Cinneide said that losing that game was the biggest disappointment of his career, as he knew the chance probably woudn't come again (it's so much harder to win an All-Ireland with your club, as evidenced by the fact that neither Caltra nor An Gaeltacht have even won a county title since, though Caltra have been close a couple of times). Just using that as an example. But winning alongside lads who've been your friends and neighbours and classmates since childhood is a pretty special feeling and something you'd probably cherish even more than anything you'd win at intercounty level.

Wow, how did u manage that!! My club is actually Eire Og in Carlow!! And yep 100% agree, as a club we are nowhere near as good as in the 90s and are now at best 2nd or 3rd best side in Carlow.
But def for me I'd trade in all our Leinsters in the 90s just to see Carlow win a Leinster. I'd always put county 1st, and unlike most clubs in Carlow my own club actually add a lot of players to county side too. Think this year we had 10 guys on panel.
Chances are we won't win co title this year as Rathvilly will, powered by the amazingly good Brendan Murphy at mf will win it easily.
But would love to see Carlow win a Leinster, way way before I'd wan't my club to come back and win another county title.

cornerboy

My club has never won a County Senior Hurling championship.
My county hasnt won an AI senior title in 50 yrs.
What do I want most?....no contest.......

UpTheSlashers

Club, probably because successes have been few and far between in comparison with the County

coffeelover

Definatly club. Not many successes with county.

aidan24326

Stevecw wrote: »

Wow, how did u manage that!! My club is actually Eire Og in Carlow!! And yep 100% agree, as a club we are nowhere near as good as in the 90s and are now at best 2nd or 3rd best side in Carlow.
But def for me I'd trade in all our Leinsters in the 90s just to see Carlow win a Leinster. I'd always put county 1st, and unlike most clubs in Carlow my own club actually add a lot of players to county side too. Think this year we had 10 guys on panel.
Chances are we won't win co title this year as Rathvilly will, powered by the amazingly good Brendan Murphy at mf will win it easily.
But would love to see Carlow win a Leinster, way way before I'd wan't my club to come back and win another county title.

I was just using Eire Og as a random example, didn't think there was one of ye floating around here! But you've pretty much confirmed what I was getting at.

For me personally I have been living away from home a fair while now and wouldn't be closely involved with the club the way i used to be, although my younger brother is still playing. So for that reason county successes would be more important to me now. Regardless of what happens from here on with club or county, our All-Ireland football win in 98 will always be my best GAA memory.

aDeener

UpTheSlashers wrote: »

Club, probably because successes have been few and far between in comparison with the County

are you not from longford?

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

I may not have been clear when I started this thread, but an AI medal (with your county) isnt the same as a club county championship medal. Maybe I should rephrase the question, who would you rather win an AI, your club or your county?? I remember listening to Darragh O' Sé in an interview once, and he said he'd gladly exchange all his AI medals for Kerry for that club AI that he lost with his club. I'm lucky to have experienced both, with my club and my county, and the club experience was - by far - the better. Travelling up to Croker on the train with almost everyone in your parish and then the night out after they won was something else, best experience of my life. The players were treated like royalty for the following weeks.

cson

County at this stage tbh; the club [Portumna] has hosed up the last few years.

megadodge

I understand all those who go with the club, as you're sharing something with your friends, neighbours, classmates etc. and I've played at all grades for my own club and even try to buy the weekly club lotto ticket whenever possible.... but I still would prefer to see my county (Roscommon) win the All-Ireland. I think it's because it would make so many more people happy.

I was in *Ennis for the Ros minors win in 2006 and the delerium was just fantastic. If the seniors won, weeellll......


* I was on the pitch also, like almost every other Rossie there and it should be experienced instead of being banned by the PC brigade because of so-called 'dangers' that actually don't exist.

Deise Tom

Club always as to come first.

rpurfield

i dont get down to the club as much now with work and life in general but i keep the membership and the interest up in it.we were inter for years and lost two finals in the early 90's and again in 98 99 before finally winning it in 2000 and then adding the league to the cabinet that year too and i have to say the defeats in them finals were worse to take than anything ive experienced with meath and the high in 00 was better than seeing meath win sam.