The GAA - A Good or Bad Influence in Ireland

Judgement Day

CDfm wrote: »

Don't be too harsh, we haven't mentioned the womens game yet .

I'm sure I mentioned soccer in one of my earlier posts.

pedroeibar1

MarchDub wrote: »

Let me say this “I am not now nor have I ever been a member” of the GAA. My interest here is in keeping the information within a historic frame and backing up opinions with due source material. Something that is consistently lacking on the thread. The OP just apparently bailed out when challenged to come up with sources for his stated opinions.

For one thing, many posters are confusing or conflating the present day with the past – that is, the origins of the GAA with today and making a case against the organization - and not putting those origins rightly within their historic context. To say that the founders were ‘bigoted’ and then apply our own [yes] flawed contemporary sense of ‘inclusiveness’ is to totally misunderstand history. It’s like reading George Washington’s letters to Martha and saying what a bigot the man was – he really slagged off the English all the time and as for what he says about Jefferson! The point is, historic context is necessary for an understanding of the historic moment.

The GAA was founded in revolutionary times. It was part of the wider Irish world of the Gaelic Revival; a necessary preamble to a nationalist revolution. Like the Gaelic League it soaked deeply into the fabric of everyday Irish life, including the political and nationalist aspirations of the day. That is what the Gaelic Revival was all about – but this cultural movement was open to all who shared the belief in an independent Ireland. Hyde’s concept as expressed in “The Necessity of de-Anglcising Ireland’ was central to all of this and to the times. To therefore take the GAA’s foundation out of its historic context and then attempt to paint it into another context is simply ahistoric and bad history. And IMO leads to these erroneous charges that have been sometimes laid out here.

Anyway, just trying to keep all this within some historic guidelines.

I agree with much of what you say about interpreting past events using today’s criteria, but your remarks are sweeping and your targets somewhat unspecific. In the event that you are referring to my post, I used my words carefully. There is a considerable difference between a ‘bigoted’ and a ‘denigratory’ comment (if one is still allowed use that word these PC days). While posts here by some of the GAA/Unionists/whatever are bigoted, many others are simply denigratory. I have not read Washington’s letters so don’t know if he was a bigot or if he just denigrated the English.

For example, to take your mention of Hyde, a bigot would dismiss him because he was a descendant of Sir Arthur Hyde, who received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth I for services rendered to the Crown at the time of the Spanish Armada and obtained a grant of almost 12,000 acres in 1588, all of which was confiscated from the Moloney Clan. A denigratory remark would be that de Duglas de h-Ide was just a ‘West Brit’ who was interested in Nationalism. There is more than a subtle difference. Shades of Healy and ‘Uncle Tim’s Cabin’.

My own view always has been that the GAA should stay away from political ‘heritage’ movements and get on with the sport. There is a strong undercurrent of gombeenism in certain elements and I’m not a member for that reason (and because I’m not particularly interested in ball games of any description.) Most of the people I know in the GAA do fine work and don’t care an iota about politics, heritage, language, whatever. They just want to have fun for themselves, or their kids.
It is a pity nobody has yet seen fit to mention the great work the overseas GAA clubs are doing by helping emigrants settle in and find work. (Although many of those clubs contain the biggest bigots to be met!)
P.

jonniebgood1

Having looked at the last few pages of this thread the subject has gone off topic. Also the OP has been unable to back up their posts having been given ample opportunity to do so after several requests. Considering this it is time to close thread. If there is a valid reason for bringing this back to the original subject then PM me and I may reopen it.