Does the GAA matter to you?

The Rape of Lucretia

A pillar of Irish society, to be placed alongside the 1916 Shrine

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Doesnt matter to me, but happy enough that it is there. It has, and continues to play an important role in society, particularly outside Dublin.


Hurling is a terrific game, but the concentration in the high level playing of it in a handful of counties is a shame and harms it.

Football really is a dire game, fundamentally flawed, has nothing to recommend it, and is far and away the worst of the world's football variants. It is a tragedy that it exists and heartbreaking to thing of how better the Gaa might have been without it: first, simply to not have such a bad game, and second, it is the weed that has probably strangled hurling from being a truly great nationwide game.

Maybe at the very top level. On the other hand, you can watch football away and once the game is close it's exciting. On the other hand a bad game of hurling is just...wow, bad to the point of hilarity. I've watched a lot better junior football games than junior hurling games...and you feel like screaming just anyone get the ball off the ground and on to the stick...

risteard7

Love the games but hate the organisation.
A lot of them fellas and ladies are mad giving up so much time and effort for really nothing in return.

If I had a really talented child and they had the opportunity to go all the way I would definitely be encouraging the to play Soccer.

LordSutch

Please explain.

Richard Hillman

A pillar of Irish society, to be placed alongside the 1916 Shrine

It doesnt mean anything to me but I understand it's importance for Rural folk and people who have emigrated.

For its long term survival it needs to stop making kids choose their sports over other sports. There are very nasty elements within it.

It also needs to stamp out the thuggish elements to it and stop dressing it up as "passion".

cbyrd

I'm from Meath. I live in mayo.. 4 of my 5 children are half Lily whites.. I'll be shouting for mayo cos.. my trainer who brought me from serious injury, through rigorous rehab is the captain of the team .. he trained me with his ankle in cast..
Also, my cousin is married to a previous senior Meath footballer of commentary fame.. i know the sacrifice they make for an 'amateur' sport.

Bogsnorkler

A pillar of Irish society, to be placed alongside the 1916 Shrine

Bogsnorkler wrote: »

Ah yes, poor innocent Paul Galvin, sledging lads about their brothers committing suicide......

Kerry have as many scumbags as any Dublin or Northern team, but feel the need to be portrayed as the righteous saviors of football every year. Makes me sick.

Standard Cork myth, and yet Paul Galvin and Noel O'Leary are good friends...which would be strange if the reference was true...

Anyway, Cork fans should worry about the Clares and Tipps of the game and leave real football to the counties that will be in the shake up...

mansize

Good sport, but prefer other sports...

RobertKK wrote: »

I am from Kilkenny.
That is all I need to say.

Hurling is all they have bless

Zaph

skywanderer wrote: »

I'm from Kerry and I've travelled all over the World and spent time in Dublin too, Dublin is far from the centre of the Universe as a matter of fact it is the black hole of calcutta for Ireland. Full of Junkies and Drugs, Criminal Gangs and everything is a rip-off, no effective public transport either. I'll stick to the Kerry or Donegal version of Civilisation because there sure as be damned isn't much civilised about Dublin.

Why do people who don't like Dublin keep trotting out the junkies and criminal gangs rubbish as an argument every time they want to slag the place off? Sure it's not perfect, no city is, but I'd love to know where these people frequent that see so many junkies and criminals everywhere. I've lived here all my life and have only ever seen junkies occasionally and to be honest wouldn't be able to pick out an individual as a criminal as easily as these people seem to be able to.

A pillar of Irish society in my opinion. Don't play football or hurling myself currently - played a small bit of football as a kid but didn't really enjoy it at the time and preferred soccer when given a choice eg. with friends during school break. Would like to take it up again though as I'd enjoy it a lot more now. I didn't appreciate what the GAA was when I was a kid or the benefits I could've enjoyed by keeping it up - I was too engrossed in playing computer games and watching cartoons to be interested in sport and I didn't have enough confidence or drive to be good at it. Later on I felt too awkward to start going again after 2 or 3 years away from it, thinking everyone would be staring at me because I wasn't one of "them" ie. someone from a GAA background! I wish my dad had been more into it to have encouraged me from a younger age as, looking from the outside, growing up through my teens, it did appear to be a good thing to be involved in from a social perspective. And then leading into your late teens and 20s it would clearly be a good thing to balance out the drinking and keep the head straight. If I ever have kids I'll make sure to encourage them to play.

Another thing as well - those parents who were involved in the GAA when I was growing up were always really welcoming to all kids who wanted to get involved and would encourage the more reluctant ones like myself; I feel there is a great ethos within the GAA that encapsulates a lot of what's good about Irish people's instincts; common decency, inclusiveness, community-mindedness.

The atmosphere in Croke Park on a big match day is terrific. The Dublin v Kerry game today was a great watch and I'm really looking forward to the hurling final next weekend! Hope Mayo do the business in the final (for once!).

I'm sure if I tried I could think of stuff I dislike about the GAA eg. that it "uses up" talent that could be going towards us having a better internation al soccer team, but I don't feel dwelling on the negative :P

Turtyturd

Used to play for Parnells every Saturday growing up. Was always secondary to (actual) football and I was done with it by the time I started secondary school bar maybe 2 or 3 games for the school team as I picked up other interests. Don't have any regrets about giving it up as it was more of something to pass the time than anything I had any connection to. Wouldn't go out of my way to watch a game these days.

trashcan

Find both games to be pretty much unwatchable tbh. As for the whole symbolism and "part of what we are" shtick, I've no strong feelings on either side of that debate. As a package, it's just not for me.

Ave Sodalis

I used to like it, go to matches etc until we won the All Ireland. Then it became insufferable and I've lost all interest. Players were suddenly hero worshipped, and some (without naming names) started to really believe they were gods gift to earth. Any young lad (still) who makes county develops this swagger and obnoxious walk, and a genuine excuse for some lad being a prick is "he plays county". I've gone from playing, watching and going to matches, to shuddering slightly when someone mentions they play.

Zaph

Zaph wrote: »

Why do people who don't like Dublin keep trotting out the junkies and criminal gangs rubbish as an argument every time they want to slag the place off? Sure it's not perfect, no city is, but I'd love to know where these people frequent that see so many junkies and criminals everywhere. I've lived here all my life and have only ever seen junkies occasionally and to be honest wouldn't be able to pick out an individual as a criminal as easily as these people seem to be able to.

Bus Aras, the train stations and the inner city shopping streets, especially O'Connell Street, full of junkies and dodgy looking people. The places anybody just visiting will spend most of their time.

On topic, I'm also from Kilkenny and so really enjoy a game of hurling, both to watch and play a bit. Unfortuntalely though there is a lot of local politics involved, but in fairness this happens with every single group

[Deleted User]

Ambivalent

[Deleted User] wrote: »

So as I grew up, I was far more interested in the fortunes of the Irish "soccer" team (I don't like that word, but it's useful here to distinguish the sports) and still follow League of Ireland.

Why don't you like the word soccer?
That's the name of the game right?

LordSutch

Football.

Soccer is a bastardisation of the word 'association' football, but footie or football sounds better.

Rothko

A pillar of Irish society, to be placed alongside the 1916 Shrine

Bogsnorkler wrote: »

Ah yes, poor innocent Paul Galvin, sledging lads about their brothers committing suicide......

What did he say?

Laois_Man

Good sport, prefer it to others, but it's only a game

The poll is missing a fairly obvious option - so I don't feel I can vote for any option presented.

I used to like Gaelic Football when I was younger but not anymore. I was never into hurling. I didn't see that Kerry -v- Dublin game this afternoon. In fact, I don't think I have watched a single match in at least 2 years now. From what I hear, today's game was very much the exception but really, IMO, I honestly see Gaelic football as awful AWFUL ****e altogether.

If my own county ever got successful at it, I might take a bit of an interest. But it would still be utter scutter altogether

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Yes. And I'm from Mayo, so I wish it didn't.

Johngoose

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Yes. And I'm from Mayo, so I wish it didn't.

Hate to say it but Dublin are going to destroy ye in the final.

K-9

Zaph wrote: »

Why do people who don't like Dublin keep trotting out the junkies and criminal gangs rubbish as an argument every time they want to slag the place off? Sure it's not perfect, no city is, but I'd love to know where these people frequent that see so many junkies and criminals everywhere. I've lived here all my life and have only ever seen junkies occasionally and to be honest wouldn't be able to pick out an individual as a criminal as easily as these people seem to be able to.

Ah, the poster replied to bait about Kerry and Donegal being uncivilised.

We quite like being the bad boys and ruination of GAA in Donegal. We used to be great fun and won fcuk all so...

paleoperson

Good sport, but prefer other sports...

There are some issues with the poll.

1) The poll is severely lacking in options. There seems to be no "I have no interest in the sport, but bear no ill-will towards them".

2) The poll options should be put in order from is **** to is my life.

Please see this OP and take more care in future.

Johngoose

Johngoose wrote: »

Hate to say it but Dublin are going to destroy ye in the final.

Dublin looked very very shaky when Kerry pressed high up on their kickouts. And Mayo pressed Evan Comerford last week so i reckon they will push up on Cluxton. If Mayo can do better on their own kickout then Kerry today then I think they stand a real good chance.

Its a new game and it will take a life of its own.

byhookorbycrook

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It doesnt mean anything to me but I understand it's importance for Rural folk and people who have emigrated.

For its long term survival it needs to stop making kids choose their sports over other sports. There are very nasty elements within it.

It also needs to stamp out the thuggish elements to it and stop dressing it up as "passion".

As a matter of interest a local soccer club told some children who play GAA that they weren't to take part in some Gaelic Football competitions this year.

Arcade_Tryer

Yes. But only because it matters more to many others.

Hurling is objectively a highly entertaining and skillful sport. Football on the other hand is fairly unwatchable whenever Dublin aren't involved. And even then, most of the players are limited in what they can produce in a game already low on requirements for skill and technique.

Charles Babbage

risteard7 wrote: »

Love the games but hate the organisation.
A lot of them fellas and ladies are mad giving up so much time and effort for really nothing in return.

A rather odd perspective, anywhere but Boards.ie. There are a lot of people who give freely of their time promoting sport and you hate them for doing that?

mynamejeff

at one time it was the be all and end all for me and my family . center of life in a rural area and a very good thing

now i ve moved away from the area and play different sports and gaa is irrelevant now

FunLover18

Have zero interest in it and like others find it very difficult to watch and get excited about. Obviously I know there's more to it but I always think of it as constant long ball. Of the football and hurling I would have definy have more appreciation for hurling and the skills involved but still wouldn't sit through a game.

That said, I'm proud of it as a national sport and would always recommend that visitors to Ireland try catch a game.

Also I would like to add that 'football' far more accurately describes 'soccer' that it does Gaelic football where the ball is mainly carried.

Jayop

I don't really get where the accusations of corruption cone from. It's something that's said here regular enough but what exactly is the charge?

HamsterFace

I'm not a sporty person in general, stopped watching the premier league years ago, but I love the gaa.

It is probably partially from growing up with the summer memories of warm Sundays with family and food and the smell of the roast and the Sunday game in the back ground.

It's the years when your team is doing well and the games and meeting everyone you know at them including your aul man's mates, and the gammy Jerseys and the craic and the banter.

And as you're older, it's the players you know from childhood, it's the school friends you never see otherwise, and the pints in drumcondra.

And to anyone who says it's an aesthetically displeasing game, well so are most unless you're following a team, the other three big games in this country in particular.

Most of all it's just fun and warm and familiar and I love it.

Arghus

A pillar of Irish society, to be placed alongside the 1916 Shrine

I would take more of an interest in it now than I did as a child and a teenager. I didn't care for it one single bit then. One summer, probably 06 or so, I must have ended up watching more matches than usual and ended up getting sucked in a bit.

I still vividly remember the football semi final that year between Dublin and Mayo. Dublin were raging hot favorites going into it - it was just blithely assumed everywhere that it would be Dublin v Kerry in the final. Then Mayo tried a bit of gamesmanship before the start - warming up in front of the hill, denying the Dubs some sort of sacred rite. Cue fisticuffs on the field before the game. It was crazy stuff. Once the game began, Dublin set out about steamrolling the opposition. I think they were seven points up at one stage and looking totally dominant but they must have switched off or something because they allowed Mayo back into it and they eventually won it thanks to an outrageous point from Kieron McDonald at the death. Great game, such drama. It was the first GAA game I'd watched that made me realise that on it's day Gaelic football can be top class entertainment. I got a taxi home afterwards and even the Nigerian taxi driver was talking about it. Mayo for Sam.

I'm from Galway but the only GAA team I ever truly loved was that Waterford hurling team from the mid noughties to the start of the decade. Running around like mentalists. In my minds eye none of them wore helmets and they never seemed to score points, just outrageous goals. I remember their sickening thrashing at the hands of Limerick in the semi final in '07. It seemed like all they had to do was deal with them and they'd get a crack at the final. I was genuinely distraught after that for a few days. The following year they actually got to the final- deliverance! -...and were properly dismantled by Kilkenny team that showed them no mercy. That game more than any other has made me long for the day that some team properly breaks this Kilkenny side into a million little pieces. I remember Waterford beat Galway in the quarters in 09, Galway threw it away, of course. I was supposed to feel angry about it but really I was delighted for Big Dan and the boys. Didn't feel right cheering against them. I still have a soft spot for Waterford but I think like everyone else from around here we'd give a lot for a Galway All Ireland win in the hurling.

Championship Hurling is a great sport, one of the best there is. Sometimes I wish they'd tone down the self praise a little in talk of the game. Championship Gaelic can frequently be dull, grinding and cynical but there's always a few good games every year and sometimes a thrilling game of football can be more dramatic than one of hurling.

As for league games and junior B and H and all that, I wouldn't know the first thing about them. I usually become dimly aware in the news of a flurry of scraps between teams in games early in the year and the dozen or so serious suspensions that are subsequently quashed. Fair play to all involved I suppose!

I didn't play any GAA while I was younger. I suppose at a local level it can be good and bad. Good because it can help bring a spirit of togetherness to a community and I do like the idea the GAA being a grassroots organisation that's uniquely Irish. Of course there's bad too - it brings a spirit of togetherness, but if you are not inside the tent you are most definitely outside it and sometimes in rural Ireland it can be one rule for the GAA players and one rule for the others.