The 'terrorist' designation is meaningless here. Those clubs are not named after people the community see as 'terrorists'.
Your wee profile flag shows you yourself are taking political stances and are just being predictably self righteous.. Ho hum.
How in god's name can a GAA fan claim sport is "becoming politicised"
It always has been and not just in Ireland either.
There is a growing issue with sports clubs becoming politicised aswell. We obviously have some Ulster clubs being named after terrorists and this in itself excludes people. Then we have the likes of Bohemians who are a left wing / alternative club who's politics would be the opposite of mine. I wouldnt go and watch or let my kids participate in a club like Bohs . Id drive 45mins to avoid them.
I would say the names being ambiguous is part of the plan in a city.
Na. Piarsaigh for instance who have the whole northside of Limerick to themselves might not want to limit their catchment by calling the club Caherdavin.
Or a Cabra fella might play for Na Fianna would might hate anything called Drumcondra.
The loss of handball alleys and the fading of that game was a big loss for inner city Gaelic games.
There is generally a lack of playing pitches in city centres. As has already been said, cities were well developed before sports became a passtime for the general population and city centre land is very valuable for other uses. Add in the sheer size of a GAA and it's not surprising that there aren't any in the core city centre.
You don't have to go far out to find them and the situation has been improving. On the north side specifically, within 2km of the Spire there is St Brenden's who now have good facilities at Grangegorman and the GAA will add a GAA pitch on the land they bought at Clonliffe College. Not much further out, you have Fairview Park, St Vincent's, new pitch at DCU St. Pat's, Na Fianna and St. Finbar's.
I doubt there are many people in Dublin city centre who couldn't get to a GAA pitch in less than 20 minutes. Part of the issue with community in the city centre may be that the names of most of the clubs don't reflect the area, a lot being named after saints.
The clubs I mentioned are at a lower level than Bohs and are just as community based as any GAA club I know.
It's insurance claims they are afraid of not vandalism.
Depends how you define community really. A group of people coming together support Bohs (ugh) can also also be described as a community really. Your second point with regards to youngsters hanging around hitting a ball around is fair enough although I have noticed a recent trend in some places mostly small towns it has to be said where the club locks the ground when it's not in use. Guess they're afraid of vandalism sadly.
Yes I kind of see what you mean - certainly bohemians fc, I'd go to them a lot -but I wouldnt say its as community based, they get fans coming in from all over to watch the games. Also you wouldnt get young lads going up in the evening for a kick around in Dalymount, whereas say in the summer months there would be lads up in the gaa club for hours on end pucking about.
But if we flip to the southside and in particular the southwest of Dublin it's soccer clubs that are the focal point whether St Patricks in Inchicore or Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght at a LOI level or the likes of Bluebell United and Crumlin United at LSL level. I see what you saying and in those areas you refer to in North Dublin it makes sense but those areas mostly have a long history and tradition of GAA. Just settling up a GAA club in an area and expecting it to become a community hub will not work. Indeed in the North Inner City and Sheriff Street, Sheriff YC have provided sports for the local areas and in Phibsboro Bohemians have become much more prominent in the local area recently.
Ya the north inner city is missing this and its sad. The only real way to solve it is clear a patch of land in the middle of the city. Putting pitches in a park that's already next to soccer pitches in a park and in a current GAA clubs catchment will do nothing for little Joxer.
I would say you are wrong about soccer clubs too especially in that area with Home Farm. Round my way Pike, Star, Janesboro, Summerville and Ashling would all feel like they have a community and have club houses iirc.
Don't forget most inner cities predate the Victorian era which is when all our sports really began so those areas were well covered before clubs became a thing.
Ok point taken but its not black and white - to say a community is built around something, thats a high bar. To say the local gaa club is hugely important to the community is still valid - in a way soccer clubs arent because they dont tend to have their own club houses and facilities. Rugby Clubs can claim also this status sometimes, but there aren't nearly as many of them. I can think of three rugby clubs in Northside Dublin - so they dont tend to be central to the community - whereas if you look at Cabra, Glasnevin, Marino, Ballymun, Raheny, Coolock, Artane all of these have their own GAA clubs that are absolutely central to the community; major focal points for young and old, men and women - probably more so than the church in any of these places for example.
The North Inner City is missing this. Thats the point I am trying to make
He is probably confused about the level of sport you are talking about. Club GAA is at the level of what they call Sunday league or grassroots and they are just as proud of the volunteer thing as we are. I knew plenty of lads in London volunteered for clubs. There is a level above that which the English call small and local but it's LOI level and they would get something.
Also how can you say the GAA is unique when all of the local soccer and rugby in Ireland is run by volunteers too.
Yes Na Fianna has fans of course it does and yes it means a lot to them but the community is not built around the club. That only exists in one horse villages. Those city communities will be built around a vast number of clubs, pubs, groups and whatever else.
Jus looking closer to home nobody would say "Caherdavin is built around Na Piarsaigh" or "Monaleen built around the club"
One thing the GAA does seem unique for is all this mythology and folklore but it's mostly marketing.
I'd fairly strongly disupute that.
Two examples - was talking to a London colleague, saying I would be going coaching later that evening. He was asking me what I was on about. I explained that I was going to coach an underage team, that I'd been doing it for a number of years. That all underage teams in the club are coached by volunteer parents. That this would come to hundreds of volunteer parents coaching in our club. He said that if it was London, we would be paying a big fee. That the idea of volunteer coaches doesnt exist; all the underage coaches are paid. Thats what he told me, I cant say if its right but thats what he sees. Its certainly that way in the States, its well documented. Yes the GAA is unique, culturally.
Linked - Na Fianna at the weekend; 3000 people walk from the clubhouse to Croke Park to watch the team play in Croke Park. Communities arent built around clubs in big cities - are you kidding me? Seriously.....
To my point on the inner city - read Philly McMahons book to see what that club did for the community in Ballymun
There is no "uniqueness" about the GAA. Plenty of countries have little towns and villages with nothing going on but a single team.
Communities are not built around clubs in major towns and cities in Ireland. Many parts of all our cities don't have GAA clubs. And no team sport seems to have pitches until you get to Drumcondra where you have Na Fianna close to the rugby and soccer club and Vincent's is just north oof Fairview Park.
It sucks and land should have been protected by councils for community sport long ago but that's how cities have developed over the years.
The inner boxing clubs dont have this problem.
Ironically - the whole point is that so the usual crowd have something to do other than go out and wreck things.
Well.... there is a uniqueness about the GAA that means I dont think a 'big city comparison' is really valid. The way that communities are built around clubs. I dont think that really applies to other sports or other cities.
TBH - what would work well is if the pitch on Fairview Park was handed over to a club; but in fairness all the soccer clubs would be kicking up then.
Whatever facilities that could be built would be wrecked by the usual crowd.
It sucks but sadly it's the same in all big city centres. Very hard to find anything outside of a 5 a side soccer pitch.
Dublin inner city.
Have said it on other threads, so sorry for repeating.
But it is brutal that there are no GAA playing facilities available in what is the most socially deprived area in the entire country.
(I mean a place where kids from the inner city can play Gaelic football, therefore not Croke Park).
Paric Tailteann Main Stand to start by the end of next year with Floodlights also being reinstalled
There is going to be a piece on tonight's Prime Time about Casement
The Shed End in Chelsea is the worst I have ever seen. You just have to stand.
Funny you should mention the size of seats in England, as I attended an American Football match in Twickenham a few years ago and was stunned at how tight the fit was.
I am 6'2", so while I'm big I'm no giant, but my friend is about 5'8" and both of us spent the entire match sitting sideways as we simply couldn't sit straight without our knees being strongly pressed into the seat in front. Thankfully the couple beside me spent most of the match at the bar which gave us the room to sit sideways, but it was extremely uncomfortable either way.
Bearing in mind that the current version of Twickenham is relatively newly developed I simply cannot believe they got permission to build it the way it is. I've never had the same problems in Croke Park.
I meant a Gaa stadium hosting Northern Irish football games.
It's toast. In Northern Ireland you've to bring one community totally with you and not upset the other one at least. Tgats the minimum. Unionists and loyalists are upset.
The idea of a GAA stadium in Republican West Belfast is too much for Unionists to not get 'upset' . The stadium is toast as far as I can see.It might get built at some stage but it ll host no Euro games.That's almost certain now. It's a terrible pity . Iv played hurling in Casement twice.
Queue the "surprised" and"shocked" northern politicians when their euro games are taken from them.
No way another Irish venue will get the games north or south
Casement won't be available for the Euros . That's obvious. Too much 'pushback"
Yet another setback for Casement as it’s forced to change contractor and go back to procurement stage again.
Likewise, I have no desire to do the Dublin GAA discussion that’s being done millions of times before but when people are saying dublin GAA could teach the FAI something then I feel it’s important to cite some realities about the difference in the scale of challenges facing both groups.
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