Nicknames in the GAA

EoimarMuppet · 19-11-2007 10:13AM

Bannerblaster, just to cheer you up I thought u would like to know, Marty is acdtually a Cork man who has been living in Clare a long time, but is, by origin, apart from his Bronx birth, in fact, a langer!! So your safe!

JayoCluxton · 19-11-2007 01:11PM

Kerry On Tour wrote: »

Geezer gets on my nerves for McGeeney. I mean is he a gaelic footballer or an East London gangster?

Mmmmmmmmmm. Good question!:cool:

Tomthepost · 19-11-2007 02:48PM

Played club with a guy called Eoiny the Lonely. Corner Forward didn't pass the ball much and never came for pints after a game.

patmac · 19-11-2007 05:51PM

Lot of guys on our club team are called "ya feckin' Bollix" haven't figured out which one it is yet, could be any of them I suppose;)

MrJoeSoap · 20-11-2007 12:26AM

flahavaj wrote: »

Not sure of the origin of that one, but quite wonderfully his brother's nickname is "The Block!"

Genius. Any idea of his first name? Would love to know where they come from, I'd imagine it is just used as a means of differentiating, given the popularity of the surname Walsh in the south-east.

chubba1984 · 25-11-2007 12:14AM

In relation to the Hero I think it's very important he's called that cos otherwise Keiran Murphy would be man of the match everytime cork play cos there's two of them in the forward line. You can't be sayin Kieran Murphy (sarsfields) and Kieran Murphy (erins own) all the time. Fraggy and Hero are what Micheal O'Muircheartaigh uses so you can know which Kieran Murphy is on the ball.

An Citeog · 25-11-2007 01:15PM

chubba1984 wrote: »

In relation to the Hero I think it's very important he's called that cos otherwise Keiran Murphy would be man of the match everytime cork play cos there's two of them in the forward line. You can't be sayin Kieran Murphy (sarsfields) and Kieran Murphy (erins own) all the time. Fraggy and Hero are what Micheal O'Muircheartaigh uses so you can know which Kieran Murphy is on the ball.

Fair enough point, but how often do the two of them actually get to play together? I don't mind when Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh does it though because it actually sounds natural. Man's an absolute legend!

chubba1984 · 28-11-2007 12:53PM

An Citeog, the two Kieran Murphy's play together everytime Cork play.

Be The Holy · 29-11-2007 01:06PM

Kilkenny hurler in the 70's, Liam "chunky" O'Brien, anyone know where in the sweet name of all thats good and pure in the world did they get that name?

On Marty, he was commentating on his first all ireland a few years ago and all he kept saying was how meticulous the manager was, pernounced "mick- tick-uulous". Promptly hit the mute on switched on o muircheartaigh

whatalanger · 29-11-2007 05:14PM

What about John "Turkeyhead" Mullane?

MrJoeSoap · 29-11-2007 06:48PM

Or John "Cheat-at-the-first-opportunity" Gardiner?

Sliced pan · 07-12-2007 11:01AM

I think it is a great thing just like hurling its unique to other sports, the only one I can think of that uses nicknames is Boxing, its probably part of Irish culture Irish American sports stars go by their nickname's added to their real names as well.

Rockfish · 07-12-2007 07:23PM

Be The Holy wrote: »

Kilkenny hurler in the 70's, Liam "chunky" O'Brien, anyone know where in the sweet name of all thats good and pure in the world did they get that name?

I saw an All Ireland final from the 70's recently and he was playing and even Micheal O'Hehir constantly referred to him as chunky. So it's not just a recent phenomenen

An Citeog · 07-12-2007 09:49PM

Rockfish wrote: »

I saw an All Ireland final from the 70's recently and he was playing and even Micheal O'Hehir constantly referred to him as chunky. So it's not just a recent phenomenen

There are some commentators who can get away with it: Marty Morrissey is not one of those! From Wiki,

Marty Morrissey is a commentator with the sports department of Ireland's national broadcaster, Radio Telefís Éireann. Known to most as Puggface, he is a native of Clare and currently resides in Kildare. The intrepid Morrissey has commentated on many sporting events but his bailiwick is Gaelic games. Following his native Clare's Munster football final victory in 1992 Morrissey famously remarked live on air that "there won't be a cow milked for a week" in the county. The loquacious Morrisey has a regular column entitled "Ballhop" in the weekly regional newspaper The Clare People. Marty is a regular on the side lines at championship Gaelic games matches and has gained notoriety for his pronunciation of the word "fabulous" as "fabbalas" as well as his rugged good looks. He is an avid supporter of club teams in his native Clare where he often undertakes fund raising activities. He allegedly auctioned off his underpants for his local club, however there were no takers and Marty had to withdraw the article. However this may be an urban myth (see WHO CAN WE TRUST IF NOT THE INTERNET?)but Morrissey has neither confirmed nor denied the claim. Morrissey has recently denied the claim - [1]

Mweelrea · 11-12-2007 01:53AM

LiamWalkinstown wrote: »

Specifically Inter County.
Does anyone else get so sick of hearing Commentators refer to players by their nicknames?
Gooch, Sparrow, Brick etc.
The worst I ever heard was GC commentating in Parnell this year for the Dublin Cork Hurling Qual. Not ONCE did he refer to Kieran Murphy as Kieran Murphy. It was the Hero this, the Hero that....
I am in danger of being called anti GAA or something with this thread but it just annoys me no end.
Call them by their name and throw in the nick name the odd time if you have to!! Seriously. MM is the worst for this.

Marty Morrisey really does over do it.
What if i was new to the sport and tuned in to see players called star and hero......I'd be a bit confused.
MM was never a good comentator but he is steadily getting worse

Mweelrea · 11-12-2007 01:54AM

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

Or John "Cheat-at-the-first-opportunity" Gardiner?

Oh burn!:D

telecaster · 29-12-2009 05:28PM

Morrissey loves a bit of Bruno and Beano when Laois play

McArmalite · 29-12-2009 06:27PM

Remember watching an Unbelievables sketch on a Gaelic match and the name of the player they were glorifying was ' the Bullock O'Reilly '

whatever73 · 29-12-2009 07:24PM

I know of a fella who when playing u14 hurling at full forward when a ball came in around the square, his hurl being held scored a goal with his arse. The man is now mid 30's and still called "botty Walsh"

beggars_bush · 30-12-2009 08:24PM

John 'Jigger' O'Connor played for Roscommon in the 70s/80s
Diarmuid 'The Rock' O'Sullivan - SIPTU
Kevin 'Chunky' Hayes - Galway
Peter ' The Great' Canavan

jackcee · 30-12-2009 09:42PM

This nickname thing with commentators did not start today or yesterday. Over the years, there have been a few who were known exclusively, by their nicknames.

Back in the '40s/50s, you had "The Gunner Brady". I doubt if he was ever referred to by his name - which was, I think, Phil.

In the same era, one of Kerry's iconic players was Paddy "Bawn" Brosnan. I dont think he was referred to, without the moniker "Bawn". He was also known as "The Bawn".

Later, there was a corner-back, universally known as "The Tiger Lyons". He was also known as simply, "The Tiger" - i.e. the first and original.

I cant remember if Kevin Heffernan was known as "Heffo" in his playing days. My memory is that that came later.

Johnny Joyce of Dublin had a nickname which escapes me.

The feared Tipp corner-back of the '40s/0s was known as "The Ratler Byrne" - hardly ever known, in commentary, as Mickey Byrne.

In Wexford, "The Hopper McGrath" was never known as anything else.

In the 60's, when Tipp had two Tommy Ryans, Micheal O'Hehir would have welcomed nicknames. Instead, he was reduced to peppering his commentary with references to "Tommy Ryan Killenaule" and "Tommy Ryan Toomevara" (or was it Borrisoleigh???).

telecaster · 31-12-2009 04:38PM

I don't think you can say Peter The Great and King Henry fall in to the same bracket as nicknames in the way that Sparrow O'Loughlin, Redser O'Grady, Ricey McMenamin and Gooch Cooper do.

A nickname is only genuine if its used by the players teammates in my opinion. Bull**** like The Great is just media carry on.

homerjay2005 · 31-12-2009 05:04PM

there was a video going about some time back. some keeper came up to take a last minute free and sent it over. club hurling. his name was TearArse.

quality.

Rocky77 · 01-01-2010 07:04PM

I'm glas somebody raised this point, it really, really grinds my gears. I work in the media and was frequently admonished for not calling James Fitzpatrick by his nickname. If reporters and commentators are to be unbiased and professional then they should leave nicknames aside - they're not their mates afterall.

Ger Canning is all 'gooch, gooch, gooch.' I'm glad I'm not the only one

Nicknames in the GAA

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