Gaelic Games - do they bring out the worst in the Irish

mike65 · 31-07-2008 11:25AM #1

Rather than be controversial in the GAA forums I thought this could be discussed here as views will be more diverse I think.

Is playing in or supporting a GAA side now licence to behave like a caveman, last week we had that unsavioury business in Carlow as "kill the f**king n-i-gger" was chanted by teenagers with the approval of thier elders while last night saw a pitch invasion and physical assault of match officials and members of the Gardai. Intimidation of match officials now appears to be a standard tactic.

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.

Mike.

pickarooney · 31-07-2008 11:28AM

Being from Carlow will bring out the worst in people.

jester77 · 31-07-2008 11:31AM

ah now, it's not that bad. When is the last time the crowd had to be segregated at a GAA match or when was the last time there was a riot with the local Gardai.

Quazzie · 31-07-2008 11:31AM

It is full of redneck behaviour IMHO

arybvtcw0eolkf · 31-07-2008 11:32AM

If thats an example of the 'worst in the Irish' I thank god I'm Irish.

Pighead · 31-07-2008 11:34AM

mike65 wrote: »

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.
Mike.

You obviously don't attend League of Ireland games Mike. People get called all sorts of things at League of Ireland matches. Pighead got called a wally once.

In fairness there has been a pretty big media hoopla over this Carlow thing. Its a country wide thing rather than a GAA thing.

CtrlSource · 31-07-2008 11:39AM

It's not the GAA or the Games they play, it's the people who support them.

Will probably be attacked for this but, in general Gaelic Games are supported by a er.. broad range of Irish society - i.e. every thug mucker and scummer around! Same goes for Soccer. They're so damn popular that they serve as religion for the masses.

Rugby can be violent on the pitch, but you won't see that type of carry-on in the crowd.

Someone once told me a saying that goes: "Soccer is a gentleman's game played by knackers, while Rugby is a knacker's game played by gentlemen."

GAA games are patriotic and fun to watch, but they attract too many ruffians

nice1franko · 31-07-2008 11:41AM

No offence but that's bollix, Mike. Group mentality brings out the worst in people - not GAA.

stovelid · 31-07-2008 11:42AM

mike65 wrote: »

If any of the above happen in soccer for example there would be a crackdown, bans, fines and the meeeja going nutz as they decry thuggery and hooliganism yet in GAA-land it appears to be somehow okay and certainly not worth taking very seriously.

According to a lot of gah fans, Irish soccer has a 'hooligan' problem. Obviously, it's preferable to batter referees, umpires and other players instead.

mike65 · 31-07-2008 11:44AM

nice1franko, no offense taken this is After Hours, but I think the post above shows there is a difference.

Rugby can be violent on the pitch, but you won't see that type of carry-on in the crowd.

Mike.

Quazzie · 31-07-2008 11:45AM

Was there a GAA match in an estate in Mullingar recently??

mise_me_fein · 31-07-2008 11:48AM

Sometimes it's bad but mostly it's great.

Pure passion because no money is involved.

Cianos · 31-07-2008 11:48AM

mike65 wrote: »

last week we had that unsavioury business in Carlow as "kill the f**king n-i-gger" was chanted by teenagers with the approval of thier elders

What was this?

Kev_ps3 · 31-07-2008 11:48AM

What nonsence. Typical west-brit boards.ie thread. A few people out of thousands and you get this type of crap.

31-07-2008 11:49AM

Gaa is too clean...I miss the old days.

CtrlSource · 31-07-2008 11:54AM

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

What nonsence. Typical west-brit boards.ie thread. A few people out of thousands and you get this type of crap.

Hehe, i was wondering when someone would say something like this. Only took 23 minutes!

connundrum · 31-07-2008 11:55AM

Cianos wrote: »

What was this?

Irish Times article. Too long to copy and paste

taidghbaby · 31-07-2008 12:35PM

yes it definitely brings out the worst in a minority of people.......

......but it brings out the best in a majority of people!!

stovelid · 31-07-2008 12:40PM

connundrum wrote: »

Irish Times article. Too long to copy and paste

How cool is the name Teboga Sebala?

31-07-2008 12:43PM

This post has been deleted.

aidan_walsh · 31-07-2008 12:46PM

stovelid wrote: »

According to a lot of gah fans, Irish soccer has a 'hooligan' problem. Obviously, it's preferable to batter referees, umpires and other players instead.

Well, by keeping it on the pitch the crowd are appeased of their manly bloodlust. Soccer's sanatised over regulation of what way the players can tackle, contact or even look at each other means the fans have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.

Agamemnon · 31-07-2008 12:56PM

taidghbaby wrote: »

yes it definitely brings out the worst in a minority of people.......

......but it brings out the best in a majority of people!!

Very true. The overwhelming majority of GAA fans get on great and rivals fans mix together in the stands at matches to a degree rarely seen in any sport. The scumbag element is minor, nothing like the armies of hooligans that used to plague English soccer.

Dinter · 31-07-2008 01:13PM

Agamemnon wrote: »

Very true. The overwhelming majority of GAA fans get on great and rivals fans mix together in the stands at matches to a degree rarely seen in any sport.

Definitely true. Take a walk past Flannerys after a game and you'll see very little trouble between fans despite them having being drinking for 12 hours.

There's certainly no having to segregate pubs or any of that soccer sh1te!

prendy · 31-07-2008 01:19PM

mike, for a soccer fan to post such sh**e is ridiculous.
I support both soccer and gah and i would much prefer the friendly banter at most* gaa games.
soccer games are like gangs on the terraces

Karoma · 31-07-2008 01:36PM

prendy wrote: »

mike, for a soccer fan to post such sh**e is ridiculous.
I support both soccer and gah and i would much prefer the friendly banter at most* gaa games.
soccer games are like gangs on the terraces

Amen. Not to mention to all-too-frequent riots at soccer matches. There are scumbags at all sporting events. The examples cited by the OP are the exception, rather than the rule. To assume that this is typical of the GAA is absurd (And typical of AH.)

mike65 · 31-07-2008 01:37PM

I sense some denial, do peeps want a situation where things slide into a situation and fences are put up round the stands to stop invasions? If that happened then an Irish Hillsborough would not be impossible (last min rushes at grounds are well known)

Mike.

stovelid · 31-07-2008 01:48PM

Karoma wrote: »

Amen. Not to mention to all-too-frequent riots at soccer matches. There are scumbags at all sporting events. The examples cited by the OP are the exception, rather than the rule. To assume that this is typical of the GAA is absurd (And typical of AH.)

They must keep these 'all-too-frequent riots' at Irish soccer matches pretty well under wraps?

I'm flattered people would assume there's big enough crowds to stage a decent riot.

The truth is that riots are not typical of the GAA OR Irish soccer.

Aurora Borealis · 31-07-2008 01:51PM

Brings out the best if you ask me.
Those yummy little shorts.

Swit swoo!!

ArmaniJeanss · 31-07-2008 02:11PM

The intercounty senior GAA looks fine, but the junior and club scene seems to attract all the local scumbags.

Last nights they are attacking referees/umpires/police involved etc in Munster after (wait for it) an Under21 game of all things, and theres a big thread in the GAA forum about how the referee is to blame.

Soccer for all its faults would hand out severe bans to the teams involved, bans that would actually stick.

adsgirl · 31-07-2008 02:26PM

Bollix!!!!!!!!!
GAA like any sport has a rowdy element, but on the whole still somewhere a family can go and enjoy football at its' best..
I have never been at a match with my family that i felt uncomforatable, with the exceptions of the HILL 16 crowd who booed during a minutes silence.. enough said!

rossie1977 · 31-07-2008 02:35PM

adsgirl wrote: »

Bollix!!!!!!!!!
GAA like any sport has a rowdy element, but on the whole still somewhere a family can go and enjoy football at its' best..
I have never been at a match with my family that i felt uncomforatable, with the exceptions of the HILL 16 crowd who booed during a minutes silence.. enough said!

being on the hill during a dublin match is more akin to standing on a soccer terrace like the kop or the stretford end before seating. I remember when i starting watching gaa first around 1983 or so my dad used to say "look at those dublin fans pretending to be english soccer fans"

Gaelic Games - do they bring out the worst in the Irish

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