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Diverging slightly but I know there are very few 'natives' on the Magherafelt senior side in terms of players whose family have been involved down the years. Most are first generation where parents have moved to the town and wee Johnny has now progressed to senior level. Cookstown will likely see the same thing in a few years.

is having lists of who has and who has not voted a very dangerous thing


what happens if it comes to a united ireland vote and someone does not vote could sinn fein order masked men to beat them up. or the dup order loyalists to beast someone up whos not voted in the shankill

There's no lists of who has or hasn't voted. The Electoral Register is a public document that can be viewed at the ER headquarters and lists who is registered to vote at each address. So you can easily check someone's address to see if they are registered. Not registered then clearly didn't vote.

What bar?

Was more of a restaurant, Cafe Persian right at the city hall.

Food was great, and not overly pricey - around £20 for most main courses. But I couldn't believe a Guinness was £7.20 & the only other option on draft was a Heverlee for £7.50.

Owned by Galgorm Resort outfit, charging Galgorm Resort prices. They also own pizza place opposite Europa, wonder is it similar prices?

Football as a spectacle is in real trouble, one time during yesterdays match there were 30 players all within Trillicks 65. Errigal played the ball sideways and back more than they played forwards. I suppose what do you do when the other team parks the bus as it wasn't really a day for the long range efforts.

All Peter. McGinnity sides set up that way.
Trillick learned the lessons Ardboe were given and killed the space, leaving nowhere for Errigal to attack into.

They did the same against Dungannon. Not pretty to watch but they do it well so fair play to them.

Did Meenagh not temporarily step away from this teaching post after RG's exit, which would have been last few months of the school term? Perhaps he wasn't able to extend that arrangement. County management a full time gig these days.

I am glad to see Jim back with Donegal.....they will be as good as they can be!
I would imagine he will join the £100k a year bracket that would currently include Harte, McGeeney, Tally.
Over £50k would be McEntee Antrim and McEntee Sligo, McConville, Devlin at Louth etc.......
Though clubs are paying massive amounts now too.
Between county and club, football and hurling I would imagine the brown bag economy is around the 200 million a year mark.......that's probably more money than swirling around all of the professional sports in Ireland put together!

The 2 boys have fairly successful careers outside the GAA I wouldn't imagine they are getting that kind of money for taking Tyrone.

Is Tally getting £100k to go to Kerry as defensive coach? I wouldn't have thought so. I'd have thought more the £50k bracket for that one.

Mmmmm...... Logan & Dooher ?

Think these numbers are exagerated. These things are all rumours and speculation to those outside the inner circles of county boards but had heard from well connected people in Armagh that McGeeney was £50K+ which is a decent salary all right but when you consider the hours involved and try and compare it to the corporate world, he'd be on far more if he was managing a team of individuals of that size and operating at the top end of a particular sector. I'm sure Harte and Devlin at Louth are on a healthy amount too, given they are full time at management/coaching gig as far as i know, i appreciate Mickey would be beyond retirement age anyway at this stage.

Of course, the questions goes back to whether they should be getting paid at all, but i don't see how anyone would take on that responsibility for nothing. The exception probably being Dooher and Logan but they are different in that they have obvious successful careers outside the GAA and i doubt very much if either takes anything beyond their fuel expenses. Different for the likes of 'career' managers like McGeeney. Does anyone know what he did before he went full time into management?

Still a fair slope on the pitch and it's pretty short compared to most other pitch's, new complex is a great job though

I drove past and thought there was a slope but wondered was there really a slope or is it an illusion with the terrain around it. I didn't get a proper look. But thought they would have flatten it out. Maybe not?

Couldn't see how there'd be a slope, sure the whole thing was dug up and started from scratch. could be wrong though. Anyway, it looks the part from pictures I've seen and will be a great venue for championship matches and hopefully the likes of underage county matches, mckenna cups etc once lights are in and it's all finished

RIP big Art. Such an impact at all levels of Tyrone football. Would have also been a big basketball man in his day. A real pity he didn't get to see the Clarkes play for the first time this Sunday on their new pitch.

Really weird and shows you the state of these organisations. While nothing can surprise you anymore, you'd have to assume the gunmen were 'new Ira' with the Protestants lifted good old fashioned criminals who've maybe assisted with the car weapons etc? Who knows. Throw the lot in jail and throw away the key.

I know of a couple of guys from the locality who apparently joined the police. Not close enough to it ever being confirmed by family or whatever but they just disappeared and live gods knows where now. It's sad too. I have no issue supporting the police and acknowledge they have to be supported for us to have a normal society however it does still make you wonder when you see in these historic cases where the hierarchy are deliberately frustrating the legal process. I wouldn't encourage my children or relatives to join and I suppose that's the problem. You know we need to but wouldn't want your own there. I also know a couple from around the same area who are in the guards. Not big republicans or anything. Just wouldn't have felt safe joining psni.

[For example they have discounts for buying more tickets. That's not allowed.]

We did a lot of research into them mind and the company and prizes were legit.

We've had a few legal opinions on a GAA-run one that suggest that they aren't strictly legal in NI, that new legislation was waiting or something, but not yet passed. It was probably 3 years ago at this stage that we looked into it.

Does your research suggest they are ok then?

That's kind of what I was hinting at.  They certainly aren't legal under current NI legislation.  For example they have discounts for buying more tickets.  That's not allowed.  It becomes a bit murkier though when they are run off shore.  When I say they are legit I mean they do own and have the prizes they are advertising available and the winners do get their winnings.

Is that illegal? That's near common practice for draws. 1 for a pound, 5 for 2 pound etc.

Totally legal and above board. R Kings and McKinney's are big business.

These draws only became legal in NI last Spring with change to the betting laws. Before that completely illegal but there was no appetite to challenge them with changes incoming.

Thinking of Naples/Amalfi Coast this summer. Not sure whether to base ourselves in Sorrento or somewhere for visits to Pompeii, Vesuvius etc. and visit Naples as a day trip, rather than basing ourselves in Naples. Taking the eldest fella (18) and we are stuck as he could be bored out of his skull amongst couples and families on Amalfi Coast, however me and the missus don't particularly fancy staying in Naples if it's as dirty as some of the reviews make out. Thoughts?

I'd base myself in Sorrento and visit other places from there. Beautiful town in its own right and plenty going on for people watching, bars, shops then Pompeii a short train ride away and other towns like positano well worth a trip on ferry/boat taxi thing. A day trip across to capri is a must. Too expensive to actually buy anything other than a sandwich/ice cream but the approach to it on the boat alone is well worth it. Like something out of a movie.

Anyone know what the Teamtalkmag Allstar team was? 1-15

Teamtalk very quiet on the awards front this year

Errigal seemed to get their match ups right. They kept Mark McKelvey and the 2 Jones quiet. A lot of what Dungannon does well flows through those 3.
McNulty also a big loss as we the Clarkes struggled on their own kick outs with a lot going too short or over the sidelines.

Errigal were very un-Errigal - had a bit of steel and badness about them which they've been missing this past 10 years or so. Took the two jones and mckearney out of it and the canavans are a chip off the old block and can handle themselves too. can they back it up against dromore?

Great win for our lads against Gortin who are on a great run of form in what was a hostile environment. And a great performance in memory of the late Noel Tracey. Well done all.

Always a hostile atmosphere in Gortin. And usually a few digs too.
Dungannon going rightly with a lot of men in states. Moortown get another good draw. Holding their own.
Championship is going to be powerful.