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Topics - whiskeysteve

#1
GAA Discussion / GAA Memories Challenge
September 29, 2016, 10:39:37 PM
Hi folks, just wanted to take the opportunity to publicise a fundraiser that our club has initiated to raise money for a great cause and have plenty of craic with at the same time. The donations raised go to AWARE, Pieta House and a fund for our desperately needed 2nd pitch (we have one pitch for 4 codes at all age levels). All the details for taking part can be seen at the links below.

http://www.irishnews.com/sport/2016/09/24/news/gaa-memories-fundraising-initiative-sweeping-the-nation-706896/

If you are interested in taking part then text ERUA01 £2 to 70070 for UK based mobiles to donate £2 to AWARE. In the Republic, text GAAmemories to 50300 for ROI based mobiles to donate €2 to PIETA HOUSE.
Texts cost €2. Pieta House will receive a minimum of €1.63. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278
At the end of the campaign Eoghan Rua will receive 30% of donations back from the charities.

http://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/antrim-clubs-magnificent-fund-raising-initiative-is-dredging-up-some-magnificent-gaamemories/96417

For those who don't have Facebook and would still like to take part, feel free to share your favourite memories and nominate fellow posters (if you like!) in this thread.

Thanks!
#2
Folks,

If you spare a couple of minutes to read the following I would really appreciate it.

Five Irish people have died in Western Australia in the past week. I personally knew one of them, Gerry Bradley. One of his brothers, Gregory, would be well known in Derry GAA circles for his work in fitting out gyms for local clubs as well as being a former player for his club Eoghan Rua, Coleraine.

Gerry tragically died this week in an accident on site in Perth. The same incident claimed another young man from Omagh, Joseph McDermott.

Their families, and the families of 3 other Irish people, now face the terrible situation of having to bring their loved ones home. I have heard a cost for this off hand and (maybe others can confirm this) it is an unbelievable 80k Aussie dollars to have the body of your loved one flown home.

In addition to this, the 5 families will have the cost of having family members and loved ones flown out and back from Australia. It is a sudden and brutal cost on top of their shock and grief and without the great support of those of us back home this simply could not be borne.

Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Gerry and his family are trying our best to support them in this time by raising funds to bring him and his family members home. The deaths of our young people in Australia have touched so many of us who knew them and they need swift support at this terrible time.

I would humbly ask that those of you who can spare the time and whatever funds you can, do so by following the link below to support the charity that is supporting the Irish families by raising money to bring the remains of their loved ones home.

www.claddagh.org.au (scroll to bottom of page to donate)

News link to story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34930134

#3
General discussion / Cardiac Risk in the Young
August 14, 2014, 10:58:15 AM
In the wake of ex-Derry captain Kevin McCloy collapsing on the pitch during a club championship match last night (and remebering the likes of Cormac McAnallen and others) I just wanted to take the time to raise awareness for those of us playing or involved in the coaching of young people in the North. There is a free heart screening service made available regularly in Belfast and Coleraine by CRY NI.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/shock-as-excaptain-of-derry-gaa-kevin-mccloy-collapses-on-the-field-30507773.html

If anyone feels that they, their teammates or any one they know between the ages of 14-35 could benefit from a free heart screening to pick up on any potential defects, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) offer free Cardio Screenings.

These screenings are absolutely free (CRY is a charity) and easy to book. Go to the following link and look for the Screening Calender down the right hand of the page and click on 'places available' at the relevent venue.

http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/northern-ireland

I know our club in the past has co-ordinated for the senior footballers to attend on a free Saturday morning. I have taken one myself and it is very quick, like 10-15mins max.

For clubs in the region that are able to arrange it, it mightn't be a bad idea to co-ordinate screening for a panel as it could potentially save someones life.

Is there an equivalent service in the South?
#4
Something that has been brewing in the back of my mind for the past few years was stoked again today after reading/listening online to fallout over 'partitionist abuse' during the Armagh-Laois game (though the events of the game itself are distintly linked to this post).

The 'partionist' abuse, or innocent goading if you like, has long been a feature of relations between North and South on the island, in the GAA family and beyond.

However the media coverage in the run up to and during the Irish presidential election, though not unexpected, seemed like a new low to me, in its level of politically anti northern undertone and the depths to which certain outlets would shamelessly drag up past atrocities to emotively further political agendas.

At the time it bothered me to hear privliged media figures drag up the horrors of the past, atrocities that they were relatively far removed from, and repeatedly evoke them so brazenly for debate they would pass as objective. Now even the likes of Willie Frazier wouldnt bother me in the slightest. The man obviously suffered personally and is consistently nuts in his views. But to see major Dublin based media figures go a little bit Frazieresque in their outrage on one day, and then respectfully sell the honourable history of the states founding the next day... I found this a bit harder to swallow.

Granted the extreme views from the likes of the Sindo are ridiculed on all sides but nevertheless is a brand of stringently anti republican and/or pro partionism now de riguer across the board of the major media outlets? Is it hypocritical? And is a nasty offshoot of it seeping out into wider society and the GAA?

Or maybe i'm way off the mark here. I just cant shake the feeling that this is the season of the 'nordie animals' as possibly portrayed by Joe Duffy and co  ;D

BTW, I have no problem if folks are not republican/nationalist/unionist or whatever. I respect the sincerely held views of many Unionists.

And not for one second is this some kind of general criticism of the South, I hate the idea of starting any kind of infantile N v S crap. very specifically I find those down in Montrose house and in the major papers have a streak of individuals who pursue this sentiment.

#5
General discussion / Laptop for Solidworks/CAD
February 08, 2012, 02:50:51 PM
Techheads, your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Got a copy of solidworks 2012 there (student edition) and also looking for a new laptop. Only care about running the solidworks on it, all other requirements are basic.

RAM, processor requirements are clear, its the graphics card requirements that have me confused. How cheap a laptop can I get away with? Do I have to budget for a dedicated graphics card?
#6
Thought i'd post this here in recognition of the difference this man has made to our club, former St.Theresa's and Antrim hurler and footballer Sean McGoldrick.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/15948661.stm

He goes through to the main BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero competition in Salford on 22nd December.
#7
Cardinal calls for end to Sunday morning matches
02 August 2011

Cardinal Sean Brady has written to the four county boards in his archdiocese asking that they stop scheduling matches that clash with Sunday morning Mass.

The Cardinal is understood to have written the letter to the Armagh, Louth, Derry and Tyrone county boards after being contacted by priests in the Archdiocese of Armagh who are concerned about early throw-in times and the impact they are having on Mass attendances.

A spokesman for the Tyrone county board said that clubs were responsible for deciding when they held games or training, while the Louth county board said it endeavours "not to organise fixtures at times that clash with parish activities, including Mass, throughout the GAA calendar.

"However, there may be a small number of occasions throughout the season where this may not always be possible."

http://www.hoganstand.com/derry/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=152749
#8
GAA Discussion / Joe Brolly 1 Eamon Sweeney 0
July 31, 2011, 05:31:39 PM
No better time to post Eamon Sweeneys mildy ad hominem hack job on our joe  :D

I reckon Sweeney is an excellent writer is the main by the way. But Joe can blow the kisses at him on this one.  ;D

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/no-case-for-the-prosecution-2836022.html

No case for the prosecution

By Eamonn Sweeney

Sunday July 31 2011

Joe Brolly is entitled to his opinion of the Cork footballers. If he really does think the All-Ireland champions resemble a rugby league team which has "been able to bludgeon and bore their way through every team in the country with their primitive approach," he's right to say so. And if he's convinced that Cork are "a dumb team," why not put that on record too? Sporting analysis is by and large a matter of opinion after all.

My problem with the little barrister's opinions on Cork, expressed in Gaelic Life magazine, isn't that they're 'disrespectful' or that nobody should talk like this about amateur players who at the end of the day, like, are making huge sacrifices and getting nothing in return. It's that they're just plain wrong.

His persistent representation of Cork as the embodiment of brute force and ignorance flies in the face of the facts. Two years ago, Cork played the most sparkling football in the championship, notably in their Munster final replay win over Kerry, their quarter-final win over Donegal and in the first half of their semi-final defeat of Tyrone before the sending off of Alan O'Connor necessitated a switch to a more pragmatic approach. In the final they were subdued by a more experienced Kerry team.

Last year the Rebels were a mite more cautious yet they played a huge part in a classic Munster semi-final replay with Kerry and their All-Ireland final win over Down was one of the most exciting deciders in years. It beggars belief that someone could write off Cork, a team containing such flair players as Daniel Goulding, Donncha O'Connor, Ciarán Sheehan, Paul Kerrigan and Colm O'Neill, as a boring side.

I suspect Joe Brolly knows this full well. Because the most disappointing thing about his current crusade is that when Tony Davis challenged him on The Sunday Game this night last week, the Dungiven man went all Vicky Pollard and tried to squirm and slide away from his original position.

Prior to that moment, I'd had a lot of respect for Joe Brolly as someone who was always man enough to stand over his opinions no matter how controversial they were. But on Sunday night he resembled nothing more than one of those shyster TDs who take one line when they're speaking in their own constituency and another one when they're on the national stage. Roscommon Hospital Syndrome I think they call it.

There was something acutely embarrassing about Brolly describing Cork as "a great team", an opinion apparently based on the fact that their demolition of Down had revealed new facets to the side which the Derry pundit had never witnessed before. In reality, Cork didn't show anything against Down they haven't produced on several previous occasions, most recently during the National League final against Dublin. But our hero backtracked like a goalie trying to get back down the field after kicking a '45, eschewing the 'bore' 'bludgeon' and 'primitive' line of attack as he revealed that his real problem with Cork was that they don't score enough from numbers five to nine.

It's a pretty esoteric argument, given that numbers five to nine don't tend to be huge contributors to any team's scoring total, and perhaps indicated that its proponent was scraping the barrel at this stage. But we'll do him the courtesy of treating it seriously and examining the facts. On their way to winning last year's All-Ireland, Cork's half-back line and midfield contributed 14 points from play. The previous year's champions, Kerry, the side Brolly insists are the antithesis of their primitive neighbours, saw their half-back line and midfield knock over nine from play in the championship. In this campaign, Cork's half-backs and midfielders have already racked up 1-12 to the Kingdom's 1-9. Kerry might well be a better team than Cork but scoring rates from numbers five to nine have bugger all to do with it.

Can we excuse Brolly's virulent disdain for Cork on the grounds that he's suffering from extreme aesthetic distaste? Perhaps he's one of those purists who get a fit of the vapours when they see anything other than the most flowing style of football. Or perhaps not. Because if there was ever a variety of football which deserved to be characterised as primitive and bludgeoning it was that perpetrated in the Ulster Championship around the middle of the last decade.

And not only did Joe Brolly have no problem with this grim stuff, he was practically an evangelist for its virtues, praising it like Willie McCrea whooping it up for Our Lord in some wayside gospel hall. When Derry beat Tyrone 1-8 to 0-5 in the 2006 championship in what may well have been the worst match of the decade, Brolly went into transports of ecstacy about the 'intensity' of the game. And when, in that year's Ulster final, Armagh beat Donegal 1-9 to 0-9 in a match of almost unbelievable tedium, he insisted that we were actually witnessing a new breakthrough in Gaelic football, a new way of playing. It was like watching some avant-garde lad in a polo neck on The View insisting that two balloons perched on a concrete block beside a bicycle 'raise fundamental questions about the nature of world poverty.' The rest of us just saw two mediocre teams playing badly, something subsequently proved when Kerry beat the tar out of Armagh in the quarter-final.

There was a lot of good football played in Ulster in those years too, stuff good enough to show up Pat Spillane's 'puke football' jibe as a cheap shot based on prejudice. But the same type of cheapness and prejudice is there in Joe Brolly's digs at Cork.

There's a similar unfairness in his insistence that Cork have to be measured solely against Kerry. Because if being as good as Kerry is the yardstick by which teams must be measured then every other county in Ireland is a failure. He's changed his tune about this too.

This time last year Brolly was on The Sunday Game holding Cork up to ridicule by comparison with Kerry and Tyrone, teams he claimed did everything right where the Rebels did everything wrong. It didn't matter that the previous year Cork had easily seen off Tyrone, despite playing with 14 men for over half of the game, they were still inferior to the Ulster champions in Joe's eyes.

We all know what happened subsequently. Cork won the All-Ireland, defeating the Dublin team which had been too good for Tyrone and

the Down team which had been too good for Kerry. This made Joe Brolly look silly. And nobody likes being

made to look silly, which may account for his current monomaniacal focus on the shortcomings of Cork. He's become the GAA equivalent of Inspector Javert hounding Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

What we're seeing at the moment is a massive exercise in retrospective ass-covering. On Sunday night, Brolly was insisting that Cork's 2010 All-Ireland victory is devalued by Down's subsequent poor form. But the Down team of 2010 which knocked out Kerry and Kildare is not the Down team of 2011. And if Cork don't win the 2011 All-Ireland Championship it won't prove that they weren't the best team in 2010, it will simply prove they aren't the best team in 2011. I wouldn't dream of saying that Derry's, and Brolly's, 1993 All-Ireland final victory is devalued because it was achieved against a Cork team which played most of the game with 14 men, nor because they were beaten by Down the following year.

Brolly's attempt to make little of Davis's point that Cork's championship bid looks like being derailed by injuries also indicated that he has little interest in giving the All-Ireland champions a fair crack of the whip. Because the reality is that the loss of Ciarán Sheehan, Colm O'Neill and Daniel Goulding makes it pretty much impossible for Cork to retain their title. It's like Kerry losing the two O'Sullivans and Colm Cooper from their forward line. And, as the Kingdom found out last year, the loss of key personnel at this time of year can banjax the best of teams.

So the chances are that Joe Brolly will have the opportunity to further bore and bludgeon the television audience about Cork's failings before the season is out. What an absolutely enticing prospect that is.

Joe Brolly is entitled to his opinion of the Cork footballers. But the rest of us are entitled to point out that it's a load of bollocks.

backpage@independent.ie

- Eamonn Sweeney



;)
#9
General discussion / Arnie terminates marriage
May 10, 2011, 03:05:20 PM
Unleash the puns...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13343348

Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver separate
Mr Schwarzenegger and Ms Shriver have been married for 25 years Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver have said they are separating after 25 years of marriage.

"After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision," the two said in a statement.

They said they were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and would also continue to parent their four children together.

They did not provide further details.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," Mr Schwarzenegger and Ms Shriver said in the statement issued by Mr Schwarzenegger's spokesman.

Mr Schwarzenegger finished a seven-year run as California governor in January.

Ms Shriver, a member of the Kennedy dynasty, left her job as a TV reporter when her husband was elected.
#11
General discussion / IMF seizing Irish assets?
February 18, 2011, 12:48:02 PM
They are making moves to gut Greece of 50 Billion Euros worth of her assets.

http://www.independent.ie/business/european/euimf-sets-euro50bn-target-for-greeks-from-asset-sales-2546249.html

All that long before they come for Irelands assets? David McWilliams can see it as a very real possibility.

http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2011/02/16/before-we-sell-the-country-we-should-ask-the-people

How about having the natural resources of Ireland being raided? No doubt everything of value would be considered, would it be so outrageous for the faceless IMF representatives to look at national stadia like Croke Park? Our heritage would mean nothing to them of course, all firewood to feed the banks.

I can't believe the poll ratings for FF and Michael Martin. What a sick country.
#12
General discussion / Massive Cyclone to hit Australia
February 02, 2011, 09:04:07 AM
Force 5 cyclone due to hit land at 12pm our time. Queensland, of all places which has already experienced a huge crisis with the floods in recent weeks. Cairns and Brisbane listed as a couple of places in danger, all told apparently 400,000 people live in its path and with the amount of Irish over these days this story strikes closer to home.

Hope the resident GAAboarders are out of harms way?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12342031

#13
General discussion / The Official Cricket Thread
November 07, 2010, 12:47:00 AM
About time this place had a cricket thread. Somewhere to discuss the action from the 1 day internationals and 20-20 games, The movers and shakers in the cricketing world, whos hot and whos not, whos match fixing and whos coming out with the best sledging



What about your man Eoin Morgan, he's some player. He's hitting them from all angles these days
#14
General discussion / Something strange afoot...
August 13, 2010, 04:45:32 PM
Human foot discovered on beach

Humberside Police are investigating a foot washed up on a beach
A human foot has been found on a beach, police have said.

The body part was found on Cleethorpes beach in North East Lincolnshire on Wednesday night by a member of the public.

Police officers removed the foot from the scene and it was taken to a local mortuary for examination.

A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: "Inquiries are now under way to identify any possible missing person to whom the body part may belong."

The force is also carrying out searches on the beach in the area where the foot was found.

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154383268
#15
In my eyes they will always be the 2010 Leinster champions.

With all respect to Meath and their team I for one will never remember them or refer to them as 2010 Leinster champions.

Louth are the real champions today, Meath can keep the trophy.
#16
Since the CCCC are setting a precedent (see Tyrone v Derry) to hand out bans retrospectively based on video evidence, I thought this season we could do with a thread where posters can helpfully point out incidents missed by the ref that warrant suspension. By the end of the year we might see how consistently the CCCC apply themselves.

Report all indiscretions to TITS.
#17
General discussion / The Expendables
January 15, 2010, 12:24:34 AM
Action movie due out this year which I started a thread for cos it has some cast  8)

Sylvester Stallone
Dolph Lundgren
Jason Statham
Jet Li
Mickey Rourke
Randy Couture
Stone Cold Steve Austin

with cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expendables_(2010_film)

also written and directed by Stallone so its bound to be a masterpiece
#19
Apologies if this has been talked about before.

Dossing about on youtube there and found these old clips of Gerry Adams on the late late show in the early 90's. I'm a bit young to remember it properly so it was a bit of an eye opener to see Gay Byrne really trying to grill Gerry like he did, in fact was very surprised to see how they (Gay and the other guests) tried to ambush him and how bad a job they made of it. You don't have to be a fan of Gerry to appreciate it. Very surprised by Gaybo, thought he would have stayed out of politics to a degree, the fact that the audience end up cheering the big man says it all.

Im sure the older crowd would remember this well but its interesting viewing for younger posters (if you have time ;))

1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxw4a0e_NmU
2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z3t4_0Hjh4&feature=related
3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMjcqMUhrjI&feature=related
4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j44dA9M-gWc&feature=related
5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egom6-LIxdM&feature=related
6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAr6rLPCqg&feature=related

UTV news reaction after: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wNtuKuZrGs&feature=related
#20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMwPRuXBL9I

I've done a lot of research into this and it appears the Ulster Scots movement is indelibly linked with the orange order and extremist unionism. According to wikipedia Our Willie sang the champ song in duet with Billy Wright.

I would invite posters to play the ball and not the man on this one. Grrrrrr