Messages

Should either of Cavan or Roscommon lose and we win v Louth then we are promoted if my maths are right.

Not so. If Monaghan lost to Down, you'd have 3 on 10 and scoring difference comes back into play. Monaghan are safe even if they lost as they are so far ahead on scoring difference.

It sounds like once the hooter sounds, a team, if say they needed one score, could play keep ball for as long as they wanted until the right opening happened - whereas in the past, a referee could blow the whistle if they were taking too long at their final chance. I suppose taking a nod from rugby.

Waterloo
The Way Old Friends Do
When You Danced with Me (strictly for the Irish reference)

Tough one for the alickadoos but France have been brilliant. Imagine if Dupont was on field.

Even if Ireland win this, France are just so more creative and better to watch. That was a class try.

Huge loss for France there and for the game. Dupont is on another level.

Pat Ingoldsby

Children of a certain generation were fortunate to have Pat to broaden our minds.

You'd worry about Zelensky on a plane back home to Ukraine with a mad man to the East and a mad man to the West.

I see Michéal finally got the invite. The hopes of Ireland and the whole EU now rest on his sole shoulders. He'll need to kiss the blarney stone before he departs. Can he pull a rabbit out of the bowl of shamrock. Maybe offer Trump the Irish Open at Doonbeg.

In his press conference with Starmer, the orange clown noted Doonbeg as one of his investments in the UK.

Trump talked about his golfing investments in the UK and said: "I own Turnberry, I own Aberdeen, and I own a great place called Doonbeg, in Ireland, so I have a great warm spot for your country."


 

Latest LucidTalk/BelTel:

NI voters still favour the Union over a united Ireland – but gap narrows to 7%, poll finds
New poll shows 48% want to stay in UK while 41% favour constitutional change
I
Suzanne Breen
February 24 2025

The gap between support for Irish unity and Northern Ireland staying in the UK has narrowed in the past year.


A new LucidTalk poll for the Belfast Telegraph shows that 48% of voters would opt to maintain the Union while 41% would back a united Ireland if a referendum was held this week.

In last year's Westminster election, the total unionist vote was just over 43% while the nationalist vote was slightly over 40%.

In our survey last year, there was a 10-point gap between the two sides: 49% supported staying in the UK, while 39% wanted Irish unity.

Now 10% of people say they're unsure how they'd vote, while 1% would abstain or spoil their ballot.

While almost nine in 10 nationalists (86%) want a border poll within the next decade, three-quarters (74%) of unionists say one should never be called.

The Good Friday Agreement states a border poll should be called by the incumbent Northern Ireland Secretary when they believe there is evidence that public opinion here has shifted in favour of change.

However, successive UK governments have refused to specify publicly what criteria will be applied when measuring public sentiment on the issue.

The DUP has said Northern Ireland does not need a "divisive" border poll, although Sinn Fein has urged the new Dublin government to begin planning for a referendum.

Support for Irish unity is strongest with the younger generation.

Among voters under 35, 50% want a united Ireland, with 44% choosing the Union.

The split is 49% to 37% among 35-44 year-olds in favour of Irish unity.

By comparison, the middle-aged and retired want to maintain the constitutional status quo.

Hilary Benn won't be the Secretary of State who calls a border poll but, sooner or later, one will be held
The divide is 55% to 36% in favour of the Union versus a united Ireland among 45-54 year-olds, and 51% to 34% among those aged over 55.

In terms of party breakdown, 31% of Alliance voters favour Irish unity, with 26% wanting Northern Ireland to stay in the UK. Most (43%), however, are undecided.

Eight in 10 SDLP voters (79%) would vote for a united Ireland, with the rest evenly split into the undecided (11%) and pro-Union camps (10%).

While men divide 54% to 41% in favour of the Union, it's the opposite with women: 44% of them back Irish unity with 39% preferring to keep the status quo.

But three times as many women (15%) are unsure of how they'd vote than men (5%). There are more Catholic unionists (6%) than Protestant united Ireland supporters (4%).

Those of no religion are more likely to support Irish unity (40%) while a third want to remain within the UK and a quarter are unsure which is best.

If a border poll resulted in a united Ireland, three-quarters (76%) of DUP voters say they'd find it impossible to accept, while one in six (15%) would be unhappy but could live with it.

Nearly half of UUP voters (49%) say they'd find such a result impossible to accept, while almost a third (31%) would be unhappy but would live with it, and one in 10 would happily accept the electorate's verdict.

Unionists are much more likely than nationalists to be driven purely by their feelings of national identity and to refuse to consider social and economic factors when voting in a border poll.

Almost half (47%) insist they feel so strongly about being British that they won't consider any other issue when it comes to a referendum on our constitutional future.

Some 29% of nationalists say they will vote for Irish unity because it's a nationality issue for them and they won't take any other factors into account in a border poll.

The economy was an issue for 51% of nationalists and 17% of unionists, while the health service and welfare system was important to 46% of nationalists and 22% of unionists in a referendum.

Just one in five unionists (21%) say their vote would be influenced by the treatment they'd receive as a minority in the new state. Some 45% of people here want a border poll held in 10 years and 55% want one in 20 years.

Just under half of Alliance voters (45%) would like a referendum in the next decade, while 70% want one within two decades.

Some 53% of all voters, and 60% of those under-35, aspire to Irish unity within the next 20 years.

68% of Sinn Fein supporters were against party attending White House St Patrick's Day reception, according to poll
Over 50% of people in NI opposed to Troubles amnesty for security forces, poll suggests
ADVERTISEMENT
Methodology

Polling was carried out online from February 14 to 17 using the established LucidTalk Northern Ireland online opinion panel of 16,747 members, which is balanced to be demographically representative.

In total, 3,001 full responses were received, which were authenticated, audited, weighted and modelled into a 1,051 NI-representative response data-set used for the final results.

Weighting was carried out by age, gender, socio-economic group, previous voting patterns, constituency, constitutional position, political-party support, and religious affiliation.

All results are accurate in terms of being NI-representative to within an error of +/-2.3% at 95% confidence.

LucidTalk is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its regulations. LucidTalk is the only NI and Ireland based polling and market research company that is a member of the council.

Derry need to develop a kicking game. Their style of play will have a team gassed after 20 mins. That said they could have had 4 goals themselves. However Dublin are starting to look ominous. Con came back and was scoring effortsly. He's another 2 point option for them. Sean Bugler looked in a lot of stress however. He was having some game. The Hill needs an education on the new rules. Maybe an announcer on the tannoy could help in those situations.

Donegal play a running game and they're not gassed after 20 mins?

Both teams do need more kicking though

It's fine in Ballybofey or a slow rural pitch this time of year while grounds are heavy but in fast open spaces of Croke Park you'll want to be extremely fit to play that type of game in the summer, assuming these new rules still apply.

Derry need to develop a kicking game. Their style of play will have a team gassed after 20 mins. That said they could have had 4 goals themselves. However Dublin are starting to look ominous. Con came back and was scoring effortsly. He's another 2 point option for them. Sean Bugler looked in a lot of stress however. He was having some game. The Hill needs an education on the new rules. Maybe an announcer on the tannoy could help in those situations.

Enjoyable game but some poor misses from both teams.

Could Ireland manage to lose a game thought impossible to lose. A potential red for Ringrose too.