Messages

No fall out with cuchulainn boys and county.  They were never part of squad in 2010!!  Couple of lads including Declan Coulter wanted to throw their lot in with Harps this yr after good run in c'ship in 2009 while couple more weren't making any impression so decided to just play club.  This has been state of play since January but when Irish News decided to pay lip service to the Ulster Hurling Championship they called Declan Coulter to talk about Armagh.  On hearing that he wasn't playing it sounded better to write about a fall out with the Cuchulainn lads and the county as if they walked out the week of the game, rather than just say he was playing football this year.  Load of tripe and couple of other hacks have just picked up on this and run with it.  Anyone who knows anything about hurling knows there was no Cuchulainns on county squad this year....there was no fall out or walkout.

Would agree with the team posted above but I was seriously impressed with Padraic Maher...would there be a case for the above team being given All-Stars and young Maher being named young player of the year???

As far as I know Ronald Ross plays for Kingussie...its pronounced even funnier than it looks!!

It's disappointing to see Antrim hurling slide further into decline but is a messiah at the helm of the senior team going to be the answer???  I think not...had Donal O'Grady or Brian Cody been in charge, would 2009 have turned out any better???

In my opinion something drastic needs to be done expecially in the city.  How many coaches are employed to coach hurling in Belfast's schools??  How many are there coaching in the rest of the county's schools for that matter??  I'm not sure of these figures, but I'm sure it pales in comparison to what's going on in Dublin for example.

In Kilkenny, if you go to X primary school you play for X club; if you go to Y primary school you play for Y club...whether you're from a rural or urban area.  I know people from the city will see this as a pie in the sky idea especially given the history and tradition of its clubs but I feel that drastic times call for drastic measures.  A long term plan is a must if antrim are to come out of free-fall...what actual plans are there in place for the development of hurling in Antrim as a whole??  I know in North Antrim a lot of work is being done, but what of the city??

Two of the greatest forwards ever seen and two of the greatest role models for any youngster!!  Henry is a major driving force behind the success of this of this current crop...I have been fortunate enough to see some of their trainings and every time he was the first man out usually banging balls of the far wall at Kierans.  While DJ's style got the crowds going, it's Henry who gets these current Cats motoring.  No one has mentioned his long road back from the cruciate injury...to see him struggling through his runs during that rehab was hard to watch but must have been an inspiration to those around him...to see him back hurling to the standard that he was last Sunday after going through that is unreal...this is what makes Henry the greatest hurler that there ever was in my opinion.

Our boys have been using www. gaakit.com owned by one of our members Brian Kearney, they opened in Cargan Glenravel about approx 18 months ago and a couple of weeks ago opened a branch in Ballycastle, seem to be very busy. He is mainly involved with O Neills, but brings in Azzurri and Puma, CCC , Square Ball, etc . We used Puma in the All Ireland for wetgear very cheap and they crested all the gear themselves. our lads bought King Boots in team deal for about £40 each.
We get a kickback about 15% i think of him for all Gear we buy as do all clubs.  The staff got new designs for us, much easier and more reliable than O'Neills to deal with. Our club now sells our gear along side other clubs in his stores and we sell loads on line to our members abroad. He buys the stock and sells it and we get % with no hassle. He's easy dealt with

To the original question...O'Neill's surely...it's not even a contest!!

However, ordering gear is getting to be a nightmare from O'Neill's...they have held the monopoly for too long and therein lies their trouble.  Quality has suffered badly lately and their service is woeful.  GAA Toolkit is an excellent alternative even though they deal a lot with O'Neills and Puma seems to be doing a fair turn within the GAA at minute...very good quality and price although their range is still a little limited.  McKeevers have tried to make an impact but their prices are way too dear for what you're getting.  But hopefully, this may change if they get a foothold in the market.

Definitely shop around and be prepared for a change...for too long clubs have been unsure and just stick to what they know and head back to O'Neill's...even though they are getting reemed!!

OB Sports are a quality alternative and that crowd that is in with Ulster Rugby does very good stuff!!

Some great role models in Armagh football...I see from the Gaelic Life that one of the young prospects hoping to fill McGrane's boots enjoys going down the loughshore for a carryout following a big win...inspirational stuff!!!

Screen reserves were beat by a point by Cúchulainns...although they did seem to have a fair few missing.  You seem to be very critical of the Armagh clubs just because they bring a bit of physicality to the game...I must say, we have played the top three Armagh clubs over the past few years in the Ulster League and we have lost more than we have won....but the games have always been very good because you knew you were getting a good tough game before you started!!  Maybe the Armagh clubs should pack it in and allow the Antim snobs to work away on their own in the Leinster Club League!!

Kilkenny training usually in Kieran's during the dark months and probably back onto Nowlan Park at this stage...not 100% on their nights but I have had the pleasure of being down a few times recently and they certainly weren't behind closed doors!!  More like a who's who of former Kilkenny greats in the stand watching them!!