Messages

Again thanks for all the replies. I was not expecting agreement on this but lively debate to highlight the issue which is good to see.
I can understand the need to keep politics out of sport but my point is that because it was deemed politically correct at this time the GAA has no problem sanctioning the Irish Guards team whilst at the same time not allowing the masters' the same right. I have raised the issue because it is topical and because it is the most current snub against those who have failed to recognise the masters within the GAA. The fact that it is a regiment of the British Army is of course relevant and anyone who thinks that the GAA and politics have walked two different paths in this country are fooling themselves. The key point I am making is the glaringly obvious double standards. Also I believe that within the GAA views on the issue of The Irish Guards will very much depend on which side of the border the person grew up on.

[Orangeman]

Thanks for all the replies.
my replies to the responses to date
Orangeman - my issue is the ease with which the Irish Guards were allowed to start a club and the irony of the fact that the masters have not been treated equally. I do have personal issues with the British Army having more rights within the GAA than I do but they are not part of this argument.

Westbound - you are correct in saying that the masters' was thrown aside do to insurance and health and safety. This is another point. The GAA could see no opportunity to make money from the masters' so therefore cast it aside. There were some claims against the GAA insurance but they were minimal compared to claims coming through the clubs. I have played Masters for 5 years now and have never seen any serious injury or bust up in that time. I played senior football for a considerable length and risks to health and safety were much higher in those games.

thanks to foxcommander, AZOffaly and magpie Seanie for your support on this issue. I had read about the issue raised by foxcommander in relation to Teddy Mc Carthy and was disgusted ! Its another case of where the GAA can loose sight of the core values it was set up to promote.

Keyboardwarrior Your point is valid but its another case of were grassroots members views were ignored in the changing of rule 21

http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=26271.0

[GAA Double Standards]

GAA Double Standards
I have been watching with interest the developments in London in relation to the decision to allow the Irish Guards to form a GAA team; a decision which I assume was ratified by GAA Central Council in Croke Park. To those unfamiliar with British Military history, The Irish Guards regiment was formed on 1 April 1900 by order of Queen Victoria to commemorate the Irishmen who fought in the Second Boer War for the British Empire. It is in short a regiment of the British Army. Of course since the removal of 'Rule 21' in 2001 this is perfectly acceptable and as a democratic decision it is therefore one that all GAA members will have to stomach. However do those who sanctioned this see no irony in allowing the Irish Guards to take part in Gaelic games whilst at the same time not affording all Irish citizens the same right? I would like to draw the readers' attention to the irony I speak of. This is the fact that the GAA have sanctioned the playing of Gaelic games by members of the British Army but have outlawed the playing of the same games by Irish men over the age of 40. The GAA have for some years now refused to be associated with the Gaelic Masters competition which sees players aged 40 and over represent their county in an all-Ireland competition. A decision was made at congress to remove the masters from the GAA's official list of competitions.
After being cast aside by the GAA a number of dedicated master's players set up the Gaelic Master's Association to facilitate the playing of master's football at inter-county level. Master's football is well and truly alive but as a separate organisation not affiliated to the GAA. 2015 saw Galway win the All Ireland Gaelic Master's Cup and Tyrone win the Master's Shield. Therefore what we have now are players who have played club and county football for their whole lives paying their own insurance to play Gaelic football. The GAA therefore have effectively banned men who are currently players, officers of their clubs, committee members, team managers, coaches and referees. These men, the lifeblood of the organisation, instead of being cherished and lauded are being shown nothing but contempt. 
In my own County of Tyrone, players have been treated with derision by some members of the County Board. Two years ago a decision was made at executive level not to allow pictures or reports from Master's games to be posted on the Tyrone GAA official website. Material already on the site was removed before Tyrone appeared in the 2013 All Ireland Master's Final. One officer of the board laughed at a player and pointed out to him that he did not represent the county. Another board officer advised one Tyrone club not to allow a master's game to be played on their ground. Similar disrespect has been shown to many of the county teams including Mayo, Galway, Cavan and Monaghan. What the GAA has in effect done here is to exercise double standards in the interest of good politics. Those representing the Irish Guards stated in a recent interview in The Irish News that they were keen to take part in a 'strong, physical game that would suit them'. Gaelic football is indeed the type of game they speak of and I wish them luck in becoming exponents of these very necessary qualities of the game. However, again I am at a loss because one of the reasons given by the GAA to justify cutting its ties with master's football was the sometimes 'physical' nature of the games. I hope the Irish Guards Commander in Chief, British Royal, the Duke of Cambridge(Prince William), is not as shocked as our GAA 'commanders' by the 'strong physical game' he will surely be exposed to at some future date. It will also be interesting to see if any of the Irish Guards who line out are over 40.
What I appeal for from the GAA is not special treatment for master's players but the same equality that is extended to servants of the crown. The GAA in London has called this a step forward, but to me it represents many of the 'steps forward' in GAA history whereby the ordinary people are ignored and the more powerful indulged in the name of political expediency. Surely it is time for the GAA to realise it has made a grave error with the masters', to apologise for this error and to take steps to bring the masters' competition back into the official GAA calendar.

Gavan Mc Elroy
Masters' Player
Carrickmore
County Tyrone.

Thanks to all who have taken time to reply and the thoughts are both balanced and well thought out.
In answer to a few of the comments.
I am not in the habit of replying to news articles and understand the surprise of some of you who are wondering why I took the time and effort to do so given that what I had to say is common knowledge amongst most genuine club members on the county. It was just that in this case I felt that a stand on behalf of the club had to be taken. Without being arrogant I know that we are respected in the same way as we respect many other clubs in the county regardless of the bitter rivalries that we have built up over the years. The timing and context of the article was poor and badly researched.
I have sent a reply to the Irish News, all local papers, hogan stand, teamtalk. Although I don't do facebook I would not mind if someone else wants to put the link on it.
The other key point is that the reply is totally my own opinion and although I am defending the club I am not speaking on its behalf in any official capacity.
Thanks
Gavan

[A reply to the question posed by Francis Mooney in The Irish News on September 30th when he asked 'Is the Carrickmore legend fading to myth? '.]

A reply to the question posed by Francis Mooney in The Irish News on September 30th when he asked 'Is the Carrickmore legend fading to myth? '.

Someone once said "Don't judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes."  I would urge Francis to bear that in mind when he is interviewing someone who has just managed a team to two consecutive finals only to lose both. I would doubt that Barney Gormley  Carrickmore manager, past winning captain, the holder of six senior championship medals and a player regarded by many as one of the best club players ever to play in this county knew the context in which his answers would appear when he had the decency to speak to Francis Mooney minutes after his team were denied victory. I would also doubt that he would want his responses to appear in a way which seems to lend weight to the assertions of the author.
Francis is a journalist of some note and in fairness to him he has played a significant role in raising the profile of Tyrone club football since the late 1980's. His work is a vital record of club history in the county and he must be applauded for that.  However, it is disappointing that he sees value in posing the key question in his article a day after a club has suffered the heartache of championship defeat in what most of those who played the game would recognise as cruel circumstances. I would imagine some degree of empathy would be a useful quality for a sports writer. Many like Brolly and Spillane can be quite scathing at times but the reader is always forced to remember that they walked the walk.  There is some suggestion by Francis that loosing County Finals is a new phenomenon to our club given that he was kind enough to remind us that we have lost four of them (2006,2010,2013 and 2014) since our last victory in 2005. He states that 'an almost mystical reputation is wearing thin'. Francis's interpretation of the game must exist on some higher astrological level where mystery supersedes real life but I can tell him that winning and losing championship's is far from 'mystical' and exists in a world of sacrifice, hard work and discipline which are all very earthly qualities.
His continuing reference to our series of defeats and his theory that this has in some way eroded our traditional qualities holds little water.  Historically our senior teams have been no strangers to defeat and in fact we have lost more senior finals than any other club in the county. Our first defeat in a final was in 1936 and we have had 11 since ('58,'67,'71,'74,'81,'94,'00,'06,'10,'13,'14). What most involved in either playing for or managing teams realise is that a team who consistently reach finals will inevitable loose some. Our senior team has contested 27 finals since our formation in 1932. Everyone in the county will be aware that we have won 15 of those('40,'43,'49,'61,'66,'69,'77,'78,'79,'95,'96,'99,'01,'04,'05) and yes that is a record in the County. Probably more relevant though is the fact, yes fact not myth, that we are the only club in Tyrone to have maintained senior status.
Furthermore, a 'myth' is a widely held but false belief or idea. Francis Mooney's news item is suggesting that a particular view of our club that was once widely held is now untrue. Are the facts, some of which are acknowledged by Francis, that we still lead the Senior Championship Roll of Honour, still top the Tyrone ACL Division 1 winners table and that we are the only club to have remained in senior football now untrue? Do clubs such as Ardboe, Clonoe, Trillick and Errigal Ciaran who also boast a rich history of championship success now regard us something less than they used to. Is the deep seated mutual respect that exists between us and our historic rivals throughout the county no longer there? Do worthy county champions Omagh now have a diluted view of what our club has stood for down through the years. Will they forget the way that our players and supporters shook their hands and congratulated them despite the devastation of defeat or that we did not begrudge them their celebrations after a 26 year wait. I would think not.
I would ask Francis to delve a bit deeper into what makes football clubs tick. It is not catchy sound bites, sensationalism or cheap shots.  The building blocks of a club like our own are hard work, community spirit and natural talent none of which exist in the realms of 'myths' or 'legends'. Every club in Tyrone has these qualities and are driven on by the tireless dedication of ordinary club men and women. Sometimes it delivers success but more often defeat. The history of a football club cannot be studied through a narrow lens focusing on the course of a few years but is a broad canvass of heartache and defeat interspersed with moments of elation that mark championship success. Omagh, Derrylaughlin, Clonoe, Coalisland, Moortown and Dromore have all lost successive finals but far from fading away they all returned to win championships. Art Mc Crory once told me that there were only two certainties in football - disappointment and injury. Everything else, he said, is a bonus. Players in our club have been very fortunate in that the bonuses have been quite considerable over the years. One thing remains certain as history dictates it. Carrickmore will lose more senior finals in the near and distant future but we will also win many and it is then that the real   quality that is the 'Spirit of Carmen' not the 'myth'  will once again be to the fore.

Gavan Mc Elroy, Carrickmore.