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My daughter attends a Catholic grammar school in the 6 counties.  She arrived home this evening to tell me about a poll their history teacher did today ... Hands up everyone in the class who would vote for a United Ireland in a border poll.  From a class of 26, only 4 hands went up in favour of a UI.

She asked me to guess before telling me the answer, I guessed 18, a long way off.  The dominant theme for the vast majority of the class not voting in favour of a UI was having to pay to see a doctor in the south.  A rather fickle reason in my opinion, and I do hope this generation of voters will be more in tune with the positives vs the negatives of a UI by the time they get their chance to vote ... which in all likelihood will be in the next 10 years.

By no means a scientific poll, but one which I found a little shocking for a Catholic school in the north.

Selling out their identity and the reunification of their country over the price of a doctors appointment (which we may not even have to pay anyway), embarrassing.

[Aghag / Endas - winner in loser out - tight match and i hope those city boys dont try and rough up Aghag or we will never hear the end of it!]

just reading Irish NewS there and 2 good matches tomorow
St Johns / Cargin - if cargin rest players and st ohns throw everything at it it could be close
Aghag / Endas - winner in loser out - tight match and i hope those city boys dont try and rough up Aghag or we will never hear the end of it!
real championship matches at last

Awks they did, throwing punches off the ball which the officials missed, again.
Didn't pay off for them in the end though.

[The major stumbling block is that his family live in a very staunch Unionist town and it would be seriously challenging for them.]

Hope it goes well for young Bradley, he has a lot of potential. Gordan has been fairly talked up this week!

Bradley gave away a penalty but Kelleher bailed him out. Bradley looked ok up to that point.

Apart from the pen, thought he had a very tidy game.

Bit of a snoozefest but another 3 nil win

Stephen Kenny in the crowd.. maybe he's seen enough to ask Bradley to switch allegiances...

I'd be very friendly with a coach in the NI system who would be a proud Irish nationalist. He would be involved in advising Bradley - who very much has his head screwed on. But he's in a difficult situation. NI approached him a lot earlier than he debuted and he declined on more than one occasion. He didn't want to declare with NI and by all accounts he's still very open to switch and would probably prefer it. The major stumbling block is that his family live in a very staunch Unionist town and it would be seriously challenging for them. These locals are the same knuckle draggers that were at the centre of the "wee hate Catholics" chant from a NI game a few years ago. NI knew what they were at rushing in to cap him

His family would need to take a long hard look at themselves if they're worried about what the huns have to say. Who cares what they think or say. It's a pity more from the north havent the balls to switch.

You sound like a muppet here. His family run/ran the local shop in the village. Its their livelihood and that's a challenging position for a lad at 16 and 17 to be in. You can surely see how it is a major issue.

He is from Killen.

Nah it don't see how it is challenging for him at all or a major issue.
If he wanted to play for Ireland he should've had the balls to switch, simple. Everything else is irrelevant.
But now it looks like he's trying to appease a couple of prods that go to his family's shop that might've got offended, who cares what they think.

Hope it goes well for young Bradley, he has a lot of potential. Gordan has been fairly talked up this week!

Bradley gave away a penalty but Kelleher bailed him out. Bradley looked ok up to that point.

Apart from the pen, thought he had a very tidy game.

Bit of a snoozefest but another 3 nil win

Stephen Kenny in the crowd.. maybe he's seen enough to ask Bradley to switch allegiances...

Unfortunately he can't as he played for the north in a competitive game

Near certain it has to be 3 competitive fixtures.

Dunno maybe it was changed to that.
It was always that you can play away in friendlies but once you play a qualifier or something thats you tied.

[The major stumbling block is that his family live in a very staunch Unionist town and it would be seriously challenging for them.]

Hope it goes well for young Bradley, he has a lot of potential. Gordan has been fairly talked up this week!

Bradley gave away a penalty but Kelleher bailed him out. Bradley looked ok up to that point.

Apart from the pen, thought he had a very tidy game.

Bit of a snoozefest but another 3 nil win

Stephen Kenny in the crowd.. maybe he's seen enough to ask Bradley to switch allegiances...

I'd be very friendly with a coach in the NI system who would be a proud Irish nationalist. He would be involved in advising Bradley - who very much has his head screwed on. But he's in a difficult situation. NI approached him a lot earlier than he debuted and he declined on more than one occasion. He didn't want to declare with NI and by all accounts he's still very open to switch and would probably prefer it. The major stumbling block is that his family live in a very staunch Unionist town and it would be seriously challenging for them. These locals are the same knuckle draggers that were at the centre of the "wee hate Catholics" chant from a NI game a few years ago. NI knew what they were at rushing in to cap him

His family would need to take a long hard look at themselves if they're worried about what the huns have to say. Who cares what they think or say. It's a pity more from the north havent the balls to switch.

Hope it goes well for young Bradley, he has a lot of potential. Gordan has been fairly talked up this week!

Bradley gave away a penalty but Kelleher bailed him out. Bradley looked ok up to that point.

Apart from the pen, thought he had a very tidy game.

Bit of a snoozefest but another 3 nil win

Stephen Kenny in the crowd.. maybe he's seen enough to ask Bradley to switch allegiances...

Unfortunately he can't as he played for the north in a competitive game

[This year you had a Dublin squad who were running on empty and their priorities were other things than winning another All Ireland.]

Embarrassing from the Mayo forward line today. Yet again their piss poor forwards have been found out on the big day

Fortunately, those piss poor forwards were good enough to beat overfunded Dublin.

How many All Ireland titles/medals have those Dublin players? This year you had a Dublin squad who were running on empty and their priorities were other things than winning another All Ireland.

The reality is this Mayo squad isn't anywhere near the quality of the sides that pushed Dublin so close and they are as far away from winning Sam as they've ever been

That's the poorest excuse I've ever heard. Their priorities were other things. That's a cracker 

[Certainly in the running for the greatest defender ever.]

And also, without any doubt whatsoever, Lee Keegan is the greatest player never to win an All Ireland. Might well be the greatest player ever. He's just extraordinary.

The greatest player ever hahahahahhahaha

Certainly in the running for the greatest defender ever. I can't think of a better one from the last 30 years, although a few you could throw in the mix.
Not good enough at kicking points or even foot passing to be in the mix for greatest player ever.

Not even close

And also, without any doubt whatsoever, Lee Keegan is the greatest player never to win an All Ireland. Might well be the greatest player ever. He's just extraordinary.

The greatest player ever hahahahahhahaha

Might not be the best team on paper but they know how to grind it out. Deserving winners. Sams going north

Is touching the ball on the ground in your own box not a 14 yard free, cos it's a technical foul?

If it's in the 6 yard box it's a pen.

Fair enough yea that must be the exception

Is touching the ball on the ground in your own box not a 14 yard free, cos it's a technical foul?

That's a penalty

About 2 foot outside

Two foot?  I suppose it depends on which foul he blew for

Doesn't matter. It's one continuous foul, not one foul or the other. The contact carried on into the box. You blow for the latest contact/give advantage and give the foul from the position most advantageous to the attacking team. You should know that surely

Eh? I didn't hear at which point he blew so I'm not sure what you're talking about, if he didn't blow for the first contact but blew for the second then looking at it in slow motion it looked inside, he didn't give advantage as he'd have had his hand up, I never seen him call advantage

Fair enough, no issue. It's on the edge of the box and happened so quickly so he prob subconsciously play advantage without putting the hand up and let the tackle/contact come to its conclusion. Probably was a pen

Mayo to bottle it again. Looking good for it so far

That's a penalty

About 2 foot outside

Two foot?  I suppose it depends on which foul he blew for

Doesn't matter. It's one continuous foul, not one foul or the other. The contact carried on into the box. You blow for the latest contact/give advantage and give the foul from the position most advantageous to the attacking team. You should know that surely