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Less of the joking. Armagh get fierce tetchy if they have to play championship gmes anywhere other than Clones or Croker. Maybe they'll boycott this one.

I didn't see anything tetchy about Armagh against Sligo IN NAVAN a few years back.

I like his TV shows...but absolutely hate his Racing adverts....'Jesus, I could eat a horse'....funny eh?

think the gaa should demand that national league finals be carried on rte1 or 2.

Why??? Sure isn't TG4 as widely available as RTE?  What is your reasoning for only having big games on RTE?  Is it because of the language the game is being broadcast in?

If so, then the problem resides with the person who can't understand Irish, as opposed to it being broadcast in Irish.

As for TG4, it is probably one of the stations I watch the most, some of their documentaries are excellent.

Firstly, I agree with the decision to have the game in Ballybofey. 

Secondly, to put the game in context.....it is the first round of a 'devalued' Ulster Championship.  Sad, but true.  The back door has seen to it that the Ulster is no longer the be all and end all for those teams who have realistic aspirations comes September. 

Draws permitting, Donegal and Armagh will both be around at the business end of the championship i.e. Q/Finals and beyond.

In a strange sort of way, I believe the decision to reverse the original venue decision could very well work against Donegal.  It's a bigger game for Donegal than it is for Armagh at this stage.

Any idea what the designated provincial line up is for the football semi finals?  Ulster v who?

Also, anyone know what date is the Ulster designated semi...August 19th or 26th?

So what was the story with the pitch yesterday?  I heard Dunphy and Brady complaining that the field was too bumpy?

I thought the Croker surface was supposed to be as good as can be??

The seats on the Hill look well, but it must be a pisser of a job putting them in and then having to remove them again! 

I'll not support the RTE coverage until they bring back the old theme tune for the Sunday Game....and also put Spillane on the opposite side of the table....he is a crap presenter!

Ah...the important things in life.

Balladmaker, scalder, et al - does the phrase "not an inch" ring any bells with you?

Just to clarify my point:

Firstly, as much as I dislike Ireland's Call and the reasoning behind it, if the northern Protestants on the team wish to have an 'anthem' which they can identify with, then so be it...no problem at all.  So as was done yesterday, play both Amhrán na bhFiann and Ireland's Call.

The problem I have is when Ireland play abroad.....we only have Ireland's Call played.  We are heading into a World Cup in France, and not once will we hear Amhrán na bhFiann before any of Ireland's games.  So much for equality.  If we can have Ireland's Call, surely the majority of the team from the 26 counties are entitled to have the National Anthem of Ireland performed also.

Amhrán na bhFiann is the national Anthem of the Republic of Ireland.
The IRFU representative team is just that; a representative selection of players in the IRFU, not the Republic of Ireland.
A significant percentage of that team come from another country.

So by that logic, should we therefore stop the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann at all NFL or Ulster Championship games in the 6 counties?  That would go down well 

BM - Could you honestly not sense the irony in this when you were writing it?

No, as I do not consider Amhrán na bhFiann to be bigoted.

Balladmaker - there is a very simple reason the Irish National Anthem isn't played abroad and that is because it is not the anthem for the Northern Protestants and out of sympathy with their beliefs Irelands Call is used....

Well, the team that is playing is called 'IRELAND'.  The National Anthem of Ireland is Amhrán na bhFiann, so if the northern protestants, of whom there is one actually a regular on the team, have a problem with standing to Ireland's national anthem, I suggest that is a problem on their part and not a problem with the Irish Anthem.

Amhrán na bhFiann should be played at every Irish game, home or abroad.  Anyone who has a problem with this should take their bigoted views elsewhere!

If the Northern Protestants see fit to stand to Amhrán na bhFiann in Dublin, then there should not be a problem standing to it in Murrayfield, Paris, Cardiff or Twickenham...

I don't care if they then go on to sing The Sash or Dolly's Brae's afterwards, so long as the National Anthem of Ireland is sung i.e. Amhrán na bhFiann

SO, what did you do and how did you feel when GSTQ was played?

To be honest, I was slightly emotional when I heard it being played, only because I was thinking of my late grandfather, as I imagined what he would have made of it.

As for our own anthem, it was pretty special, it is a pity we have to detract from it by playing Ireland's Call.  I suggest someone in the IRFU hierarchy takes a long look at the reasoning behind NOT playing Ireland's National Anthem when playing abroad!

balladmaker, what part of the country do you hail from?

Slim....I'm from the occupied north east of the island of Ireland.

My point about location and where people are from is very valid..imo.  It is easy for people to sit in the south pontificating to those from the north who dare to challenge their arrogant attitudes regarding who we have the right to remember and who we don't.

People that like to live in the past should be left in the past

Firstly, I suppose it must be easy to spurt sound bites such as this from your haven in Co. Mayo.

Secondly, as someone said earlier, I am dismayed to see the name of Aidan McAnespie bandied about on this board as an object of debate.  His memory should never be fogotten, and won't be, however Croker tomorrow has absolutely nothing to do with it.