East Belfast GAA

[general_lee]

The rugby crowd is totally different. It's mostly a class thing. They also have an additional anthem to accommodate them.

Pre-69 you're going into Nelson McCausland territory, again I am referring to moderate unionists who might be swayed by a simple gesture that IMO we have nothing to lose from. If it doesn't work bring them back?

[BennyCake]

That 32 County Ireland piece was added post Partition as far as I'm aware (it wouldn't have arisen before it).
How woul you make it more attractive to those from a Unionist background ?

I'm in favour of limiting the use of the flag/anthem. In my view that's a massive sticking point. Changing the rules around naming clubs, I don't think it's realistic to force clubs to re-name themselves against their wishes but could stop anything controversial happening in the future. More initiatives in schools but that's always an uphill struggle

So you want to pander to the prods and start diluting the GAA culture by going against the aims of the association in a particular part of the country?
Snapchap is bang on the money here. I personally couldnt care less if the prods play or dont play, or if they feel GAA is a 'cold house'. The GAA is what it is, and it's adopted by many people all over the world. If they get offended by a flag and an anthem then they shouldnt be near a pitch in the first place. Plenty of GAA lads have no bother going and playing for protestant football teams. If they want to play, great, if not, who cares. That's my opinion.

Pandering? If it makes our games more palatable to some of the more middle of the road unionists then I am all for it. I don't see the need to fly the tricolour at games. I'm every bit an Irish Republican before I set foot on a playing field as I am when I leave it. Last thing I'm worried about is the tricolour. National and provincial finals should suffice. Same for the anthem. I couldn't give a rats ass there. How many of our members can even sing/understand the lyrics of the song? I was at a club game couple of years ago and some cûnt from Kilcoo beside me was singing it English!!

You have the same attitude as so many tossers traditionalists in the GAA. Well able to change the rules whenever it stops resembling the 1940s style ruckus they used to play but if it comes to anything remotely progressive it's a whole song and dance. It's the same with the complete silence over #BLM movement! Disappointing that a  GAA club in Antrim have decided it's political to have an anti-racist stance!

The GAA promotes Irish culture and everything that comes with it, that's the way it is and always has been, if they don't like it, tough. They're easily offended if that's what they're worried about.

There's more to Irish culture than a flag and anthem

Yes, absolutely

[Rossfan]

Protestant Unionist rugby types have no particular problem with Tricolour/Anthem in the 26 Cos as they see themselves in a foreign Country where they respect that State's flag and Anthem, same as if they were in Denmark, Holland etc.
They don't see it as having any place in the 6 as it's part of the "UK ".

The 2 diehard Not an inch bucks must have avoided reading the bit in the Good Friday Agreement that says the North remains in the "UK" until a majority in the North and 26 vote otherwise.
Typical SF selected memories

[Snapchap]

Protestant Unionist rugby types have no particular problem with Tricolour/Anthem in the 26 Cos as they see themselves in a foreign Country where they respect that State's flag and Anthem, same as if they were in Denmark, Holland etc.
They don't see it as having any place in the 6 as it's part of the "UK ".

The 2 diehard Not an inch bucks must have avoided reading the bit in the Good Friday Agreement that says the North remains in the "UK" until a majority in the North and 26 vote otherwise.
Typical SF selected memories

So first it's that the GAA should ban people in the north (but only the north) from using the Irish flag & anthem, and now it's that you reckon the people of Ireland voted "in favour" of the border in 1998?

Any other gems for us?

P.s. I do enjoy this "diehard not an inch buck" label being applied to me because I believe that a 32 county organisation should have the same set of rules for all 32 counties. If that makes me a "diehard not an inch buck", I'll take it, no problem at all.

Beats being an arrogant, sanctimonious, dictitorial, 'do as I say but not as I do" partitionist, any day of the week.

[GiveItToTheShooters]

Protestant Unionist rugby types have no particular problem with Tricolour/Anthem in the 26 Cos as they see themselves in a foreign Country where they respect that State's flag and Anthem, same as if they were in Denmark, Holland etc.
They don't see it as having any place in the 6 as it's part of the "UK ".

The 2 diehard Not an inch bucks must have avoided reading the bit in the Good Friday Agreement that says the North remains in the "UK" until a majority in the North and 26 vote otherwise.
Typical SF selected memories

Wrong again. You said that there was a vote in 1998 on whether the border "stayed" but that's incorrect.  It was a vote on ending the conflict and setting out plans for a potential border poll in the future, but it was not in itself a border poll, which you alluded that it was.
Happy to set the "sell-out every inch to the brits" buck straight on this. 

[Rossfan]

Squirm away Snap and th'other lad but the GFA which the people of Ireland voted to accept maintained  the border.
I know SFites try to airbrush that but they agreed it too in negotiations.
Snap I never told anyone to do as I say, I merely expressed an opinion on sports bodies using flags in the 6 Cos.

All I can say for your name calling is that you're one of those narrow minded extremists that will prevent the people of the 26 voting for a UI when the time comes.
Now cop on to yourself and let us all express our opinions without your bitter  bile.

[GiveItToTheShooters]

Squirm away Snap and th'other lad but the GFA which the people of Ireland voted to accept maintained  the border.
I know SFites try to airbrush that but they agreed it too in negotiations.
Snap I never told anyone to do as I say, I merely expressed an opinion on sports bodies using flags in the 6 Cos.

All I can say for your name calling is that you're one of those narrow minded extremists that will prevent the people of the 26 voting for a UI when the time comes.
Now cop on to yourself and let us all express our opinions without your bitter  bile.

Wrong again Even if the GFA was overwhelmingly voted against, the border would've remained anyway.
I know holier-than-thou freestaters try to airbrush that to try to let on it was an indirect border poll to deflect and put the reason for continued partition on the people of the North but sure..

[general_lee]

That is if you consider removing one of the founding aims of the association as "nothing to lose" I suppose. And doing so for meaningless tokenism.

I don't know if you still play or if you ever have played but the last thing I care about is hearing the anthem or seeing the tricolour when I step onto the pitch. If limiting the use of both flag and anthem to national and provincial finals is removing one of the founding aims of the association then by all means remove it.

I'm not sure how the rugby crowd can be brushed off as just "totally different" either. That's pretty convenient. They are people from the Protestant and Unionists spectrum who are able to attend sporting events which include symbols of Irish national identity, notably the flag and anthem and do not feel threatened nor are they put off returning. However, they aren't attracted to our sports and we think it might have something to do with the flag & anthem? That makes no sense to me.

My experience of the rugby crowd is they don't care too much when push comes to shove. They're all middle class, when they go to Dublin they're surrounded by other middle class people who likewise aren't into identity politics. They IRFU have also  compromised on the anthem and fly more than one flag and most people are happy to settle with it which you seem blissfully unaware of. I just don't see the big deal with not flying the tricolour all the time at all matches.

[michaelg]

That is if you consider removing one of the founding aims of the association as "nothing to lose" I suppose. And doing so for meaningless tokenism.

I'm not sure how the rugby crowd can be brushed off as just "totally different" either. That's pretty convenient. They are people from the Protestant and Unionists spectrum who are able to attend sporting events which include symbols of Irish national identity, notably the flag and anthem and do not feel threatened nor are they put off returning. However, they aren't attracted to our sports and we think it might have something to do with the flag & anthem? That makes no sense to me.

The issue may be that the GAA espouses a 32 county Ireland, making it political.  The flag and anthem cannot be completely seperated from that.  They have no issue at Ireland rugby matches as the IRFU has no such stated political aspirations.  As another poster has also pointed out, it's also in a different jurisdiction so people are happy to stand and show their respect.

[trueblue1234]

Squirm away Snap and th'other lad but the GFA which the people of Ireland voted to accept maintained  the border.
I know SFites try to airbrush that but they agreed it too in negotiations.
Snap I never told anyone to do as I say, I merely expressed an opinion on sports bodies using flags in the 6 Cos.

All I can say for your name calling is that you're one of those narrow minded extremists that will prevent the people of the 26 voting for a UI when the time comes.
Now cop on to yourself and let us all express our opinions without your bitter  bile.

TBF you would do well to do the same. How many of your posts are littered with "Nordies" "SFites", "not an inch bucks" etc.

[general_lee]

Squirm away Snap and th'other lad but the GFA which the people of Ireland voted to accept maintained  the border.
I know SFites try to airbrush that but they agreed it too in negotiations.
Snap I never told anyone to do as I say, I merely expressed an opinion on sports bodies using flags in the 6 Cos.

All I can say for your name calling is that you're one of those narrow minded extremists that will prevent the people of the 26 voting for a UI when the time comes.
Now cop on to yourself and let us all express our opinions without your bitter  bile.

The GFA was a tacit withdrawal by the British government leaving the destiny of this island in the hands of the people who live here. It's an internationally binding agreement that allows for reunification. The border is virtually nonexistent. Nobody voted to "maintain" it

[general_lee]

That is if you consider removing one of the founding aims of the association as "nothing to lose" I suppose. And doing so for meaningless tokenism.

I don't know if you still play or if you ever have played but the last thing I care about is hearing the anthem or seeing the tricolour when I step onto the pitch. If limiting the use of both flag and anthem to national and provincial finals is removing one of the founding aims of the association then by all means remove it.

I'm not sure how the rugby crowd can be brushed off as just "totally different" either. That's pretty convenient. They are people from the Protestant and Unionists spectrum who are able to attend sporting events which include symbols of Irish national identity, notably the flag and anthem and do not feel threatened nor are they put off returning. However, they aren't attracted to our sports and we think it might have something to do with the flag & anthem? That makes no sense to me.

My experience of the rugby crowd is they don't care too much when push comes to shove. They're all middle class, when they go to Dublin they're surrounded by other middle class people who likewise aren't into identity politics. They IRFU have also  compromised on the anthem and fly more than one flag and most people are happy to settle with it which you seem blissfully unaware of. I just don't see the big deal with not flying the tricolour all the time at all matches.

Yet those rugby people aren't coming to our games! Why?
It's obviously not the flag or anthem. Could there be something else? Would the GAA's ties to republicanism possibly be it?

How do you know they don't?! Most rugby clubs i know have links with GAA clubs. Sure a rugby club on the cregagh road has offered their facilities to this new East Belfast GAA crowd! One of the fellas behind it is a rugby player!

[Rossfan]

Protestant Unionist rugby types have no particular problem with Tricolour/Anthem in the 26 Cos as they see themselves in a foreign Country where they respect that State's flag and Anthem, same as if they were in Denmark, Holland etc.
They don't see it as having any place in the 6 as it's part of the "UK ".

The 2 diehard Not an inch bucks must have avoided reading the bit in the Good Friday Agreement that says the North remains in the "UK" until a majority in the North and 26 vote otherwise.
Typical SF selected memories

Are they heading to any GAA games in the south in any great numbers? They either have a problem with the flag & anthem in Irish sport or they don't. And they don't.
I don't see how you can't see a much bigger elephant in the room for them. Or you do and you choose to ignore it as you really aren't willing to concede that much. The flag & anthem in the GAA means little to you so you are happy to give them up....but not anything else.....you don't want them that much!

You'd better explain that last para Hardstation, I don't get what you're alluding to.

[general_lee]

I don't see an influx of Protestant or Unionist rugby people into the GAA. Maybe you do.

Who said anything about an influx of unionists flocking to the GAA? It's about changing hearts and minds not about getting the rugby crowd to swap codes.

It's one suggestion that I'm in favour of and you say it's only tokenism and that it's also a founding aim of our organisation. I beg to differ, I think our organisation stands for a lot more than a rusty flag pole and some wee fat culchie slaughtering the anthem.

[Rossfan]

Will Hardstation be bringing a motion to his County Convention to drop all Republican/Nationalist heroes' names from Clubs and Grounds?
Another one to set up a separate 6 Co Branch of the GAA?