Topics

Dogs on the street know who this is, and the jungle drums are saying he attempted suicide. <Edited Mod 3>.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/gardai-to-question-sports-journalist-over-rape-complaint-2615428.html


Gardai to question sports journalist over rape complaint

Monday April 11 2011

Gardai are investigating a complaint of statutory rape against a prominent sports journalist.

He is alleged to have had sex with an under-age girl, which by law amounts to statutory rape.

The victim is in her mid-teens and has been interviewed by gardai about the complaint.

The incident is alleged to have taken place in Dublin.

Relatives of the girl are understood to have lodged the complaint with the gardai in recent weeks.

Detectives have not yet interviewed the journalist about the allegations, but are expected to meet him in the near future.

A garda investigation was launched two weeks ago after the writer's child allegedly discovered text messages he had sent to the girl on an old mobile phone.

Text

It is understood the child found the texts while putting a new sim card into the phone.

The journalist had given the phone to the child, who was collecting them to donate to a charity.

It is understood she showed the messages to other family members. They then handed the phone over to gardai.

He is now receiving medical care.

- Tom Brady Security Editor

Irish Independent

The jungle drums are beating that Thomas Davis have called an EGM for next week to discuss their precarious financial position. I understand that fees have not been passed on to the DCB and they are struggling very hard to cover the legal bills from the foolhardy trip to the High Court of a few years ago.

Anyone heard anything? Is folding actually on the EGM slate?

A question of reaping what they sow or were they shafted centrally over the Tallaght stadium issue?

What do you reckon? A legitimate gripe over soccer and rugby overtaking gaelic games in RTE's listings or inane nonsense from Costello considering it was the GAA requested that RTE show less live games and sold the League rights elsewhere?


The floor is open.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gael...e-2450456.html

RTE bashed over GAA coverage


Tuesday December 07 2010

RTE is in for a December bashing at GAA county conventions arising from the reduction in the number of games to be screened next year.

The national station will show 31 championship games live in 2011, with TV3 screening a further nine.

That's an overall drop of 10 in a move brought about by the GAA, who felt that the amount of live coverage in recent years had a negative impact on attendances at some games and on club fixtures.

While there's general acceptance that the championships are well covered by TV, complaints have arisen over RTE's approach to Gaelic games other than in the summer-autumn period.

Dublin CEO John Costello is the latest to attack RTE, claiming that hurling and football are "slipping down the decision-makers' list of priorities when it comes to scheduling".

Costello claims that, by 2013, RTE will show more live League of Ireland soccer action than Gaelic games.

"RTE screened 18 domestic soccer games this year, a figure that is set to increase to 33 by 2013. Likewise, rugby will eclipse Gaelic games in terms of live coverage, with our national broadcaster contracted to show Six Nations, autumn Tests as well as All-Ireland and Magners League," writes Costello in his annual report.

"The attitude towards Gaelic games in Montrose seems to be that our national games are only played during the months of June, July, August and September."

Costello is particularly critical of RTE's failure to carry a preview-style programme throughout the season.

He accepts that it was a Croke Park decision to cut back on live championship coverage, but argues that RTE is not giving Gaelic games due attention for the rest of the year.

"I am aware of recent comments by the Ard Stiurthoir (Paraic Duffy) that the GAA were overdoing the live coverage. However, it's my contention that GAA supporters are not getting a fair deal from the national broadcaster."

RTE's live GAA coverage is confined to the championships, which they share (on a majority basis) with TV3. TG4 and Setanta share National League coverage, while TG4 also have the club championships and the International Rules series.

- Martin Breheny

Irish Independent

A bit dated but only saw this today. In short, he noticed that at this time of year soccer and rugby get the most press and is arguing that Intercounty GAA should go on 12 months a year to push other games off the back pages. Also a rather bizarre nod to taking on the League of Ireland show on RTE.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/eugene-mcgee/eugene-mcgee-time-for-gaa-to-bring-back-autumn-start-to-leagues-2373594.html

Is this a bizarre rant or is he making a valid point that Gaelic Games should cease to be seen as a summer game?

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/rovers-ring-of-confidence-can-test-juve-super-stars-2275748.html

The local Thomas Davis GAA club, who took their grievances to the High Court, weakened their hand by expressing the concern that the youth of Tallaght would be 'restricted to a diet of association football'.

Right now, with another European footballing giant on their doorstep, the diet is tasting pretty damn good.

----

Ouch!

http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaelic-fo...b-1684559.html


The director general decided to use the launch of the Annual Report to have a go at..... Tallaght Stadium!?! 

How very topical. The thing will be finished in a couple of months ffs.

Best bit is he says the GAA never got an explaination. Did they ignore the judgement and statements from the Minister, Council and FAI?

Has the DG honestly got nothing better to raise via the media than a local spat that was lost a year ago? Or is it the opening salvo in a campaign to get the exchequor to fund the hole in the accounts he published?

This is getting out of hand - is it time for stewards and Gardai at all GAA games? I cant remember the last time it happened in another sport.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/top-referee-assaulted-at--hurling-match-1319473.html

Top referee assaulted at hurling match

Monday March 17 2008


A LEADING Dublin referee was the victim of a vicious assault that forced the abandonment of a junior hurling league match over the weekend, writes COLM KEYS.


Eamonn Morris, a respected inter-county hurling official, was taking charge of the match between St Sylvester's and Kevins in Malahide on Saturday when he was struck by an angry Kevins 'fan' and left with a serious nose injury.

The incident took place in the second half of the game and Morris immediately made the decision to abandon proceedings. He later had the extent of the damage checked out in hospital.

The Dublin County Board will launch an immediate investigation into the incident once the details of Morris's report are with them and Kevins will be pressed for the identity of the supporter who came on to the pitch to confront the referee.

Text from TD board member in court.

Details as I get them.

would the mod responsible care to explain why a very important, topical thread was removed?

it was well behaved as well.

Waterford Utd player Robert Brosnan was fired after playing for St Nicks in the Cork Foorball Championship 2 days before a 6 pointer against Longford.

http://www.waterford-united.ie/nextpage.php?subaction=showfull&id=1192300199&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

What do people think? A legitimate response from a professional club to a player who breached his contract and risked his body or pettiness from the soccer lads?

Surprised no mention, been all over the papers all week

Indo - 25.07.07
Rovers lay down stadium marker

By Daniel McDonnell
Wednesday July 25 2007

SHAMROCK ROVERS have challenged GAA club Thomas Davis to prove they genuinely want them in Tallaght by supporting plans to install temporary structures at the derelict stadium which would allow the Hoops move in next March.

The project is currently stalled as a result of Thomas Davis being successful into securing a judicial review into the classification of the ground as a soccer-only stadium for Rovers.

Instead, with the backing of the Dublin County Board, they are fighting for the venue to be turned into a municipal venue which can be used for GAA fixtures on the southside, albeit with Rovers as the principal tenant. This would require the extension of the playing area and other modifications to the initial plans.

The judicial review process has already stalled any movement for over a year and with no hearing scheduled until October, frustrated Rovers have devised plans to work around the current situation.

They involve finishing maintenance work on the stadium, completing the main stand and introducing temporary stands to bring the ground up to standard in time for the start of next year's Eircom League season - even if the legal battle is still ongoing at that point.

Currently, they are waiting on a response from South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and the government regarding the proposal with FAI chief executive John Delaney meeting the SDCC on Rovers' behalf with the hope of getting the financial go-ahead. As it stands, maintenance of the partially completed stadium is costing the council €13,000 a month.

Crucially, Rovers have sought legal advice to ensure that the temporary modifications to the stadium will not impact upon the outcome of the High Court proceedings.

"It will cater for an extended playing pitch if the court decides that way," says Rovers director James Nolan.

"We've met with Thomas Davis and while we didn't put this direct proposal to them, we did outline our intentions and in principle they had no great objection to it.

"We're pumping a lot of money into the Tallaght area with our scholarships in the IT and projects in the local schools. Now we want to get our senior team out there to join the rest of the club."

The parties met on May 15 and after that meeting Rovers sent a letter to Thomas Davis with a list of points that arose from their discussions.

While disagreements still remain as regards the logistics of a shared playing area and stadium design, Rovers now feel that their stopgap plan will reveal if Thomas Davis are genuine in their assertion that they have no problem with the Hoops' arrival.

With Thomas Davis officials previously expressing concerns that the youth of Tallaght might be restricted to a 'diet of association football' if Rovers came to the area, the suspicion within soccer circles is that the continual delay in finishing the stadium is in the interests of the GAA club.

"We don't know how they're going to react to this," admits Nolan. "There's a potential they could take out a High Court injunction against it.

"The legal opinion we have is that because the plans are in the perimeters of what the High Court has laid out then, hopefully, they wouldn't be successful with an injunction.

"If they were to take out an injunction than that would really show to the general public that they don't want us playing there. If they really truly have no problem with us playing there, they'd be behind the plan 100 per cent as well.

"Everything else has been complex; the key to this is its simplicity. It's time Shamrock Rovers took the bull by the horns on this and that's what we're doing."

[Seamus Brennan - Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0614/election.html

Brian Cowen - Tánaiste, Minister for Finance
Mary Harney - Minister for Health and Children
Mary Coughlan- Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Seamus Brennan - Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism
Noel Dempsey -  Minister for Transport and the Marine
Éamon Ó Cuív - Minister for Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
Willie O'Dea - Minister for Defence
Mary Hanafin - Minister for Education and Science
Micheál Martin - Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
John Gormley - Minister for the Environment, Heritage and local Government
Dermot Ahern - Minister for Foreign Affairs
Brian Lenihan - Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Martin Cullen - Minister for Social and Family Affairs
Eamon Ryan - Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Attorney General  - Paul Gallagher SC

Bad news for Thomas Davis....

... for refusing to back their increasingly desperate land grab in Tallaght.....

http://www.hostingdamnit.com/download.php?file=146DD949

Half way down page 2 in bold.

I remember being ridiculed for suggesting that Chairman Kennedy was a petty thug who had never heard the word no and had a reputation for being a bully. Well here he is telling the final one of the 4 TD's in the area who has publically refused to back him that he is no longer welcome in the clubhouse at a fundraiser he helped organise for a local kid minced in a car crash.

The guy is a stain on the GAA.

What f**king arrogance and huge PR blunder. Can't wait till the papers run with this one.... 

[youth of Tallaght will be restricted to a diet of association football"]

Colm Keyes in yesterdays Indo

THE Thomas Davis GAA club will have their request for a judicial review of South Dublin County Council's decision to make the Tallaght Stadium a soccer only venue heard in the High Court today.

The Tallaght GAA club have the backing of other southside GAA clubs, the Dublin County Board and the GAA as they seek a review of a decision that bars the playing of Gaelic games at the stadium.

The Tallaght Stadium, the proposed new home for Shamrock Rovers, will enjoy significant exchequer funding to serve its completion.

But the local Thomas Davis club want the council's decision reviewed on the basis that it will provide a strong advantage to soccer in the area and will greatly assist them in winning the hearts and minds of the local youth.

In a submission on behalf of the club, the High Court will hear that the"youth of Tallaght will be restricted to a diet of association football" if the decision stands.

Ideal

Thomas Davis and the other southside clubs see the municipal stadium as an ideal venue for championship matches between clubs in the area.

To facilitate GAA matches, the pitch would have to be extended.

However, this would involve extensive work at the venue and Shamrock Rovers fear that if there are any further delays they could go out of business.

Senior GAA officials are keeping a close eye on the Tallaght situation at a time when Croke Park is preparing to open up to international soccer and rugby next year.

----
the case wasnt heard yesterday for lack of judges and TD mysteriously arent available for any of the free dates in the immediate future. but i love this line  "the youth of Tallaght will be restricted to a diet of association football". they actually had the balls to use this line as the basis of a legal action.

and gaelic games arent barred from the stadium, the dept just arent willing to redisign for senior mens games

im f**king furious that this €200,000 legal escapade is being funded by the association. they cant win and will lose costs, and as hyland sad in the herald during the week, if they win they potentially open every gaa ground in the country that has recieved public money up to other sports. there is a bigger picture here and TD need to be reminded of it.