Downs All Ireland Banquet

[thewobbler]

Seafoid i'd love you to explain what you think might replace 'wedding shite' in a banquet for footballers.

[T Fearon]

Seafoid, its exactly like a Wedding reception banquet. Was at Armagh's do in the Citywest in 2003. Bizarre experience. Ballroom readied for a  party, Paddy Cole lined up to entertain etc, but it was more like a wake than a celebration. Stirring speeches from the County Chairman and big Joe resolving to return with Sam next year, group hug for Diarmuid Marsden on acount of the grave miscarriage of justice. At the end of the night every player was drunk out of his skull, and the mood was sombre to say the least. I suppose though we didn't have to listen to Paddy Kielty!

[Gaffer]

Seafoid, its exactly like a Wedding reception banquet. Was at Armagh's do in the Citywest in 2003. Bizarre experience. Ballroom readied for a  party, Paddy Cole lined up to entertain etc, but it was more like a wake than a celebration. Stirring speeches from the County Chairman and big Joe resolving to return with Sam next year, group hug for Diarmuid Marsden on acount of the grave miscarriage of justice. At the end of the night every player was drunk out of his skull, and the mood was sombre to say the least. I suppose though we didn't have to listen to Paddy Kielty!

Must have been cat alright !

Try telling the Birmingham 6,  Guilford 4 etc about the grave miscarriage of justice Marsden suffered.....The Armagh 1

[omagh_gael]

Seafoid, its exactly like a Wedding reception banquet. Was at Armagh's do in the Citywest in 2003. Bizarre experience. Ballroom readied for a  party, Paddy Cole lined up to entertain etc, but it was more like a wake than a celebration. Stirring speeches from the County Chairman and big Joe resolving to return with Sam next year, group hug for Diarmuid Marsden on acount of the grave miscarriage of justice. At the end of the night every player was drunk out of his skull, and the mood was sombre to say the least. I suppose though we didn't have to listen to Paddy Kielty!

I bet they all went to bed with dreams of any easy QF win over Fermanagh...oh wait 

[MCMLX]

I know we dont get to finals that often, but surely we can do better that what was on show last night in the Shitty West. It was badly organised, there were quite a few people left with no seats, some of whom deserve better for their service to their county. The food was dire. No I`ll be honest here and I`ll do it in my best French, it was fu*king awful. I know it cant be easy catering for the best part of 2000 people, but if the biggest hotel in the country cant get it right then who can.
Paddy Kielty. Paddy does one routine, end of. Sectarianism, with a dash of racism thrown in for good measure. He is not funny. He should have been dragged off the stage last night. His jokes about the waitresses were not in good taste and it says a lot for many of the patrons who found them funny. If you take the cliched sectarian jokes out of Paddys gig you are left with the square root of f*ck all. If he`d threw in a few mother in law gags he would have been an ideal replacement for Bernard Manning.

[Leo]

I know we dont get to finals that often, but surely we can do better that what was on show last night in the Shitty West. It was badly organised, there were quite a few people left with no seats, some of whom deserve better for their service to their county. The food was dire. No I`ll be honest here and I`ll do it in my best French, it was f**king awful. I know it cant be easy catering for the best part of 2000 people, but if the biggest hotel in the country cant get it right then who can.
Paddy Kielty. Paddy does one routine, end of. Sectarianism, with a dash of racism thrown in for good measure. He is not funny. He should have been dragged off the stage last night. His jokes about the waitresses were not in good taste and it says a lot for many of the patrons who found them funny. If you take the cliched sectarian jokes out of Paddys gig you are left with the square root of f*ck all. If he`d threw in a few mother in law gags he would have been an ideal replacement for Bernard Manning.

[Leo]

I know we dont get to finals that often, but surely we can do better that what was on show last night in the Shitty West. It was badly organised, there were quite a few people left with no seats, some of whom deserve better for their service to their county. The food was dire. No I`ll be honest here and I`ll do it in my best French, it was f**king awful. I know it cant be easy catering for the best part of 2000 people, but if the biggest hotel in the country cant get it right then who can.
Paddy Kielty. Paddy does one routine, end of. Sectarianism, with a dash of racism thrown in for good measure. He is not funny. He should have been dragged off the stage last night. His jokes about the waitresses were not in good taste and it says a lot for many of the patrons who found them funny. If you take the cliched sectarian jokes out of Paddys gig you are left with the square root of f*ck all. If he`d threw in a few mother in law gags he would have been an ideal replacement for Bernard Manning.

Agree full time with this post. Cringeworthy stuff at the worst organised event I have been at in years. Crap hotel, dingy, dirty venue in the middle of nowhere - some long-term Down sponsors who had no places allocated to them, you couldn't see the stage - have they no stage lighting? What was the point of big screens if there is no camera to show the players coming in? Nobody could see them. Why is a dirge of backgroiund music played in a packed hall where you have to shout at the person beside you to be heard? Awful stuff complimented by Kielty's inane and insulting and unfunny routine. Bad bad end to the journey.

[T Fearon]

It could have been worse... you might have had to listen to BigO or Gene Fitzpatrick

Im guessing that the enjoyment of events like these really depend on the result of the game. Like if Down had had Sam there last night, they could have served up camel dung washed down with dogpiss and I'm sure everyone would have enjoyed it.

I heard Armagh's event in 2002 at Citywest was out of this world, but I know from being there that 2003 was a damp squib altogether.

Still its out of order not treating sponsors like Kings.

[Leo]

It could have been worse... you might have had to listen to BigO or Gene Fitzpatrick

Im guessing that the enjoyment of events like these really depend on the result of the game. Like if Down had had Sam there last night, they could have served up camel dung washed down with dogpiss and I'm sure everyone would have enjoyed it.

I heard Armagh's event in 2002 at Citywest was out of this world, but I know from being there that 2003 was a damp squib altogether.

Still its out of order not treating sponsors like Kings.

I wouldn't normally respond to some tw*t who wasn't at the event but interestingly Kielty only had one funny line all night (which he probably picked up from a lesser known wag in the foyer who had said it earlier) namely that Down have now lost the same number of All-Irelands as Armagh have won (nice one, McCoy from Warrenpoint).

[naka]

It could have been worse... you might have had to listen to BigO or Gene Fitzpatrick

Im guessing that the enjoyment of events like these really depend on the result of the game. Like if Down had had Sam there last night, they could have served up camel dung washed down with dogpiss and I'm sure everyone would have enjoyed it.

I heard Armagh's event in 2002 at Citywest was out of this world, but I know from being there that 2003 was a damp squib altogether.

Still its out of order not treating sponsors like Kings.

I wouldn't normally respond to some tw*t who wasn't at the event but interestingly Kielty only had one funny line all night (which he probably picked up from a lesser known wag in the foyer who had said it earlier) namely that Down have now lost the same number of All-Irelands as Armagh have won (nice one, McCoy from Warrenpoint).

this is why most armagh fans fking hate down with a vengeance, we werent there yesterday but you still have to harp on about us

[Gaffer]

It could have been worse... you might have had to listen to BigO or Gene Fitzpatrick

Im guessing that the enjoyment of events like these really depend on the result of the game. Like if Down had had Sam there last night, they could have served up camel dung washed down with dogpiss and I'm sure everyone would have enjoyed it.

I heard Armagh's event in 2002 at Citywest was out of this world, but I know from being there that 2003 was a damp squib altogether.

Still its out of order not treating sponsors like Kings.

[EagleLord]

Ye didnt have to watch Up for the Match or be at the banquet to realise that Paddy Keilty is very very unfunny.

[Leo]

[/quote]
this is why most armagh fans fking hate down with a vengeance, we werent there yesterday but you still have to harp on about us
[/quote]

If you chose to translate a gentle humorous neighbourly jibe into "hate" and vengeance" you are truly sad and far removed from the friendly cross-county banter that has been the hallmark of the healthy Down-Armagh rivalry for generations.

[Donkeywalloper]

this is why most armagh fans fking hate down with a vengeance, we werent there yesterday but you still have to harp on about us
[/quote]

If you chose to translate a gentle humorous neighbourly jibe into "hate" and vengeance" you are truly sad and far removed from the friendly cross-county banter that has been the hallmark of the healthy Down-Armagh rivalry for generations.
[/quote]

Its more to do with jealousy and frustration. Some armagh fans look over the fence at their neighbours role of honour and feel utterly frustrated that the best squad they have ever had only delivered once. To listen to some they would argue that armagh should have been in contention with Kerry and Tyrone for the title of team of the decade.
Of course Armagh will be mentioned, as many Down supporters would have had their downturn in fortunes brought to the fore and rubbed in by their neighbours. Now come full circle with the golden age of Armagh football at an end, all their more successful neighbours (Down,Louth and Tyrone) look into Armagh  safe in the knowledge that they hold the bragging rights over them.

[mrgaa1]

CityWest is in administration or examinership whatever you want to call it.  I've been there a few times only because I had to - its not a nice place to go as far as I'm concerned.  Too big and not enough "care" for what you are paying for.
I'd imagine the stories here would have been different if the Cup had been there but it wasn't.  Not many people have experience of organising for such huge numbers and the hotels don't really care especially since the camera's weren't there.

Next time it'll be better organised - but in 2045 who reading this will be there?