Topics

At this time of year various journos put forward their expectations, lets keep these for the record!

Some chatter on Twitter about a prominent Goldman Sachs figure being arrested.
If this is true it should be an example to authorities locally and a warning to chancers.

from ft.com
Goldman shares were driving the market as they plummeted 15.6 per cent to $155.57 after the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged the bank with fraud with respect to the packaging and selling of collateralised debt obligations to hedge funds

Where is good for a carvery lunch on a Sunday in and around Newry other than Canal Court/Carrickdale?

I came across this on another forum. Anyone of a technical/engineering frame of mind may be interested. It proposes extending the upper deck in Croker.

http://www.ieindia.org/publish/ar/1003/oct03ar4.pdf

This is the twentieth anniversary of when the East German spokesman at a press conference announced that the borders would be open and when someone asked him when he replied "with immediate effect". I know that your average poster on Gaaboard doesn't remember this but it was a big day in history and the end of an era. A year or two earlier, it would have been hard to imagine how quickly things changed in the end.

There were so many ingenious escapes and so many tragedies. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUkimskFJ0w

Tarmac at Cromac Street sagged and left a hole which road engineers believe could stretch up to 161sq ft (15sq metres).

Officials from the Northern Ireland Roads Service are trying to establish the cause of the collapse, which was discovered on Saturday morning and will take days to fix.
Article Continues

Cromac Street has been closed at the junction with East Bridge Street.

Roads Service spokesman Colin Brown said: "Periodically we can get voids forming under the roads.

"Sometimes it's very clear what has caused it, other times it's quite a mystery."

Northern Ireland Water confirmed that a depression developed in the road at Cromac Street above a storm water tunnel, which is part of the Belfast sewers project.

In a statement, the company said: "NI Water staff are on site and are working closely with other utilities to secure the site, a full investigation is under way to determine the cause of the road depression.

"NI Water will commence repairs as soon as possible.

"NI Water would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the public."

Translink said Citybound metro bus services in the area are diverted via Cromac Street, Ormeau Avenue and Linenhall Street.

Citybound Ulsterbus services are diverted via Short Srand and Queens Bridge.

From Sunday Tribune

1. Kerry
They never took a year off. Ultimately that's what separated them from the rest, including Tyrone. Only one other side in the history of the sport has remained among the top three counties in the land for 10 years and they made a video of them. Speaking of which, isn't time someone got round to making the DVD Kerry: The Golden Years, 2000-2009? They've been accused of winning a few soft All Irelands but that argument holds no weight. In his latest book Mickey Harte concedes that a failing of his Tyrone side in recent years is not to drive on regardless of the challenge posed by the opposition; "If the opposition are playing like a team 10 points worse than us, bet them by 10 or more, not by five." Some commentators like our own Liam Hayes seem to believe Kerry's All Irelands of '04 and '06 would carry more weight if they'd beaten Mayo by only five. The mark of Kerry is that they didn't settle for that. No one would have lived with them on those days, including the Tyrone of '04, '06 and '07.

Top three players of the decade Colm Cooper, Darragh Ó Sé, Tomás Ó Sé

2. Tyrone
That they were in contention for team of the decade until the final year of the decade says it all. Were in more All Ireland finals than the previous 115 years combined, won them all and it's little wonder with the concoction of Mickey Harte and those that played under him. May not have won the Ulster titles Armagh did but that was no harm. Instead they won 75 per cent of their championship games this decade compared to Armagh's 69 per cent and won two more All Irelands than their Ulster rivals. Top three players Brian Dooher, Seán Cavanagh, Ryan McMenamin

3. Armagh
Might have only ended up with the one All Ireland but changed the way Tyrone and Kerry played football. In the first seven championships of the decade, they went all the way once and five times it took the team that went all the way to stop them. Was there ever a more committed and dedicated Gaelic football team who went to such lengths in pursuit of greatness? We reckon not. Top three players Stevie McDonnell, Kieran McGeeney, Paul McGrane

4. Galway
Their great rivals out west may have been the sob story of the past 10 seasons, but at least they were a story. After that brilliant All Ireland win in 2001 for Galway, no one could have imagined the loudest noise in football suddenly going quiet. Haven't been back to even an All Ireland semi-final since which is a shocking indictment of a team that has to essentially win two games to reach the last four. Complained Peter Ford was too defensive and Liam Sammon was too attacking, but after seven barren seasons it became clear it was the players' mentality that was the problem. Their league form explains their high position here – but even then they couldn't deliver an actual league title. Top three players Pádraic Joyce, Kevin Walsh, Michael Meehan

5. Dublin
In a decade when they won 74 per cent of their championship games, enough Leinster titles to put them joint second on the all-time list for titles per decade – only one behind their countymen of 1890s – and won as many provincial titles as both Armagh and Kerry, it would take some spectacular failures to leave such a bad taste. But the near misses against Mayo in 2006 and Kerry in 2007, and the lack of lessons learned thereafter ruined much of the good work. Their non-appearance in an All Ireland final on the back of some shuddering collapses will be the defining memory. Top three players Ciarán Whelan, Alan Brogan, Paddy Christie

6. Cork
If the back door hadn't been built this decade, who's to say what might have been for Cork, after all they've only ever had two better decades in Munster and one of those was the 1890s. But that Kerry have only beaten them once in the last five attempts down south is little consolation. Six times this decade Kerry have finished them off for the season and in the case of 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009, that was after they had already beaten Kerry. Good enough to get past their old rivals once, but lacked the fire power and guile to beat them twice. Top three players Graham Canty, Nicholas Murphy, Colin Corkery

7. Mayo
One of only seven counties to reach an All Ireland final this decade and only Kerry were in more. Should be a source of huge pride but, like in decades past, lost finals are remembered in Mayo but all the big games they won to get to those deciders are forgotten. Exits in the second and third rounds of the qualifiers as well as the quarter-finals these past three years suggested a side with too much honesty and too many footballers. Top three players Ciarán McDonald, David Heaney, Conor Mortimer

8. Meath
Kept their record alive of competing in a Leinster final every decade since the 1900s and winning a Leinster final every decade since the 1920s but such a fact is just spraying deodorant without having a wash. Only in the 1910s were they in less Leinster deciders and when you consider their average number of finals over the previous 50 years was over five per decade, the one they contested this decade around was a failure. Somewhere along the line (with the retirement of John McDermott, perhaps?) they lost that trademark Meath steel but a semi-resurgence in recent years means that no Leinster team was in more All Ireland semi-finals and they were the only side from the east to reach a final. Top three players Graham Geraghty, Anthony Moyles, Nigel Crawford

9. Derry
Perhaps the most frustrating team in football this past decade. Ulster titles may have been a duopoly over the last 10 years but every other team in Ulster has been to a provincial final since they last made it back in 2000. In fact, since reaching an All Ireland semi-final in 2001, they've barely won over half of their championship games. Unacceptable. Top three players Paddy Bradley, Enda Muldoon, Seán Marty Lockhart

10. Donegal
For all the indiscipline within the panel and turmoil at county board level, they still found themselves in three All Ireland quarter-finals, three Ulster finals and with a league title. How good could they have been then had they kept their heads down? We will never know. Top three players Karl Lacey, Adrian Sweeney, Kevin Cassidy

11. Laois
For all the talk of wasted talent, it's too easy to forget that by the time they won the 2003 Leinster title it was their first appearance in a decider since 1991, just their eighth since their previous triumph 53 years earlier and they'd lost the lot of those by an average of nearly eight points. But success breeds expectation and, while they'd initially have given over Claire Byrne and Lisa Burke for just the one title, the losses in 2004 and 2005 and the lack of a last-four appearance gave the feeling they were left slightly short-changed. Top three players Ross Munnelly, Fergal Byron, Joe Higgins

12. Fermanagh
Started off the decade playing some of the most attacking and entertaining football about and not long after were just two points shy of reaching an All Ireland final. Finished off the decade playing some of the most defensive football around but were just a point shy of winning an Ulster title. But despite this being their greatest era they leave it behind like they left all the rest – without a trophy. Top three players Barry Owens, Marty McGrath, Ryan McCluskey

13. Westmeath
It's a sign of a good decade when just about everyone has forgotten how bad you used to be. Those two Division Two titles were unprecedented, never mind their Leinster victory. Only beaten by Meath and Dublin in Leinster the first five years of the decade in which they were always competitive and sometimes sublime. Fifteen years ago they could never have dreamed of ending up with the above, a Leinster minor and under-21 title, their first ever All Star and then another four. Top three players Dessie Dolan, John Keane, Rory O'Connell

14. Kildare
Bookended the decade with some highs and some hope. However, having finally broken with a wretched past in 1998, much more was expected. Of the other Leinster counties, only Carlow, Westmeath and Longford failed to beat them. In fact by the time they fell to Wicklow last year, it took their five-year record to four wins from 13 games against teams that ranged from middleweight to lightweight. Top three players Dermot Earley, John Doyle, Anthony Rainbow

15. Sligo
Has it ever been so good? Never before have they played in more than two Connacht finals in a decade and this decade they won only their third title too. But there's so much more. The wins against Kildare and Tyrone, the draw with Armagh and the two All Ireland quarter-finals. So significant was this period in their history they even changed their jersey colour to mark the beginning of a new and better era. Top three players Eamonn O'Hara, Dessie Sloyan, Paul Durcan

16. Roscommon
At least the worst appears to be over after a decade of two halves. For the first five years they won the hardest of Connacht titles by beating Galway and Mayo, reached another final, got to two All Ireland quarter-finals and three league semi-finals. Since then there's been no provincial final and Wexford are the only side they've beaten in the qualifiers. Indiscipline played a big part in their demise but Fergal O'Donnell has begun to put that right. Top three players Francie Grehan, Karol Mannion, Frankie Dolan

17. Wexford
As good as it's got since the 1950s thanks to a first Leinster final appearance since 1956 and first last-four appearance since 1945. Had the persistence to go with the attacking quality and, after constantly knocking on the door when losing provincial semi-finals between 2004 and 2007, they were finally got into that final a year later. Never had the defence to take on the really big boys though. Top three players Matty Forde, Redmond Barry, PJ Banville

18. Monaghan
If Ulster and qualifier draws were punishment for an over-the-top aggressiveness on the field, then amazingly Monaghan can still feel unlucky. By the time Banty had crafted a truly formidable force in 2007, the side beat Derry, Down and Donegal only to lose out to Tyrone and Kerry. When they came back a year later with a sense of mission, they again beat Derry and Donegal only to again come up against Kerry. And by the time they entered 2009 out of energy, they put Armagh out of the championship only to come out of the hand against Derry. Some things just aren't meant to be. Top three players Tommy Freeman, Damien Freeman, Paul Finlay

19. Offaly
Started on a high with a win over Meath in 2000 and gradually regressed. Lost to seven other Leinster counties including Louth and Carlow and by the later years of this decade were being humiliated by Kildare, Laois, Westmeath and Down. Even found themselves in Division Four and without a back door place in 2007. Top three players Niall McNamee, Karol Slattery, Ciaran McManus

20. Cavan
Sometimes you're simply not cool enough to hang with the popular kids and there's nothing you can do about it. A side that just wasn't good enough to get past Kildare at a low ebb or Wicklow at a high ebb in the qualifiers was never going to hack it in the finest era ever for northern football. Top three players Anthony Forde, Declan McCabe, Jason Reilly

21. Down
Their first decade since the '40s without an Ulster title, and worse, outperformed by the likes of Monaghan and Fermanagh who had no All Ireland underage finalists to call on. How can a team that draws with Tyrone one week lose by 15 points the next week like in 2003? How can a team that gives Donegal such a scare in Ballybofey kick just four points in losing to Sligo like in 2006? How can a team that beats Tyrone and hits 5-19 against Offaly lose to Wexford like in 2008? And how can a side that brushes Laois aside one week lose to Wicklow the next like in 2009? We never got an answer for the bizarre inconsistency that dogged them for the decade either. Top three players Benny Coulter, Dan Gordon, Mickey McVeigh

22. Limerick
In 2002 they came up a point short against Mayo; in 2004 they took Kerry to a replay; in 2006 they fell to Westmeath by a point; in 2007 they fell to Louth by a point; in 2008 they conceded two goals in injury time to lose to Cork before being pipped by Kildare; in 2009 they lost the Munster final to Cork and their last-12 tie to Meath by a point. In short, there hasn't been an unluckier side this decade. Top three players John Galvin, John Quane, Muirís Gavin

23. Louth
They'll want to be remembered as the side that could have beaten Tyrone in the qualifiers and should have beaten Meath in the qualifiers, but those two big days can't outweigh the four wins from 16 provincial outings. Never reached a Leinster semi-final and never looked likely to do so either. The underlying problem? Twenty-eight years without a Leinster under-21 title and 56 years without a Leinster minor title. You can't grow flowers without planting the seeds. Top player Aaron Hoey

24. Longford
Beat Monaghan and Derry and should have beaten Dublin and Kerry. But while they had the mentality to scare some top teams in Pearse Park, they lacked the extra sliver of quality to overcome the more mundane. Lost their last four Leinster championship games by an average of just two points and that's where one more big name could have made a big difference. Top player Paul Barden

=25. Antrim
Let's talk pre-2009 for a moment because Antrim were never as bad as they were made out to be. In fact they beat Down and Cavan and drew with Derry in Ulster and the only time they were truly outclassed in the qualifiers was by Meath in 2005, and that includes outings against Derry, Armagh and Fermanagh. But in truth the decade was all about 2009 although it could have been so much better had they finished off Kerry when they had them on the ropes. Top player Kevin Brady

=25. Wicklow
Started the 2000s unable to get out of a round-robin qualifier to enter the proper Leinster championship and lost their first-round game for each of the next seven years. Then came Mick O'Dwyer, a first win in Croke Park in 2008, four wins this time around, All Star nominations and a legitimate claim to be a top-12 team for the season. That there's a case to be made for 2009 being Mick O'Dwyer's greatest achievement shows how bad they were and how far they've come. Top player Leighton Glynn

27. Clare
Overshadowed by the hurlers in the '90s, they were still consistently a top-16 team back then. But this decade they fell through the floor in Munster and landed hard in the basement. In fact, after reaching a Munster final by default in 2000, they only ever beat Waterford in Munster and never strung two wins together in a summer. Top player David Russell

28. Tipperary
Even if they somehow managed to draw a Munster final in 2002, it's easy to see just why John Evans gets so excited when talking about a footballing revolution led by a senior team heading for Division Two. Their win against Louth in the 2009 qualifiers was the county's first summer victory in five years and only their fourth of the decade. After being so bad for so long, things have finally started to come good. The decade also saw them produce their first ever footballing All Star and superstar, a vital step in a county dominated by the small-ball game. Top player Declan Browne

29. Carlow
Yet again too much talk off the field and not enough action on it meant they could never make the most of what little they had. Liam Hayes got a spark out of the side with their 2005 win over Offaly but it wasn't enough to light a fire. Haven't won a championship game since May 2006 and losing a player to Wicklow sums up their predicament. Top player Mark Carpenter

30. Leitrim
1994 was touted as being once in a lifetime, the 2000s were always going to be tough times. Roscommon in 2000 and Sligo in 2005 were the only Irish sides they managed to beat, New York took them to extra-time in 2003 and they have the unenviable record of entering the qualifiers eight times and losing their first game each time. Were competitive in most championship games but won too few of them, and indeed too few league games. Top player John McKeon

31. Waterford
One win from 18 championship games only tells a small part of the tale. Were Kilkenny to enter and win a game in the next decade, it wouldn't be a dissimilar sort of achievement. That alone should tell you just what John Kiely achieved in Dungarvan in May of 2007. Top player Eddie Rockett

32. London
Nought from 14 in the championship and just four league wins across the decade but then again it's no coincidence their struggles coincided with the best decade for the Irish economy. With record numbers signing up for clubs in the English capital at present, expect better over the next decade.

33. Kilkenny
If people on Noreside think football is so easy, why is it they can't field a decent team? We thought their return to the league was a positive but someone needs to tell them if you're going to do something, then do it right.

I came across this blog
http://ulstersdoomed.blogspot.com

which takes a nationalist perspective and rather than ranting and raving the author uses statistics to support the case that NI is a doomed political entity. He has some interesting stuff on the demography end of things.

Notably the birthrate remains higher in nationalist council areas, the highest rates are in places like Derry and Newry and the lowest in North Down.






even if the birthrate were not higher, there are more Catholic children and it will be these people who are having children in 15-20 years, so tending to keep the increase going.



Now probably EG or someone will pile in here and say that more Catholics doesn't necessarily mean more nationalists, but it hard to imagine a NI with a Catholic majority remaining in the UK indefinitely.

Link a Golden Oldie and dedicate it to a board member

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MDCbIhTa_w
Sweet
Longrunsthefox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyZjU5gHVQ
Sex Pistols
Roger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAdqra6v6M&feature=related
Ram a lam a ding dong
Muppet

I note on Wikipedia that there seems to have been a campaign by OWC to have NI called a "country", so that towns like Newry or Omagh are in a "country" called Northern Ireland. Now Wikipedia is what it is, but it should not be wrong or be a vehicle for propaganda by political bigots. I don't wish for Wikipedia to mislead, so the impression should not be given that Newry is in the Republic or Ireland or not in UK, but it is in a country called Ireland, and not in an imaginary country called Northern Ireland. These people have also attempted to define Ireland as 26 county place, a view than would enjoy support among some here too. The point is that the State is not coterminous with the country and Wikipedia should reflect this.   

I suggest you all go to the entry for your town and edit to ensure that the country is Ireland and note in your reason for editing that NI is not a country but a region.

A couple of things that I find difficult to understand.
In Croke Pk

they show the excellent 125 film narrated by Michael O'Muirheartaigh. This features many joyous celebrations by fans from different counties and rousing speeches addressing these fans.
They then announce that under no circumstances should anyone go on the pitch!!

they remind people that Croke Pk is in a residential area.
but they blare out Vodafone ads at deafening volume and as you are leaving the ground you can hear "May We Never Have to Say Goodbye" baring out all the way to Drumcondra Road.


Generally
Field measurements were changed to metric 16 years ago, yet every programme is a metric free zone with sh!te about stones and feet for every player.

[McDonnell resigns at Armagh]

U.tv website states

McDonnell resigns at Armagh

Peter McDonnell resigned as Armagh manager on Tuesday after two years with the county.

The county board is now meeting to decide how the team will proceed and are expected to issue a statement soon.

Under McDonnell, Armagh won the Ulster Championship last year but were knocked out of this year's campaign in the first round by Tyrone.

Armagh also lost disappointingly to Monaghan in the first round of this year's All-Ireland qualifiers.

While the BBC state that all will be clarified this evening
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/8161459.stm

"Armagh chairman Kevin Brady has refused to comment on whether he expects McDonnell to be in charge next year."

Probably inevitable.

I received a small parcel of land in an inheritance (4 acres), in South Armagh. This location is not suitable for a site. On balance I would prefer to sell this to a neighbour without a public sale. I'd be happy to sell at a small discount, but I don't want to be too soft. How are land prices moving? Opinion seem to be that they are not declining much even in present circumstances. 

More than 80% of people attending sporting events last year support the idea of smoke-free stadiums, according to research published today.

The study by the Ulster GAA, the Ulster Cancer Foundation and the Office of Tobacco Control found that 72% of smokers support the idea.

The three bodies are now encouraging people attending Ulster Championship matches not to smoke in a bid to protect other supporters and children.

------------------------------

I imagine that the bowsies will pay no heed whatsoever to this campaign. You only have to look at Croke Pk.

Today is Koninginnedag (Queen's day) when people in the Netherlands dress as Armagh supporters.

Some lunatic tried to ram the parade and killed 4 people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8026807.stm

The Irish Times archive is free for a week or so. Loads of good GAA stuff in there and everything else beside, anyone fancy a nice new 4 bed house in Blackrock, Dublin for £2600?

These are some Armagh related ones.

Casement Park opens
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1953/0615/Pg001.html#Ar00104

All Ireland Final 1953
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/tpl/1953/0926/Pg018.html#Ar01800
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1953/0928/Pg001.html#Ar00100
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1953/0928/Pg002.html#Ar00200

Armagh v Down Casement 1961
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1961/0724/Pg005.html#Ar00507

Turkish guy escapes after level crossing accident.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7925009.stm

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Virginia-Boy-Crashes-Family-Car-While-Trying-To-Drive-Himself-To-School-Parents-Charged/Article/200901215199389

[12%]

Batten down the hatches folks. That's a cumulative decline of 6.6% in GNP. A lot of folks will find a big change and I don't see house prices increasing much soon, cheaper mortgages notwithstanding.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Report: Recession will continue into 2010

Davy Stockbrokers says it expects the recession to continue into 2010, with unemployment hitting a massive 12% between now and then.

In its latest economic forecast, the company says it expects GNP to shrink by 2% this year, 4.1% next year and 0.5% in 2010.

It says 2009 looks like being the worst period of the recession, with an expected rebound in export growth possibly preventing another sharp contraction in 2010.