Joe Brolly

[NAG1]

Joe has milked this situation for all the attention that he could possibly get out of it.  A totally one sided story, devoid of any counter commentary by creggan club members or community, and has now perpetuated this by a further article. If he wanted attention, then he got it.     Now Creggan Club & community's image is ruined unfairly, GAA's image is tarnished unfairly and as a result, Peadar, in addition to his horrible and unjustifiable injuries has now burned any bridges he may have had witht he community of his raising.   All in all a shocking piece of journalism.

Joe has taken advantage of a man who readily admits his bitterness (understandably) for sensationalist journalism. 

Joe could have used this article as a way of showing how the GAA has moved on from those early days of PSNI and scrapping of R21. Helping Peadar reintegrate to the community and how errors had been made, and the overcoming of wrongs.   Instead, its a muckraking exercise designed to feed the anti-republican/nationalist masses and court controversy.  Joe is the only one who walks away from this tragedy with a smile on his face.

He claims to love the GAA, well he did more damage to it this week than anyone who has gone before.

Fully agree with you spike.

Brolly has no limits it seems http://www.irishnews.com/news/2017/11/03/news/peadar-heffron-joe-brolly-asks-creggan-club-where-is-your-courage--1178516/

I would have enjoyed some of Joe's stuff in the past and would have had no real issue with his views on most stuff.

But I think he has gone completely off the mark here. Who is he to demand an apology form the Creggan club?

Other than courting the publicity off the back of this I dont see what he has to gain from this course.

[vallankumous]

I would have enjoyed some of Joe's stuff in the past and would have had no real issue with his views on most stuff.

But I think he has gone completely off the mark here. Who is he to demand an apology form the Creggan club?

Other than courting the publicity off the back of this I dont see what he has to gain from this course.

Recognition from mainstream media.

[haranguerer]

Joe doesn't hanker for recognition. I agree with some of his articles, completely disagree with others, but each time, I'm sure its Joes own opinion. He does get carried away, but it isn't a deliberate tactic in the hope of gaining any extra kudos - it's how he feels at that time.

[vallankumous]

Joe doesn't hanker for recognition. I agree with some of his articles, completely disagree with others, but each time, I'm sure its Joes own opinion. He does get carried away, but it isn't a deliberate tactic in the hope of gaining any extra kudos - it's how he feels at that time.

Yes but he has a GAA base and is tagged as a GAA writer. These articles are human and political, he is branching out. Not unlike Dunphy and George Hook before him.

[Applesisapples]

Joe doesn't hanker for recognition. I agree with some of his articles, completely disagree with others, but each time, I'm sure its Joes own opinion. He does get carried away, but it isn't a deliberate tactic in the hope of gaining any extra kudos - it's how he feels at that time.

Exactly and unlike some of us on here Joe actually gets paid to write pieces for the various papers and what is wrong with that? So you don't like what he has written, that's not his fault, you are jealous that he is making a decent living from his various enterprises, again not his problem. Joe whatever your opinion of him did not turn his back on a friend, he gave him his kidney. The thing about a free society is that you should be able to express an opinion, take a job that you like, and make a life for you and your family with out been shunned, ridiculed, ostracised or blown up. There is an unpalatable truth in this story and again it is not Joe's fault. There is and has always been an ambivalence in Ireland on all sides to violence when it suits.

[T Fearon]

I don't see what the big deal is.A lad played for Down in the All Ireland Minor winning team in 1977,joined the RUC a month later thus ending his GAA career,and he fully accepted this as the price to be paid.

Similarly Paedar should have known that he was likely to lose a lot of friends by joining the PSNI and have accepted this.

As long as his GAA membership wasn't cancelled,I don't see any case to answer here.A club reflects the views of its members,and if a substantial number doesn't approve of a member's career choice,that's their right.

Is Brolly trying to force people to have fake sympathy when they don't really feel any?

[vallankumous]

Exactly and unlike some of us on here Joe actually gets paid to write pieces for the various papers and what is wrong with that? So you don't like what he has written, that's not his fault, you are jealous that he is making a decent living from his various enterprises, again not his problem. Joe whatever your opinion of him did not turn his back on a friend, he gave him his kidney. The thing about a free society is that you should be able to express an opinion, take a job that you like, and make a life for you and your family with out been shunned, ridiculed, ostracised or blown up. There is an unpalatable truth in this story and again it is not Joe's fault. There is and has always been an ambivalence in Ireland on all sides to violence when it suits.

I'm here discussion what he writes. It would be nice if you could afford to me the same freedom you afford to Brolly. I'm only discussing Brolly himself as a side issue here. It's the article I am discussing with other posters who are also discussing it too. There is nothing wrong with any of that.
Brolly being paid to write does not mean he is allowed to have opinions above the posters here.
If Brolly want's to write and publish in his own name then he is open to discussion.
If I believe he is intentionally writing for a specific response then I am free to say so. Just as Brolly is entitled to write to engineer a specific response.

[T Fearon]

Why would anyone move because they are being shunned? The less contact I have with the people who live in my vicinity the better.

Jock Stein explained he lost a lot of friends when he became Celtic manager but soon realised they weren't worth having in the first place.Perhaps Peadar Heffron could follow his example

[Applesisapples]

Exactly and unlike some of us on here Joe actually gets paid to write pieces for the various papers and what is wrong with that? So you don't like what he has written, that's not his fault, you are jealous that he is making a decent living from his various enterprises, again not his problem. Joe whatever your opinion of him did not turn his back on a friend, he gave him his kidney. The thing about a free society is that you should be able to express an opinion, take a job that you like, and make a life for you and your family with out been shunned, ridiculed, ostracised or blown up. There is an unpalatable truth in this story and again it is not Joe's fault. There is and has always been an ambivalence in Ireland on all sides to violence when it suits.

I didn't say you couldn't, but some of the commentary on here would have you believe Joe shouldn't be doing what he does, and I don't like every thing he says.

I'm here discussion what he writes. It would be nice if you could afford to me the same freedom you afford to Brolly. I'm only discussing Brolly himself as a side issue here. It's the article I am discussing with other posters who are also discussing it too. There is nothing wrong with any of that.
Brolly being paid to write does not mean he is allowed to have opinions above the posters here.
If Brolly want's to write and publish in his own name then he is open to discussion.
If I believe he is intentionally writing for a specific response then I am free to say so. Just as Brolly is entitled to write to engineer a specific response.

[Applesisapples]

The picture being painted is that Heffron had to move to North Down due to Creggan GAC shunning him. Are we to believe that the PSNI would allow Officer Heffron and his PSNI officer wife to live the normal life in Creggan had this shunning not happened? I very much doubt it.

Do you not see the problem that very statement presents? Why should this be so?

[Applesisapples]

Why would anyone move because they are being shunned? The less contact I have with the people who live in my vicinity the better.

Jock Stein explained he lost a lot of friends when he became Celtic manager but soon realised they weren't worth having in the first place.Perhaps Peadar Heffron could follow his example

I'd say the feeling is mutual to be fair.

[vallankumous]

The picture being painted is that Heffron had to move to North Down due to Creggan GAC shunning him. Are we to believe that the PSNI would allow Officer Heffron and his PSNI officer wife to live the normal life in Creggan had this shunning not happened? I very much doubt it.

Do you not see the problem that very statement presents? Why should this be so?

The relationship with many people in Creggan and the PSNI (from the very top) might be at odds with one another. There could be a conflict of interests.

[Kickham csc]

Joe doesn't hanker for recognition. I agree with some of his articles, completely disagree with others, but each time, I'm sure its Joes own opinion. He does get carried away, but it isn't a deliberate tactic in the hope of gaining any extra kudos - it's how he feels at that time.

Exactly and unlike some of us on here Joe actually gets paid to write pieces for the various papers and what is wrong with that? So you don't like what he has written, that's not his fault, you are jealous that he is making a decent living from his various enterprises, again not his problem. Joe whatever your opinion of him did not turn his back on a friend, he gave him his kidney. The thing about a free society is that you should be able to express an opinion, take a job that you like, and make a life for you and your family with out been shunned, ridiculed, ostracised or blown up. There is an unpalatable truth in this story and again it is not Joe's fault. There is and has always been an ambivalence in Ireland on all sides to violence when it suits.

Again, your speaking when you don't know the facts, and the article is not "unpalatable truth", it's a one sided hack job on a community. A community which included people who supported Peadar during the time in question who I know feel badly let down that a more balanced picture wasn't presented, and I for one would appreciate an apology from Peadar and Joe about not representing the facts truthfully.

Joe Brolly demanding courage from Creggan about issuing an apology.... hopefully in next weeks newspaper he can issue an apology on behalf of Kevin Lynches, for all the pain that he caused....... sorry Joe has already discussed how proud he was to be a friend of Kevin.....f**king hypocrite

Ironically, what this article has achieved is to burn / weaken the bridges between Peadar and the people who actually supported him and his family before, during and after the attack.  We are an extremely tight community, and all that this has done is to tighten the community together, both people who supported Peadar and people who didn't, because we feel the god name of Creggan is under attack.

The other f**king irony that people don't get, is that Peadar was related to about half of the club committee at the time. I mean uncles, cousins etc on the committee. So he is pissed off at his own family. If this was the case, surely a better approach would have been to talk to his family and express his displeasure about the club and have theme approach the club about a reconciliation. Nope, not a word. Instead lets blindside the community on the front page of national papers.  This article has made a reconciliation harder.

I know for a fact that his parents home was inundated with visitors after the attack with people expressing their shock and dismay at what happened. Unfortunately Peadar moved to Bangor after the attack and the close bonds of living in a community was broken. Maybe this alienation of not living within the community is an added factor, but he was definitely not ostracised by the whole community.

IF the club does come out with a statement, which I suspect they will do now,  I for one will be disappointed if the apology doesn't highlight the deep fear and distrust of the PSNI, due to years of systematic harassment and threats that we experienced at the hand of the RUC/ Army, to provide a background to the environment at the time. I will be equally disappointed if the statement doesn't challenge the accuracy of article with the fact that people did speak out in support of Peadar, and that he attended club dinner dances and played soccer on the 4 G for years after he came out.

[BennyCake]

Great lads altogether were Sinn Fein/IRA. A man who approved strapping an innocent to a tractor bomb ended up as Ulster Education minister, and ran for President of Ireland.

Fcuk sake lads 20+ years on and we are still raking over this sort of shit. SF abandoned that position on legitimate atrgets at least 20 years ago, dissidents have been quite rightly denounced as traitors. What came out of the piece on the view last night is that some nationalists will never accept the PSNI and that is a pathetic position to take. We need to get to the situation where PSNI officers can live in the communities they serve. We also need more representation from the catholic community at least up to 45%. Finally Joe Brolly is right, Kickhams need to make their peace with Peadar, for the clubs' sake and for his, if that involves an apology for the actions/inactions of their members, perceived or real then it is imo a price worth paying.

Is it really? Try telling that to the relatives of Loughinisland victims, among many others.

[Kickham csc]

The picture being painted is that Heffron had to move to North Down due to Creggan GAC shunning him. Are we to believe that the PSNI would allow Officer Heffron and his PSNI officer wife to live the normal life in Creggan had this shunning not happened? I very much doubt it.

More due to the fact that their was a dissent faction / cell in operation in the area. The two fusiliers who were killed in Antrim barracks were killed by this local faction.

So I'd say this was more of the background to the move rather than the non accurate fact of the entire community shunning him