Rural Ireland's football future

[Rudi]

Roscommon Hospital is still open.
It was the Casualty that got shut.
FG have no TD in Roscommon.

Denis Naughton was a FG TD. When the A&E closed he didn't resign from the party, he voted against it from within and lost the party whip but of course he knew the vote would be carried anyway and he would create the illusion of being a rebel. He resigned (or more accurately was told to resign) years later when he messed up broadband to rural Ireland by having dinner with the main bidders. So we can see he is clearly a man of great principle I have no doubt the great people of Roscommon (with their shite broadband and phone coverage) will no doubt vote him back in again at the next opportunity.

Roscommon is notoriously unpredictable when it comes to elections and referendums you buffoon. A sitting member of the dail was not elected back in the eighties. Shout your mouth off before informing yourself.

[Rossfan]

Didn't we dump Brian Lenihan Senior too when he was at his highest?
I presume Itchy with his deep concern for Roscommon will be standing in the Constituency in the next GE.

[Rudi]

Didn't we dump Brian Lenihan Senior too when he was at his highest?
I presume Itchy with his deep concern for Roscommon will be standing in the Constituency in the next GE.

We are the Florida of Ireland, the ultimate swing county.

[manfromdelmonte]

It's a healthy way to be

Too many political dynasties in other counties

[Itchy]

The only county to go against rights of homosexuals to marry,  yes lots to be proud of but heh in the 80s ye did x, y and z. Real impressive.

[weareros]

The only county to go against rights of homosexuals to marry,  yes lots to be proud of but heh in the 80s ye did x, y and z. Real impressive.

True, but not too far off many other rural counties. The statistical difference ain't much. Cavan-Monaghan was 49.35% for No, Roscommon was 51.4%. Older, rural county you will get that.

You seem on a tear against Ros at the moment. Sure didn't ye finally get a league victory over us. Lighten up, lad.

[Rossfan]

A feckin Cyaavan man trying to pretend he's modern and sophisticated

[Rudi]

The only county to go against rights of homosexuals to marry,  yes lots to be proud of but heh in the 80s ye did x, y and z. Real impressive.

The didn't go against the rights of homosexuals. As a county Monaghan voted against too. Excerising their democratic right and not jumping on the populist bandwagon.

[BennyCake]

The only county to go against rights of homosexuals to marry,  yes lots to be proud of but heh in the 80s ye did x, y and z. Real impressive.

The didn't go against the rights of homosexuals. As a county Monaghan voted against too. Excerising their democratic right and not jumping on the populist bandwagon.

Agreed.

[manfromdelmonte]

The only county to go against rights of homosexuals to marry,  yes lots to be proud of but heh in the 80s ye did x, y and z. Real impressive.

Oldest electorate in the country
There was actually a bigger NO vote in 14 other constituencies

[armaghniac]

Good to see that one place values marriage.

[Itchy]

Don't get get started on the right wing Catholic of Armagh. The same as paisleys lot on the nationalist side.

[omaghjoe]

Jaysus reading this thread has been a great laugh altogether a welcome surprise to a lazy Sunday.

Moreover I've never heard such anger from a Cavan man....we'll just put it down to the years of getting jarred by potholes

[Hound]

Mayo got a centre of excellence in the middle of a bog
Oh, sorry Connacht got the centre
And soon they'll have a giant bouncy castle

Mayo got huge funding for McHale park
AND a bailout when they blew the budget

A lot of money spent on those projects

Still paying back the bailout. Clubs are I mean. I do believe there's another centre of excellence in the pipeline although I'm not sure when.

Back to Loose Cannon's point, amalgamations are happening left, right and centre in Mayo at underage. We even had a situation 2 years ago having Ballyhaunis and Aghsmore joining up at minor. Terrible indictment on Ballyhaunis imo.

Population loss or just young lads no longer want to play?

IMO, a  bit of both to be honest but the former is the more serious one.
After all, every part of the country has problems with kids not bothering to play any sort of field game but if you don't have youngsters, you get them to play anything.
I went to a small rural school in near Swinford back in the 60s. The teachers in the parish organised an 11 a side  tournament back then. Today, there is only the town school open.
That's something Dubs can't understand and think life can go on as it has always with Dublin growing bigger and their country cousins just moaning and whining, as always.

This year I think half the county panel are based in Dublin. 
It seems reasonable that a good number of these lads will settle down to work and live in the city so in the next few years, they will be lost to the county, probably forever. Odds are that their kids will play with a local club and grew up as Dub supporters.
I can't blame Dub supporters for wanting to keep things the same as always and getting the lion's share of whatever money is available, the gap between Dublin and the rest will become unsustainable.

The last line of your post has absolutely nothing to the rest of it! Funding won't change population movement! McCreevy did his best to do something about the problem of everyone wanting to live in Dublin, but his decentralisation plan go fecked out over petty mindedness typical of politicians (why is this town getting stuff and my town isn't? And then nobody gets anything, but I'm happy so long as that other town didn't get something!)

Here's an article the purpose of which was to expose how the Games Development Funding has turned Dublin into a great senior team. And while there was a bit of plamasing at the start re this funding, it ended up going into great detail about the primary reasons.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/columnists/kieran-shannon/the-kieran-shannon-interview-the-real-jackanory-behind-dublins-perfect-storm-942964.html

But I don't most people actually care. Let's focus on the red herring!

Huge amount of country people in Dublin clubs driving standards, increasing playing numbers with their kids, increasing coaching numbers with their volunteerism. And not an ounce of initiative from counties outside Dublin about it.

Why wouldn't Mayo get 5 or 6 ex-county players to organise a session in somewhere like Abbotstown on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Invite all U12s and U13s living in Dublin who have a Mayo parent. Publicise it so everyone knows about it. Maybe do it on a pan-Connacht basis. The 5 counties join forces to run it, anyone with a Connacht parent can come along. You'd get a great turnout. What Mayo parent with a 12 year old in Dublin wouldn't want to bring his lad for a Mayo trial.

Bring them back for another session. Whittle the numbers down bit by bit. Give them Mayo gear. Organise Mayo v Galway challenges and mix them in with the locals. Nothing to lose, these lads will continue to benefit from the Dublin club system, and any of them that get to play Senior 1 or 2 at adult level will all be potential intercounty players with a stronger link back to their parent's county,and you might just end up with a few more players.

[Farrandeelin]

Eh... yea I get what you're saying Hound, but if one had a Mayo parent and a parent from any of the other Connacht counties the poor ladeen wouldn't know what to do. Plus it deviates from the pride of place spirit that's so imbued in us.