Celtic Tiger Cubs of London (yawn)

[Pietas]

This crowd in London sound like they are run by the greatest shower of tossers. More at home in a rugby club, I would have thought.

One of the greatest assets of the GAA is that it has been egalitarian and avoided elitism.

I must say I am glad Killala beat them.

Wankers...Anyone know them? Are they really that shallow?



from unison.ie:
by cliona foley

THEY ARE the Celtic Tiger cubs of London, young professionals who all work in 'The City' in high-finance and technology, but Fulham Irish are hoping it is their Gaelic football stock that soars in Claremorris tomorrow.

Pinstripes, spread sheets and web-design may dominate their ambitious career plans, but the players who have single-handedly destroyed the stereotypical image of London GAA clubs have only one thing on this weekend's agenda: beating Killala in the All-Ireland club JFC quarter-final.

The club, in their very first year in existence, won this season's London intermediate and British junior football championship titles.

And they openly admit their ambitious, modern approach - which they believe is the way forward for the GAA in England - has got right up the noses of London's Gaelic traditionalists.

Fulham Irish were founded by three men - John Doyle, Liam Barry and Michael Rice. They were previously executive officers of North London side Garryowen, but left when they became frustrated that the club would not move with the times.

"We wanted them to move to Fulham," explains Doyle, a Goldman-Sachs accountant who left Carlow for the city's bright lights 18 years ago. "We felt someone should tap into all the young Irish professionals working in the city, but they didn't agree with us."

Given the workloads of Ireland's new professional emigrants, Doyle felt that bringing the GAA to the heart of London's financial district to suit their long working hours was the way forward . . . and it has worked.

They faced objections, not least from Garryowen who lost some players in the breakaway, but a year later they are thriving.

"We have 75 registered players and I've had approaches from eight new players over Christmas," Doyle revealed.

Everything about Fulham Irish epitomises the ambitious, educated new Irish abroad.

Only one of their players, Denis Connolly of Monaghan, has senior inter-county experience, but many others including Paddy Folan, Ken McGrath and Michael Farry were club players of serious note back home.

It is the occupations of the players which makes the club really stand out - everything from solicitors and derivative traders to website designers and even a HR manager with internet giants Yahoo.

They used the internet and county board chat-rooms to tout for players.

They employ a fitness trainer, Evan Creedon (formerly of Ballyboden St Enda's) who writes individualised training programmes for players who cannot make training regularly.

They also have a dietician and not one, but four sponsors.

They share public training pitches with Hammersmith and Fulham Rugby club, minutes from Putney Bridge and Parsons Green tube stations and midway between the soccer meccas of Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage.

Even their logo - a Ferrari-like white horse - has a touch of hard-edged ambition about it, with Doyle admitting they picked it "because we felt it represented the kind of high fliers we wanted to attract".

Are they the way forward for cross-channel GAA?

Doyle believes so. "You have all these young lads coming to London on two or four-year work contracts. Some of them will move elsewhere or go home, but our club offers them a way to fit the GAA into their busy lives. and it has really taken off.

"Winning tomorrow would be huge for us and that's what we aim to do."

[muppet]

 What exactly is your problem with them ( I am assuming you can see past the Indo's manic need to paint everything in a polarized fashion) ?

[magpie seanie]

Yeah, no problem with that. One dodgy quote but good luck to them. Would it be better if lads with good jobs and careers were kept away from the GAA?

[Hardy]

I remember someone coming onto the board alright looking for young 'professionals' (ffs) to join a new GAA club in London. I remember asking at the time what a 'professional' was and getting no response. I took the charitable view that he was a Dessie Farrell wannabee with ambitions to get paid for kicking football and not a tosser who thought wearing red gallusses makes you a better class of person.

It seems I was wrong. But I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed by this crap from Cliona Foley: "It is the occupations of the players which makes the club really stand out - everything from solicitors and derivative traders to website designers and even a HR manager with internet giants Yahoo."

WTF? Is there a guffaw emoticon on this board?

[Pietas]

this is my problem...the gaa should seek to attract any member regardless of profession....

Even their logo - a Ferrari-like white horse - has a touch of hard-edged ambition about it, with Doyle admitting they picked it "because we felt it represented the kind of high fliers we wanted to attract".

[magpie seanie]

That was the quote that I had a problem with alright. I would be inclined to give the benefit of the doubt though (perhaps the comment was a bit tongue in cheek) as one of the Indo's "get a story out of nothing" brigade was the writer.

[Mayo4Sam]

What a load of bollix, i know some of these lads and the pretentiousness alluded to in this article is way off the mark. Yes they are well to do financial types in the main but thats because of where the club is based, in the well to do area of fulham, nothing more.

[Hardy]

I'd suspect it was 'a load of bollix', given that it was printed in the Indo, were it not for the fact that one of these characters, as I said, was on this board about a year ago spouting the same ethos for this club and touting for young 'professionals' (he did use the word) to join. When has a GAA club ever before sought to recruit from a particular social 'class'? If that's what he means - I still don't know what a 'professional' is. I presume he's looking for what used to be called 'white collar' workers. I thought that whole concept had died years ago. It seems that decades after even rugby gave up this divisive nonsense, some gobshites in London are trying to introduce it to the GAA.

[Bord na Mona man]

Yeah, perhaps there is a touch of pretentiousness about them. Speak that hints at "high flying achievers", "highly motivated" and all the kind of morkeshing and management w*nkology generally does my nut in.
But then again they are trying to attract workers in the City who are neck deep in it. And the Indo will always look for that kind of angle. The high flying middle class white collar worker (professional) vs. the humble brickie (not professional apparently). Another victory for 'New Ireland' as created for you by the Indo themselves. Instead of it just being a case of few lads who have set up a club that better suits their working hours.

However new ideas should be welcomed in the GAA, new ways to recruit and develop the games, especially in a landscape that has changed very quickly. If the GAA can appeal to all classes, or personal pretensions, then all the better.

[dodo]

Fair play to these lads for setting up a club that suits their own circumstances. Some of these lads would probably not play at all except for having a conveniently located club nearby.
The guy quoted is guilty of nothing more IMO than being a bit bullish about the 'professionasl' they are catering for. I'd expect that if a non-professional approached them regarding joining the club that there would be no problem.
Best of luck to them anyway, but as a Mayo man I'm happy that Killala beat them and hope they go on to claim the All-Ireland junior club title.

Remember a post by the Ballynure Wifebeater on the old board going on about meeting some GAA footballers in Australia. They were delighted to meet him and his buddies as they were so articulate and intelligent and not one of the commoners that do physical work  . Recall Marshall Mathers softening his cough for him fairly lively  .

[Lecale2]

"Remember a post by the Ballynure Wifebeater"
LOL!! 
Fair play to them. Takes all sorts.

[Lone Shark]

Coming fom Round Towers, these lads were our near neighbours, I played against them a couple of times this summer. Largely speaking they were no different to your standard GAA club at home, however it does stand out a little bit in London since there still would be a higher proportion of the Irish over here working in trades, on sites etc. than the average. Still, if they didn't make such a song and dance about it, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference at first glance.

They had a few w*nkers on the sideline allright - one fecker telling his players to play on when they stopped to allow attention to come on for an injured player - but the players themselves were grand out, the few of them I met anyway.

I would agree though that they seem awful eager to push this "professionals" craic - which to me is something that should go unsaid. By all means train at a time and location best suited to your panel, that's just good sense, but this constant droning about it has meant that they're not hugely popular on the London scene. If you go on to their website, on the player profiles they give a nice flowery description of each of the great jobs all the lads have. I'd imagine if I was fresh off the boat and taking a bit of site or bar work to make ends meet, I wouldn't necessarily feel that I'm right at home with this shower.

On another note, their coming into existence was very acrimonious. They were a gang of lads who split from Garryowen club, and depending on which side you listen to, you could take a very different opinion on the nature of the club's formation, and how they got most of their players. Wouldn't know enough of the facts to take one side or another myself, but from the off they were a bone of contention.   

[lynchbhoy]

best of luck to any new club.

Such ambition and cockiness doesnt sit well with the traditional Irish mindset.


however , I think I know one of them mentioned in that piece, and even his job is attributed there.
He is a tosser of the highest order and not what I'd deem a 'professional' though his brass neck is still serving him well and getting him up the ladder it seems.


still best of luck to the new club and also hope GAA clubs continue to thrive in Lahndahn