Messages

Don't wanna personally slant anyone but for the size of him jackie Carson didn't win enough high ball for me. Seen him turn out a few too often.

Would agree, he had a great hand but too often had the wing mirrors on. With his ability and physique he should have been unplayable.

Sadly, the only way you'd get a big crowd of locals in Casement Park was to have a Celtic v Rangers game.

sad but true, you get more in the few pubs near Casement watching soccer than you would get inside it for an Antrim game.

St Galls don't have the players to win a senior championship, regardless of how many times they train. Stewart is excellent, few other decent ones but 7 or 8 of them wouldn't be up to it. Sure the Antrim football c'ship has been a total cakewalk and I have heard it said that St Galls footballers don't knuckle down to hard training until they win Antrim, why don't they give the hurling a real good try then and we wouldn't have to keep listening to "if only we trained" ?

Van Persie running to celebrate with the fans that used to call him a rapist, ya gotta love the soccer.

Surely the whole thing about democracy is that when elected you represent everyone, not just those who voted for you. BBC ran this non story during the week

Mmm Pat has been on the back pedal but you are giving it the Shinner spin................

It's always a "non story" when it makes you uncomfortable.

The Glenariff full back was sent off on the say so of the umpire, Speedy McCaffrey, which I don't think I have seen before in Antrim.

Neilly McGarry is there to be cleaned out.

[Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty backed loyalist band cash bid]

Interesting to hear the spin on this.




Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty backed loyalist band cash bid

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19428223


Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty has lobbied for money for a loyalist flute band.

He wrote to the Arts Council backing funding for Castlederg Young Loyalist Flute Band.

The band's website includes sections on IRA atrocities, the controversial B Specials and lyrics to songs, including one glorifying UVF terrorist Brian Robinson who murdered a Catholic.

The band is linked to a lodge within the Orange Order.


"I am not naïve but this application for new instruments was worth endorsing."

In his letter of support for £5,000, Mr Doherty wrote that the band had reached out to "all sections of the community."

The BBC obtained the letter, written on House of Commons notepaper in June 2011, as part of a Freedom of Information request on political lobbying in support of band funding applications.

He wrote: "I have had quite a bit of inter-action with the band and can unequivocally state they have made a huge contribution in helping to resolve community tensions in Castlederg."

Mr Doherty told the BBC he was not aware of the contents of the band's website, but it was "in transition."

He said: "I am not naïve but this application for new instruments was worth endorsing."

Mr Doherty was asked to write the letter by a third party.

A spokesman for the band said they were "a bit taken aback" to learn the Sinn Fein MP had lobbied for money for them.

Denied
He said: "We are not ashamed of who we are. Four of our members were murdered by the IRA."

But, like Mr Doherty, the spokesman pointed out that the band had participated in cross-border, folk and traditional music events, including those organised under the banner of European peace funding.

The application that Mr Doherty supported was turned down.

But it has just been awarded a £4,800 grant following a separate application, which the Arts Council said was successful as the band had signed up to community relations criteria.

The documentation released to the BBC also revealed a Sinn Fein councillor's backing for funding for another band from the "pro-Unionist marching" tradition.

Cookstown councillor Ciaran McElhone wrote to the Arts Council last October after Drumnacross flute band was denied funding.

According to his correspondence, the band's name had been used on a BEBO site whose content was deemed offensive.

But Cllr McElhone said the band neither commissioned nor condoned the site and the use of its name had been unauthorised.

He said he wanted the Arts Council to reconsider, saying also that the band was "uncontroversial among the Nationalist community."

I hate it when Irish people call him Sir Alex.

So do I, it is pathetic.

These boys are doing it for free in UUJ Coleraine on 1 & 2 September if it suits people better. Same thing I take it?

http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/ecg.htm

Possibly, cost ya more than 35 quid in petrol to get there from Belfast!!

A mate asked me to post this, I would be out of that age bracket myself so I'll have to ask why the age criteria

Not everyone lives in Belfast though.

Some people in SF were in the IRA. Shocker alright there Saffron.

A decade ago ?

Were is the "were are Sinn Fein" thread - has it been removed? The following story published at the weekend in the Sunday Life hasn't had much airtime, someone being protected ? Could be very damaging for Sinn Fein and maybe a wee yank of the leash from the British.


FIVE CHARGED WITH IRA MEMBERSHIP


By Ciaran Barnes

Sunday life 05 August 2012

Five people including Sinn Fein activists in Belfast have been charged with belonging to the Provisional IRA more than a decade ago. For legal reasons none of the five can be named at this stage.
The accused - three men and two women,were scheduled to appear at the city's magistrates court last Thursay.But they were excused from standing in the dock after their case was adjourned.
During a short hearing the court ordered that "no details pertaining to their identification be published". The five are charged with "belonging to or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation,namely the Provisional IRA".
The Provo membership charges relate to various dates between 1997 and 2000.Two men are further charged with organising,managing and addressing meetings of the IRA.
One of the men faces an additional claim of forcing a woman to co-operate with a Provisional IRA investigation.

I'm not from Kerry obviously, but the anti-Kerry stuff from a lot of Ulster posters on this board is a pain in the arse

The Tyrone ones are still a bit sore from a few weeks ago

WIll hurling in Antrim survive if Rossa don't make it to the promised land in Division 1 ?

Well that's where I believe you are wrong, yes a lot of it would be down to the work their own players and management put in on the training field, however, the experience of playing a faster, better style of hurling will naturally improve the players. The same debate is going on at national level as teams such as Limerick for example are still playing their hurling in Div 1B. There are also a lot of others out there that hold the same views.

Well you are entitled to your opinion but i will leave it at this, how has it served Antrim in the last 20 years when they have went up against vastly superior teams in Div 1 playing a better standard of hurling? If you arent producing the players it doesent matter how high a level you are playing at, you will be exposed. Limerick are a different kettle of fish, they are not a million miles away from the top 3 or 4 and are obviously producing a high calibre of player.

Why does Belfast hurling need another team in Div 1? You hear this sort of thing all the time. As for the development of the team, if they are good enough they will get into Div 1 and stay there, if they arent they wont. I actually dont think Div 1 will do Rossa or Oisins any good next year.

Well I feel it would be good for any hurling area, same for North Antrim. It promotes competition and will encourage the rest of the teams to try and get up to their level. In terms of Rossa I believe that it would improve them as it would expose more of their hurlers to Div 1 pace hurling and be good in terms of developing a team that in a few years time is capable of pushing for championships.

I think it is a no brainer really as to why it would be a good idea, and you are either blind or an idiot if you disagree.

Do you not think those other Belfast teams would have aspirations of Div 1 hurling, St Galls for example, would do anything differently if Rossa managed it? As for the pace of hurling in Div 1, it wont make the Rossa players better just because they are in Div 1, it isnt some sort of promised land where the players miraculously improve, and it wont develop a team if the players arent good enough. If the players are good enough and have the right attitude, and are coached well at Rossa they will improve, not because they are in Div 1.

In case you are unaware of it, your opinion isnt the only one out there.