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Good article by Cahir OKane in todays Irish news about the problems with our attack. he's saying essentially the players are there its the shape thats wrong. i would strongly agree with him

He is basically saying Brian Dooher and his coaches aren't up to it.

That might well be the case.

Very good. Strange Cahir wasn't asked to take Derry when Rory Gallagher left

Exactly. You get a job as a reporter and suddenly you are an expert in GAA.

I don't know if this guy played football to any serious level but he starts telling a double all Ireland winner where he is going wrong.

Is he wrong though?

Is he right? That's the thing about shooting from the sidelines. You don't put your ideas on the line to get tested. It's easier to hypothesis a reason for a failing that won't be tested than to implement a solution.
 And I say this as no major fan of Dooher either.

Is the argument then that sports journalism should be discontinued? That they shouldn't be allowed to critique management/tactics? Or that they can only do so on the condition that journliasts must be either former or current managers with a proven track record of success?

As far as I'm concerned, you don't need to be a sports journalist to see that Tyrone, tactically, are lagging behind the top teams. The problems that Cahair O'Kane spoke about are the exact same things that you hear Peter Canavan saying in his TV analysis during every Tyrone game this year to date. His frustration at the lack of support for Darragh in particular is very evident every day he's on punditry duty (although he's typically diplomatic about it). Is it OK for Peter to say it, but not a journalist, even though they are both stating the absolutely blindingly obvious?

[Is it true that its the brother of current Tyrone player?]

Another bad smash. O'Dowd needs to get the finger out and get the Omagh - Ballygawley stretch built asap

A 30 year old man killed. Yet another life lost.

Is it true that its the brother of current Tyrone player? God help the poor family. That road isn't fit for purpose. How many lives does it take?

Really think its a good idea to be speculating online about the identity of a crash victim before the victim has been named publicly? There are good reasons why it takes time for the names to be released in these circumstances.

Dissident Arm na Poblachta claim two PSNI vehicles targeted in Co Derry
Security alert continues around Dungiven


https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/dissident-arm-na-poblachta-claim-two-psni-vehicles-targeted-in-co-derry-PGTRS55FSZDEFFHD7CDC3GSKO4/

Wrong thread, Eire90.

[If I was to ask 10 random Irish people if they've heard of Paul Brady, honestly I doubt he'd register with more than 5.]

It would seems the list of Bob Dylan's favourite songwriters could extend from here to the moon.

If I was to ask 10 random Irish people if they've heard of Paul Brady, honestly I doubt he'd register with more than 5.

I like his music too. But for whatever reason, he seems to have no ability to transcend generations.

I respectfully think you're talking through your hoop! Anyone who can sell out Vicar street for almost a  month solid, and who has has his songs covered by the sort of names listed above, can't serioulsy be argued to be not well known. Especially in hs own country.

You could say the same of  the  pop stars of today.  I just  had  a look at the charts  .  This lot could have sold out vicar Street for  6 months , but I've never heard  of any of them. Have you?

Lu.Ci
Kygo
Billie Gillies
YG Marley
Muni Long
Cat Janice
Noah Kahan
Yung Filly

Heard of just a couple of them but does that mean they aren't well known? Everyone has their audience. Take Noah Kahan, a one hit wonder if ever there was one, but he's a "tiktok star" who's currently selling out arenas around the world, so each generation to their own - and you're saying he's not well known just because you've never heard of him? I'd hazzard a guess that were he and Paul Brady to both walk down the street in Dublin, they would both be recognised, albeit to varying degree and by very different generations. And I'd say that were Kahan to walk down the street in his own hometown/country, he'd be recognised there too. So to say Paul Brady, one of Ireland most successsful singer/songwriters, wouldn't even be known of even in Ireland, is again, just daft.

[a busy Kilbroney Forest park without anyone recognising him? Absolutely.]

But could he also spend the afternoon in a busy Kilbroney Forest park without anyone recognising him? Absolutely.

Your head's in the clouds!!

[If I was to ask 10 random Irish people if they've heard of Paul Brady, honestly I doubt he'd register with more than 5.]

It would seems the list of Bob Dylan's favourite songwriters could extend from here to the moon.

If I was to ask 10 random Irish people if they've heard of Paul Brady, honestly I doubt he'd register with more than 5.

I like his music too. But for whatever reason, he seems to have no ability to transcend generations.

I respectfully think you're talking through your hoop! Anyone who can sell out Vicar street for almost a  month solid, and who has has his songs covered by the sort of names listed above, can't serioulsy be argued to be not well known. Especially in hs own country.

A few who wound be very well known but maybe neither "loved" nor disliked (Sam Neill? Darren Clarke? Paul Brady?)

Dennis Taylor is famous and I think generally well liked.

Bernadette Devlin would surely tick both boxes though.

Lol, was reading through this and had Neill and Ckarke in my head before seeing your post. Is Paul Brady really well known? I doubt the majority of his hometown would even know who he is.

Hugo Duncan would be up there too unfortunately.

I was wondering how long it would take before someone would mention Uncle Hugo. I'm afraid I'm going to have to request the mods blacklist you.

Would have to disagree on the idea that Paul Brady isn't well known though. In fact I might even have to contact the mods a second time, and request that your post containig that claim be tranfered over to the "WTF Thread". He was a member of Planxty (one of the best regarded Irish folk groups ever), is noted by Bob Dylan as one of his favourite singer/songwriters. Ditto for Mark Knopfler, who has recorded with him numerous times. He has had his songs covered by the likes of Tina Turner, Cher, Art Garfunkel, Cliff Richard, Trisha Yearwood, Phil Collins etc etc. He sold out Vicar St for 21 nights in the space of one month - a record at the time but not sure if it still stands. If his career keeps going the way it has been, I'm sure he'll sooner or later become known in his hometown of Strabane too!

A few who wound be very well known but maybe neither "loved" nor disliked (Sam Neill? Darren Clarke? Paul Brady?)

Dennis Taylor is famous and I think generally well liked.

Bernadette Devlin would surely tick both boxes though.

However 55-64 is 64% to 28% in favour of Union. Is the disparity that great in that age group or would it indicate as they near retirement, good few nationalists opt for the status quo in the absence of a plan from Dublin/clarity over pensions they've paid into.

I don't think there's too much analysis required on that one. Support for the union is strongest in that age category because that's the age categry with the biggest majority of unionists. The protestant/unionist population is ageing one.

But what is the issue? All I can see here is people saying it's crap, but the only specific complaint so far is that its hard to navigate to find results - but if results can be navigated to in two cliks/taps, then what exactly is the problem with it exactly? Is it only an issue when looking for fixtures on a matchday, rather than finding results afterwards, as others here are suggesting?

Ah I dunno. I just think just people love to complain sometimes.

People really do like to complain! I was curious to see how bad the gaa site is for getting results after reading the above. Here's how challenging it was:

I went to gaa.ie and clicked 'results and fixtures' and there they were. Listed by date. Literally one click brought me to exactly what I was looking for.

Thought maybe the issue could have been with the mobile version. Went to gaa.ie on the phone, tapped the menu icon at the top, tapped 'results and fixtures' and there they were. Listed by date. A total of two taps.

There's even a search bar. Typed in 'league' and got a drop down list of which division's results I was looking for.

Are yis expecting Larry McCarthy to personally call to your door and hand deliver a printed list of the day's results or soemthing?

Gone have a wee look at the div 3 football table for me on it, and let us know if you think thats up to scratch as well.

Clearly the Div 3 table is missing, but that's obviously a case that it (ridiculously of course) just hasn't been published to the site, rather than an issue with the actual website design. Were it published, it's safe to say that the design of the site would make it accessible along by following the same naviagtaional process as opens any of the other tables, which is a process that requires making a grand total of just three clicks.

And it's the site design (and specifically, finding match results) that people here seem to be complaining about.

People really do like to complain! I was curious to see how bad the gaa site is for getting results after reading the above. Here's how challenging it was:

I went to gaa.ie and clicked 'results and fixtures' and there they were. Listed by date. Literally one click brought me to exactly what I was looking for.

Thought maybe the issue could have been with the mobile version. Went to gaa.ie on the phone, tapped the menu icon at the top, tapped 'results and fixtures' and there they were. Listed by date. A total of two taps.

There's even a search bar. Typed in 'league' and got a drop down list of which division's results I was looking for.

Are yis expecting Larry McCarthy to personally call to your door and hand deliver a printed list of the day's results or soemthing?

Disappointed with those figures to be honest. Lucid talk is pretty accurate unlike the NILT survey or the Pete Shirlow bog roll survey from Liverpool university. A few yrs ago lucid talk and lord Ashcroft had UI polling well into the 40's and actually even ahead of UK in some polls. The breakdown shows UI more popular in the under 45's but it's the over 55's were all the damage is done with only 28% pro UI. I would say sure just a bit more of a wait but the worrying thing is I'm not far off that 55 age bracket myself . With the don't knows out it's 56 44 so still pretty tight and hard to call on the day. Interesting to see the green voters are overwhelmingly nationalist whereas alliance is a bit more of a mixed bag

I'm enthused by them. Here's why:

1. 39% would vote for unity tomorrow, without a plan. Economically speaking, unity is a no-brainer, and the more people cop on to that, then as a plan/proposal comes tgether, that figure can only go one way.

2. The poll also showed a healthy majority (52% to 44%) support a united Ireland in the future.

3. A majority of people under 45 (46% to 42%) support reunification. This chimes with recent voting intention polling, also by LucidTalk, which found that the only age category where the DUP outpolled SF was in the over 55 bracket. As Sam McBride put it at the time, "more of the voters who die are unionist, and more of the voters who join the electoral register are nationalist".

4. Undecided voters will be kingmakers and if we look at the preferences of people who vote for parties which are undecided/on the fence about unity, the poll shows that a fairly whopping 71% of Alliance voters and 72% of Green voters want to see a United Ireland in the future.

5. I'm rehashing what I posted a few months ago but take a look at the trends. 50 years ago, nationalism held 18% of council council seats, now it's 40% (and could have been north of that figure, had SF run more candidates). By contrast, it's only 9 years since unionism held 51% of council seats, and today that figure has dropped to 40%. An 11% drop in the Unionist vote in just nine years. Given that demographic trends clearly indicate a strong likelihood that the electoral lead nationalism now has over unionism is likely to not only continue, but to widen at an accelerated pace, then what will those %'s be in a further 9 years? Then try thinking about how they'll look in 10 years, 20 years...30 years?


6. LucidTalk, I think most would agree, has had the best track record of polling accuracy, so their figures are generally worth paying attention to. Someone posted to twitter a breakdown of LucidTalk polls on unity since 2016 (a 'poll of polls'). It shows that since 2016, support for remaining in the UK has dropped from 62% to 49% (-13%) while support for Irish unity has risen from 25% to 39% (+14%). That's a remarkable swing in just 8 years. What might it be like in another 8, or 10 or 20 years, given the ageing/declining protetant/unionist population and the radidy growing and younger Catholic/nationalist population?

Yeah I think to vilify the players is wrong. There is already stuff on social media trying to get to them all and paint them as anti semites etc etc.

Very difficult situation. From what I read not to fulfill this fixture was a huge fine. A fine that could nearly have bankrupt basketball ireland. A lot of people put in a very difficult position.

I'd say a go fund me would have paid that fine within a couple of hours.

They could have walked onto the court and sat down. Still fulfilled the fixture. Anyway, it's not the players it's the administration.

Administration could have taken the decision out of the players hands, but they players are all adults capable of making their own choice. Respect to the five who made the choice to stay at home.

The double standards are appalling.

From?

Likes of Sports bodies who banned Russian and Belarussian teams and athletes because of their Government actions. However no attempt to do similar with Israelis, in fact the very opposite!

Precisely!