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This is an ego project being contested on narrow political grounds between selfishSDLP imterests & Shinner politicos. Has any cost-benefit analysis been done? I doubt it.. A Newry southern relief road is not just an alternative - it is an essential part of the north-south infranstructure, both for Nerwy and the bottlencks that are Kilorey Street & Dublin Bridges - and for the Mourne region, which could potentially be given a direct link from the Dublin-Belfast motorway. If Narrow Water goes ahead it will emasculate the notion of a proper north-south link rather than enhance it.
Narrow Water = Narrow Thinking.

I don't see what a Narrow water bridge has to do with Newry southern relief road. It is bit like saying that widening the road from Camlough to Bessbrook reduces the need for a Newry bypass. This project is developed by Louth and will be largely funded by EU sources, probably a fund for tourist infrastructure, and will have feck all work needed on the northern side.   The relief road will have to stand on its own merits.

Yes of course it will have to stand on its own merits.
Now, weigh those merits against the merits of a twiddly dee touristy bridge from Narrow Water onto the Omeath dirt track. Is it just becase the lough is narrowest at that location, it will look pretty, and it will compensate for the fact that it is no longer viable to run a wee touristy boat from the Point to the land that time forgot?
I am all for local initiatives but is there not also a bigger picture? Just dont expect the Shinners to see or promote anything with true vision -  while the SDLP have long abandonded their progressive  outlook as they continue to play catch-up with the other shower.

Got a call from relative in USA who watched the Peter Rooney Tribute Night live from Canal Court last Friday. Thrilled that   he could access this while I was sitting in a bar in Wpoint unaware that it was even happening!!

Ireland could do better  if McCarthy, Gibson and a few others were available but not an awful lot better.

See I don't even know if we would do any better.

Some people above are ranting about EPL players being left out. Except the players being left out are from lower half EPL teams. There's no CL players missing out, not even any Europa League players missing out. Just average players. And my experience of team sport is that average players with smaller egos are more effective than average players with big egos. This doesn't mean by the way the Houlahan and Wilson have problematic egos, but Gibson definitely has.

Until a handful of better players come along, what we've seen in the last 6 months is as good as it'll get. Trap really isn't that important in this equation.

Hoolahan is not a regular at Norwich, yet he is our saviour!!
It wqas Coleman (not a regular at Evereton) until he was exposed the other night.
We want to bring back Stephen Reid (who retired himslf years ago!!), Stephen Ireland (who has no interest and is a limted player anyway), And Reid (lol!!!), Duff (wisely, retired)  - somewhere along the line we have to realise how limited our current players are - the worst Irish pick I hae seen in 50 years of following football.
The solution is to bring in all Irish players who are currently regulars with Man Utd., Man City, Chelsea & Arsenal    - and ignore the rest ..... what a team that would be.
Bring back Terry Mancini?

I agree with you Flynn 100%. Firstly the new Newry by pass will end at the existing newly upgraded section of the A1 at Beechill where there is a busy at grade junction, a housing development and a 60 mph speed limit. This on a section of road which was just completed last year!! As regards the Narrow Water Bridge this cannot be justified on traffic grounds and will be of no real benefit for traffic travelling from South Down to Dublin compared with the proposed Newry southern Relief Road, which, as an earlier poster asked, will run from the Warrenpoint Road, adjacent to the Marshes football ground and run along an elevated route, to the main Belfast to Dublin Road. It is a hugely exciting prospect but I believe it could be jeopardised by the cheaper and much less effective Narrow Water Bridge

TMG - rock of sense.
This is an ego project being contested on narrow political grounds between selfishSDLP imterests & Shinner politicos. Has any cost-benefit analysis been done? I doubt it.. A Newry southern relief road is not just an alternative - it is an essential part of the north-south infranstructure, both for Nerwy and the bottlencks that are Kilorey Street & Dublin Bridges - and for the Mourne region, which could potentially be given a direct link from the Dublin-Belfast motorway. If Narrow Water goes ahead it will emasculate the notion of a proper north-south link rather than enhance it.
Narrow Water = Narrow Thinking.

my poiont is simple if he wants to play for England (they can call themselves what the like they all bow the knee to lizzy windsor ) then let the english cheer for him and the irish will  cheer for mcginley harrington and lowry.
but just let him choose you cant run with the hare and hunt with the hounds all your life

The Dublin fella who was good enough at cricket to play for England - Morgan I think - was never subjected to this insular sectarain abuse. Did Jennings, O'Neill or Donaghy ever get this reicule for playing for Norn Irn? By the way, the reason there is not a unified Ireland soccer team is because the Dublin crowd decided on partition that they wanted their own wee Irish team and left the IFA - not the other wayround. So the IFA ise really the continuity FAI.

Whats your point gael . Are you a stone man ?? Typical mouth

I actually enjoyed that post and I dont know if he is a Stone man or not - but beneath the blether there is a wee bit of home truths...

The over-hyped MU-lionised sideways-passer has reached the summit. Move over Dustin, ye langar.

Should the Tricolour be flown after dusk at floodlight GAA games?

Are we so insecure about it that we need to fly it at every tea-party anyway?
We borrowed this type of terrirorial demarcation from our imperialist neighbours and now practiise it to the point of  disregard and disrespect.

James has apparantly met with Martin McElkennon over the coaching job.  He has been around the block a bit but has been well liked by the players everywhere he has went.  Decent appointment imo.  Better than AOR anyway.  Eamon Burns also approached as selector and Jerome staying on.

Big year for James and co coming up

How much will McElkernon cost?
And how much is it to get rid of Jerome?
I can only afford the latter.

[M. Wilson Armagh]

It is in Antrim but I suppose a lot of people might consider him to be from the nearest main town which is Lurgan in Armagh. I looked this up.

I am really looking forward to seeing what Brady can do at this level. Hopefully he does well enough to get considered for competitive fixtures.

When I saw that under 21 result in the paper I thought Italy had won only after looking a few hours later did I see we beat the Italy under 21s away from home???

Team tonight
D. Forde Galway
S. Coleman Donegal
S. Kelly Dublin
P. McShane Wicklow
M. Wilson Armagh
R. Brady Dublin
J. McCarthy Scotland
D. Meyler Cork
A. Keogh Dublin
S. Long Tipperary
K. Doyle Wexford

All corners of the country represented.

Is Marc Wilson not from Aghagallon in the glorious one true county of Antrim??

Aghagallon had a Gaelic football team that played for a short while in the Down leagues in early 60's, according to my Armagh "friend".

Another fecking white Elephant. Only a single game a year is likely to even trouble the 30k mark. The GAA has to learn that building out-sized stadiums only results in destroying the athmosphere of almost every game played there. And once something like this is built it becomes a clusterf**k to try and get as many games played in it as possible just to service the mountain of the debt it generated.

The only way this makes sense is for EVERY Ulster football championship game to be played in those bleak and unwelcoming soccer-city suburbs - otherwise you are looking at ONE game a year attracting 20,000 plus.
Meantime the money ploughed into the ego projects that are unused Pairc Esler, Morgan Armagh, Celtic Park (near Brandywell), Brutal Brewster, Kingspan's empty terraces and Ohmygod Omagh looks more ridiculous every day.
And not only are the Ulster GAA mandarins who plan and delievr these monsrtrous waste of resources smiling patronisingly at us from the pages of the Irish News - we are giving them bloody hero status. Daft beyond words.
In a few years the tumbleweed of disuse will fill the so-called stadia across the province.
Croke Park depends on Jedward, Notre Dame, the Euharistic Congess and the like to survive. Maybe we can get the latest  Carlisle Circus crazies to fill Casement for a few jousts.

If James had decided to go, he would have said so by now. Unless something goes wrong in the discussions over his coaching set-up, all the indications are that he is staying put.

In fairness, he deserves another year on the strength of our overall progress during his tern of office. The problem will be lifting a squad which effectively collapsed in our quarter final at Croke Park.

At the risk of clutching at straws, the two teams which beat us in the championship are now in the AI final. However, they were both miles ahead of us this summer, and convincing our players that they are capable of bridging the gap will be extremely difficult.

We at least know that we are incapable of competing at the highest level if we stick to man to man marking, so coming up with a viable defensive strategy is the priority.

MR. its not like you to clutch at straws; if you have abandonded your usual balanced view I'd be worried.
I am also worried that you dismiss our ability to man mark. It's O'Rourke's so-called zonal strategy that has turned our defence into a leaking collander. He must go as must marathon-man Jerome; freshen up James' backroom and let's give it another go y playing to our strengths instead of pushing square pegs into round holes.
We are away better off than 3 years ago and away worse off than 2010 - the truth is somewhere in between.

Mickey...end of story...but Greg isn't far behind

Not even the start of the story.
Mickey, great as he was, was a bit player for Down until Blaney came along.
Blaney's incredible ball-winning and incisive passing made Mickey into a super star - that's the real story and that's why the simple answer to the question  in Down will always be  the man who made everything happen ... Blaney.

[Steven McDonnell all day long]

For me:
Antrim - Kevin Brady ??
Armagh - Kieran McG  Steven McDonnell all day long
Cavan - Dermot McCabe Agree
Derry - Anthony Tohill Not at all - McGilligan was the man
Donegal - Tony Boyle Molloy every time
Down - Mickey L Blaney has to be the surest bet of all
Fermanagh - Barry Owens Yes, good one
Monaghan - Tommy Freeman
Sligo - O'Hara
Mayo -  Kieran McD Nallen Nallen Nallen
Leitrim - Padraig Kenny Quinn
Galway - Padraig Joyce
Roscommon - Frankie Dolan
Cork - Corkery
Kerry - Gooch
Limerick - John Galvin Brilliant player
Clare - Martin Daly
Waterford - Eh Gary Hurney
Tipp - Declan Browne
Dublin - Paul Curran
Meath - Giles
Louth - Stephan White
Westmeath - Dessie Dolan
Kildare - Glen Ryan
Wexford - Forde
Offaly - Ciaran Mc
Kilkenny - A another
Wicklow - Leighton Glynn
Carlow - Johnny Nevin
Longford - Paul Barden

And Laois: Joe Higgins, then Ross M

125 caps and apart from the last 6 months or so a model of consistency.Best keeper Ireland ever had.

Performance that stands out was a 1-0 win for Ireland in Cyprus about 2004/2005.

Completely correct, best by a mile, but on the slope for a few months now.