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Here's an excellent piece:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/nov/05/poppy-appeal-premier-league

I don't think she was at this year Olympics, but she's so fine......

Allison Stokke

Ellen Hoog, one of the Dutch hockey players. 

So a majority of a people in a province of a soverign state want to be allied to it's much bigger and more powerful neighbour.  Interesting!!

Myself and some mates are flying into Atlanta, then travelling by car to New Orleans through Alabama and Mississippi (hoping to see the "real" south), and then along the coast from there to Houston.  Any places that are must see/to be avoided?

I was in Forkhill and Crossmaglen y'day.  I did not see any border and was not required to show any I.D.  How do our Unionist friends feel about having to show I.D. when entering Britain?  Would you rather see a border set up on the island?

Well they might as well have one in Dublin too for all the southerners in the RIR.  It seems to be ok now, but not in my book.

I'm a bit surprised by some answers here.  I presumed the ones who said it or prayed/went to mass were in the older bracket but when some of ye were on about saying it for kids births etc, I'm obviously wrong.  I don't go to mass or pray.  I happened to pass my grandparents grave in Roscommon the other day and popped in.  I blessed myself but didn't say anything.  I have remnants of Catholicism in me.  Maybe they'll be re-ignited,  Probably on my death bed.  Are northerners more practising than southerners?  I presume so.

We live beside a funeral home and the funeral director asks the mother to say it, more and more, as no one in the funeral party knows it.  She's a professional rosarian.  She was never allowed in the Olympics in the amateur days.

What happened Glasnevin?

Yeah what happened what I miss?

What did gnevin do?

Young lads burning Union Jacks down estates is wrong.  However, this will not feature on Newsline and UTVLive as the 11th night will.  Will any of the reporters mention that the flag of a soverign nation is being burned on the bonfire?  Will they f*ck.  If that's what passes for Unionist/Loyalist culture, they can f*cking stick it up their hole.  We keep trying to builf bridges, they keep burning them, literally.

We can all see the benefits to the GAA from renting out Croke Park to rugby and soccer.  Yeah, the GAA get 1m a game, but how much do the other 2 make?  70 quid for an AI ticket, but the IRFU charging 440 for two tickets for one person in a job lot for Ireland v England and Ireland v Argentina.  More young lads playing underage rugby in Birr than hurling and I'd say this is the same across hurling strongholds.  Plummetting attendances at GAA matches.  Oh yeah, it's been great for the GAA.

1) The IRFU/FAI would make this money regardless of using Croker
2) Hurling has never been stronger in Dublin ,May the Offaly country board should get off their asses and do something about it
3) How is "Plemmeting attendances" at GAA matches related to Croker? The GAA claim the attendance are holding up which isnt bad considering the economy at the moment.

1) 82k versus 50k
2) What about the 50's and 60's?  So more young lads than before are playing hurling in Dublin.  Whoop de f*cking do.  With 1.5 million, I should hope so.  65k people in Offaly.  We're doing our best but we're not getting anywhere near the sort of money being pumped into the capital.
3) Opening Croke Park to rugby and soccer has given these sports a huge amount of promotion.  England v Ireland was the second most watched programme on RTE last year, due in some way to the hype from the previous year in Croke Park.  Hurling and football finals were 8th and 9th.  Attendances are down.  Look at last Sunday.  The GAA are trying to put a spin on it, badly.

We can all see the benefits to the GAA from renting out Croke Park to rugby and soccer.  Yeah, the GAA get 1m a game, but how much do the other 2 make?  70 quid for an AI ticket, but the IRFU charging 440 for two tickets for one person in a job lot for Ireland v England and Ireland v Argentina.  More young lads playing underage rugby in Birr than hurling and I'd say this is the same across hurling strongholds.  Plummetting attendances at GAA matches.  Oh yeah, it's been great for the GAA.

I think that northern Nationalists getting British passports and using the excuse "it's handy for x, y, z," is a cop out.  You are entitled to Irish passports.  Sure aren't British soldiers only ordinary fella's dressed up in a uniform, sure isn't the Union Jack only a piece of cloth etc.  You can excuse anything you like, but it doens't make it right.