Does Ulster always say "no"?

BennyHarp · March 06, 2009, 10:27:03 AM

Martin Breheny has had a right pop at the Ulster Council this week for a motion calling for the end of the international rules series - but does he have a point? Are Ulster holding up progress or fighting to maintain the security and ethos of the GAA?

By Martin Breheny

Wednesday March 04 2009

HERE'S a question to add to the growing list of quandaries currently unanswered in this country: why is it that, at a time when Ulster is enjoying a boom on the playing fields, the province has become so negative elsewhere?

Let the Ireland-Australia International Rules series continue? No, no, no, chant Ulster?

Sign up to a Government deal to give grants to players? Absolutely not, say an Ulster contingent, anchored by a non-elected and grandiosely-titled group, 'Of One Belief'.

Rent Croke Park for rugby and soccer? Not if we have our way, argued large tracts of Ulster, supported by, among others, Cork. My, my, how Cork would love if their only concerns nowadays were how best to lecture others on their disloyalty to an outdated viewpoint.

Cork's lecturing days are over, but it seems Ulster are merely powering up. They want the International Rules series scrapped and will support a Tyrone motion to that effect at Congress. Bizarrely, they want Australian Rules to be treated as a competitor sport, whatever that means.

Last Saturday's Ulster Convention voted 36-5 in support of scrapping International Rules, yet when the question arose of whether the link should continue at Central Council last year, Tyrone were the only Ulster county to vote against it.

What happened in the meantime? Was the dramatic change of heart due to the GAA not awarding the first game of this year's series to Casement Park?

orangeman · March 06, 2009, 10:28:55 AM

Danny Murphy and Tom Daly are going to have a pop back at Breheny for his piece which will feature in tomorrow's edition.

BennyHarp · March 06, 2009, 10:35:48 AM

Quote from: orangeman on March 06, 2009, 10:28:55 AM
Danny Murphy and Tom Daly are going to have a pop back at Breheny for his piece which will feature in tomorrow's edition.

So i see - I think its Ulster prerogative to have an opinion on important issues facing the organisation especially in a democracy of volunteers. If the motion represents the majority of peoples opinion in that organisation then should be respected and debated - not ridiculed by people like Breheny! For the record - i dont support most of the Ulster councils proposals but if it is the majority decision then so be it!

All a bit of quiet season publicity building from Breheny!!

The GAA · March 06, 2009, 10:43:59 AM

I'm not clear on the processes here. could someone tell me how the ulster council canvass opinion or gather votes for thes things?

orangeman · March 06, 2009, 10:48:21 AM

Why were Antrim so annoyed at not being chosen to host a "test" match one week only to vote in support of the motion a week later ?. One week they were promoting the hybrid game - the next they want it banned.

This doesn't add up.

cornafean · March 06, 2009, 10:49:21 AM

In fairness, I thought Breheny's piece was thought-provoking, although I don't agree with him. I think its wrong and maybe a bit insulting, to try to pretend that the GAA in Ulster is a monolithic group all with a single opinion, and all opposed to progress on every front.

If, for example, someone like Joe Brolly or Peter Canavan was to contrive an argument that there is something inherently wrong with Munster GAA, based on a series of incidents in the past year or so such as the Cork football and hurling strikes, Waterford's sacking of Justin, Limerick's shafting of Richie Bennis and the Paul Galvin saga, the likes of Martin Breheny would be the first to attack them for doing so.

Zapatista · March 06, 2009, 01:19:51 PM

Quote from: BennyHarp on March 06, 2009, 10:27:03 AM

HERE'S a question to add to the growing list of quandaries currently unanswered in this country: why is it that, at a time when Ulster is enjoying a boom on the playing fields, the province has become so negative elsewhere?

Perhaps he should have a look at what he is saying here before making up something he can argue with himself on.

He is asking the wrong question. The question should be what are Ulster doing that seems to be working for them (?) rather than, why have they become so negative(?). In fact the highlighted line above should suggest they are positive, well, have positive results anyway.

NAG · March 06, 2009, 03:08:33 PM

Lazy journalism from Breheny again, he looked at the headline and jumped in with both feet.

He cant argue that they are enjoying unprecedented boom in the province without recognising the input that Ulster council has had in that.

mylestheslasher · March 06, 2009, 03:30:54 PM

In answer to your question "yes"

oh no, I mean "no"

Tyrone Dreamer · March 06, 2009, 03:35:42 PM

Maybe things are going well in Ulster cause the GAA authorities are concentrating on promoting gaelic games instead of worrying about linking up with and accomadating other sports. So called gaa people in other parts of the country seem to spend most their time worrying about other sports and how we can accomadate them. I dont trust these people and wonder about their agenda and I include Sean Kelly in that.

A Quinn Martin Production · March 06, 2009, 03:49:15 PM

The main objective of "Of One Belief" was to make sure that the issue of grants to players was full aired and discussed within the GAA. It was successful in achieving this objective. Even though it stood against this issue it accepted the result of the democratic process within the GAA.

I was personally against the opening of Croke Park, but everyone had their say both for and against and at the end of the process I accepted the decision to give outher sports a "dig out".

I don't see anything negative in the above. However...

The International Rules Series is complete dung. Though I'm sure the players enjoy playing it, it is an awful sport with virtually no rules and the only reason people watch it is in the hope that there is a massive dig at some stage. On this point I will have to accept I am displaying a modicum of negativity, not solely a trait of Ulster gaels.

Oh I nearly forgot...Breheny is a t*****r

The GAA · March 06, 2009, 04:08:34 PM

Quote from: A Quinn Martin Production on March 06, 2009, 03:49:15 PM
The main objective of "Of One Belief" was to make sure that the issue of grants to players was full aired and discussed within the GAA. It was successful in achieving this objective. Even though it stood against this issue it accepted the result of the democratic process within the GAA.

I was personally against the opening of Croke Park, but everyone had their say both for and against and at the end of the process I accepted the decision to give outher sports a "dig out".

I don't see anything negative in the above. However...

The International Rules Series is complete dung. Though I'm sure the players enjoy playing it, it is an awful sport with virtually no rules and the only reason people watch it is in the hope that there is a massive dig at some stage. On this point I will have to accept I am displaying a modicum of negativity, not solely a trait of Ulster gaels.

Oh I nearly forgot...Breheny is a t*****r

The "signing off" message from "of one belief" on the website reads...

QuoteThere's no other way of saying it: we lost at Congress last Saturday. To put it any differently is to just fool ourselves. And we were never in that business.Congress was hugely disappointing for us and for the view of the GAA that we had.

http://www.ofonebelief.org/2008/04/16/well-sin-e/

cornafean · March 06, 2009, 04:19:23 PM

Quote from: A Quinn Martin Production on March 06, 2009, 03:49:15 PM
The main objective of "Of One Belief" was to make sure that the issue of grants to players was full aired and discussed within the GAA. It was successful in achieving this objective. Even though it stood against this issue it accepted the result of the democratic process within the GAA

Indeed. Regardless of Mark Conway's interpretation of the Congress vote as a defeat, in retrospect I consider the OOB campaign to have been a huge success.

The final, "refund of expenses"-based version of the grants scheme announced at Central Council on 17 March 2008 bore absolutely no resemblance to the original "dodgy dossier" presented at the same forum on 8 December 2007.

I firmly believe that had the original, flawed proposal been implemented, (as was advocated by some very senior GAA people at the time), it would have been a disaster for the GAA's amateur ethos and for the Association as a whole. I have no doubt that but for the efforts of Mark and the other OOB campaigners, the dodgy dossier would have introduced "pay for play" into the GAA rulebook.

For some reason, (perhaps modesty) Mark and the other OOB leaders did not claim credit for this significant achievement. I think that they erred in not doing so.

longrunsthefox · March 06, 2009, 04:33:01 PM

All these issues have one thing in common which Breheny should know our friends further south will always say 'YES' to and that is money and look at the mess that has got them into. NO-we won't be bought off that easily.
Grants... payments to players more like... £££
Compromise sh**te all about £££
and of course opening Croker ££££s....

A Quinn Martin Production · March 06, 2009, 04:34:00 PM

Quote from: The GAA on March 06, 2009, 04:08:34 PM
Quote from: A Quinn Martin Production on March 06, 2009, 03:49:15 PM
The main objective of "Of One Belief" was to make sure that the issue of grants to players was full aired and discussed within the GAA. It was successful in achieving this objective. Even though it stood against this issue it accepted the result of the democratic process within the GAA.

I was personally against the opening of Croke Park, but everyone had their say both for and against and at the end of the process I accepted the decision to give outher sports a "dig out".

I don't see anything negative in the above. However...

The International Rules Series is complete dung. Though I'm sure the players enjoy playing it, it is an awful sport with virtually no rules and the only reason people watch it is in the hope that there is a massive dig at some stage. On this point I will have to accept I am displaying a modicum of negativity, not solely a trait of Ulster gaels.

Oh I nearly forgot...Breheny is a t*****r

The "signing off" message from "of one belief" on the website reads...

QuoteThere's no other way of saying it: we lost at Congress last Saturday. To put it any differently is to just fool ourselves. And we were never in that business.Congress was hugely disappointing for us and for the view of the GAA that we had.

http://www.ofonebelief.org/2008/04/16/well-sin-e/

TheGAA being a negative Ulster gael, I'll assume you're disagreeing with me. OOB was successful in having this issue aired. It didn't agree with the outcome and one of its other objectives was to have this issue defeated to be sure but nonetheless it accepted the decision of Congress and since the matter is over and done with OOB has sliiped into the unelected grandiosely title stratosphere.