Doomsday+1

[thewobbler]

So lads, really, what the f*ck was all the fuss about?

[SammyG]

Exactly.

But I do wish they wouldnt sing that bloody song, Irelands Call, its terrible.

What do you suggest as a replacement?

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

What do you suggest as a replacement?

Near enough anything. Danny Boy for one. At least it has a bit of history to it. Or maybe something by Dana? All kinds of everything?

[Uladh]

After watching gerry kelly's interview with barry mcguigan the other day it made me think back to those electrifying renditions of danny boy his da would sing pre fght. emotional stuff

[scalder]

Not doomsday lads but Rugby took a massive step forward in terms of its growth in Ireland. I've never seen hype like it lads and we've the Heniken Cup and Rugby World Cup to look forward to. Its tough for us to compete in ways as we don't have the international aspect and its ability for one team to appeal to the whole island or the glamour of professional sport. We will also now have to have every GAA events athmoshpere compared to the that of the game yesterday. Oh and the clamour to stay at Croke Park on on permanent basis is well and truely up and running with planning issues making the new Lansdowne less and less likely.

[Uladh]

I have to say i felt watching the prematch routine on saturday that it i was watching a mistake unfolding. nothing at all to do with the english or any other nation. having not had much of an opinion through the opening croker debate i found myself wishing we had kept the stadium for our own use. the argument often was that the gaa should have enough confidence in itself to throw open their doors to the outside world in this day and age but i feel now as though something special has gone and croke park is just another sporting venue now. maybe we should have had enough confidence in ourselves to be proud of what we had achieved with the stadium and enough faith in generations of toil that we shouldn't need the approval of others for what we do and how we achieved it.

[AZOffaly]

What you say scalder is possibly true, and was my main 'reservation' about opening Croker. I was in favour, but hesitantly so. Not out of bad will towards 'foreign games' or the like, but out of pragmatic reasons to do with the place of GAA in the hearts and minds of youngsters who want to play sports. Rugby got a hell of a fillip yesterday.

But today is not the day for such talk, let's bask in the glow of a great day, a great result and a great atmosphere.

[scalder]

"maybe we should have had enough confidence in ourselves to be proud of what we had achieved with the stadium and enough faith in generations of toil that we shouldn't need the approval of others for what we do and how we achieved it."

I would agree that this need for recognition or approval from others is hugely immature. I'd prefer that we had not opened up, but I think we had to as the back lash would have been massive, so while I think its a real challange for the GAA I'm not sure relastically we had many options.
Offlay I which I could bask in the glory but I can't as I have this sinking feeling about the impact on our games and a unique Irish way of life.

[SammyG]

Exactly.

But I do wish they wouldnt sing that bloody song, Irelands Call, its terrible.

What do you suggest as a replacement?

We should just stick to Amhrán na bhFiann, or for you Sammy The Soldiers Song. Its the National Anthem of our country.
I watched the game yesterday with three English people, even they found Irelands Call shocking. To me the song is embarassing. Its political correctness gone mad.

I'm well aware what Amhrán na bhFiann is but thanks for the translation. I'm also well aware that it is the anthem of the Republic of Ireland and is therefore not suitable to represent an all-island team.

[ardal]

Did anyone also notice the number of times people on the tv said that they were looking forward to big games next year; they implied in Croke park, but isn't the agreement over at the end of this year?

[never kickt a ball]

Doomsday for who? 

[AZOffaly]

Did anyone also notice the number of times people on the tv said that they were looking forward to big games next year; they implied in Croke park, but isn't the agreement over at the end of this year?

No Ardal, Central Council approved the extension into 2008.

[scalder]

Take your points - excellent points there - worried about the future of our games!

[darbyo]

I agree with TYP that rugby is a growing competitor for players,spectators and sponsorship,however I don't think the games in Croke Park are really that influential. The hype would have been massive regardless of where the games were played, we have a team that can compete with the best in the world and Irish people always pile onto any sporting bandwagon.Steve Collins,Barry McGuigan,Sonia O'Sullivan,Michelle Smith,the soccer team under Charlton, when these (and some others) were at the peak of their careers, able to beat the best in the world their exploits crossed all bounderies, we all became passionate swimming or athletics fans but when they faded we dropped our interest in those sports immediately.socer team is the perfect example of this, I remember the Charlton years, absolutely everyone was a soccer fanatic now most people I know are fairly indifferent to the Irish results and often only watch them if the opposition are good.
                             I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this, there is'nt, I was on all those bandwagons myself it's just thet rugby is now enjoying the bandwagon affect and when this group of players passes many will lose interest in the sport again. The real battle ground for all sports is the schools and to a lesser degree the various towns and large urban centers. It is here where the GAA must mobilize it's greater resources and take advantage of it's more developed infrastrucure to ensure that when kids make sporting choices that they choose the GAA, as their main summer time game. Rather than complain or worry about what other sports are doing we ( and by that I mean people like those on this board with a passion for the GAA) should redouble our efforts to consolidate wherewe are strong and to make inroads in areas where we are weak.

[deiseach]

Last night, the genie got out of the bottle and he can never be forced back!

I am not approaching this from a Greenan or even a republican, anti British standpoint but the GAA has now released a major force against the promotion and playing of Gaelic games by allowing rugby to be showcased in Croke Park.  In many ways I welcome the genie but I just hope that the GAA administrators at every level will recognise the genie as he walks the corridors of every school in this country and enters every home through the insidious box sitting in the corner of every living room!  Somehow, I sadly fear that they won't.

The timing of the arrival of rugby in Croke Park could never have been worse for the GAA.  Ireland now have a world class team capable of competing with the best teams in the world and beating most of them.  The recent and current success of the provinces in the Heineken Cup and the success of the Magniers Celtic League have provided additional platforms for the promotion of the game of rugby.  Attendance at games is no longer a necessity, Setanta pump out rugby at all levels and Sky appear to have as much rugby as soccer.  Look at the viewing figures for RTE for the rugby in Croke Park and add the BBC figures for local viewers and you will find that the have had more than two All Ireland finals in the last fortnight.  Just imagine the hype had Ireland defended the final minutes against France as the 6 nations reaches a finale on St Patrick's Day, where would the club finals be then as the climax of the year for the orindary club man or woman?  How many of the 166,000 who attended Croke Park to see Ireland had never attended a rugby game before, I would estimate that it was a high proportion!

Already the IRFU is well ahead of the GAA in promoting its games at school and local level.  They recognise the additional skills that youngsters with football coaching can bring to their game.  We received as many tickets for each of the rugby internationals in Croke Park as we get for the All Ireland final from the Ulster Colleges and we only have two rugby squads!  GAA in the towns is already under major pressure and with an international and professional sport being played on the biggest stage in the country, it doesn't take much to attract the growing number of middle class parents to the local rugby club or to buy that rugby shirt for birthdays and Christmas!

Our own U-16 and U-14 rugby squads will have a few more recruits at training next week and the games will be the talk of the corridors and playgrounds on Monday.  The thumping of the old enemy will be the topic of conversation, so much for Cork and Tyrone under lights in the NFL! 

Its time for Pat Darcy and co to wake up and smell the coffee, it's not the GPA that is the enemy or the danger at the door for football and hurling!  Rugby has arrived and it is here to stay, thanks to the Croke Park hype and spectacle.

Ireland's world class team is only capable of winning a contest that soccer put to bed 23 years ago. It can't even win the Six Nations, let alone the Grand Slam or the World Cup. The Heineken Cup is staring down the barrel of a gun and the Magners League is a joke although not as big a joke as the All-Ireland League. Setanta is just as generous to the GAA as it is to rugby and Sky does not show as much rugby as soccer, how anyone could say that is beyond me. Viewing figures were massive for the last two games precisely because they were a novelty, figures will certainly return to normal next year. I find it highly unlikely that many of 166,000 have never been to a rugby match before. The tickets were distributed to rugby clubs so how were non-rugby fans meant to get the tickets when they were likely to be oversubscribed among regular rugby fans? Does the fact that the All-Ireland final tickets are spread so thinly across the country compared to rugby international tickets tell you nothing about the penetration of the GAA compared to that of rugby?

We've been here before with high profile international sports supposedly ready to swamp the poor unprepared GAA. When Charlton-mania was at its height the GAA advertised championship matches on RTE which looked a little pathetic alongside Maradona and co., and the FAI bigwigs were singing about sticking yer GAA up yer arse. 10-15 years on, Charlton's children are plying their trade with Sunderland and Brighton's reserves. Rugby's infrastructure is poverty-stricken compared to that of soccer, let alone that of the GAA.

There's no doubt we should be vigilant, but the Croke Park spectacle will go a long way towards funding that vigilance.