Doomsday+1

[bottlethrower7]

BT7

Do you have the same problem with the GAA clubs who use rugby and soccer pitches and training facilities, or is it purely a one-way street?

let me know how the question is relevant and I'll consider answering it.

But if you want to know would I ride the pigs back were soccer or rugby in a position to advance the cause of the GAA in terms of its promotion and its finances, hell yeah, I'd jump at the chance. Its about getting ahead in competition. Money isn't the issue. People playing the games is.

But I'm sure you asked it thinking me in some way bigoted, hoping for the chance to catch me out and call me a hypocrite. Reread what I wrote in this thread (or maybe read it for the first time). Then clarify your question.

I look forward to your response.

[Onlooker]

Just to confirm to Full Back that it is Adrian Logan, who is the tube.  Of course, the Bloody Sunday match between Dublin and Tipperary was a challenge match.  The 1920 All Ireland Final was not played until 1922, because of the delays caused by the War of Independence.   GAA matches were almost at a full stop in 1920, because of harassment of the GAA by British forces.  The first inter county game for some time was a challenge match in Croke Park between Dublin and Kildare in October, 1920 and the next match arranged was the challenge match between Dublin and Tipperary.  That guy Logan and many others could do with a history lesson all right.

[Bogball XV]

why? the current deal has a time limit. planning permission has been applied for LR and has been held up by objections.

Because they'll still be making more than otherwise would be the case?  I must admit, when I went to the  game the  other night, I thought to myself that the building of a 45000 seater stadium in Lansdowne is a pretty pointless waste of resources, although I suppose neither team will always be able to fill Croker (as the gaa struggles to as well), maybe the ideal would be a 40000 stadium that the  gaa can also use, when it looks like 2 non box office teams will have bother half filling Croker.
My final point is that I don't think this deal will be temporary, I think that something will be written into the rule book that will give Croke Park Ltd the option of allowing other sports access to Croker when demand dictates.

[Billys Boots]

The reality is that rugby is currently experiencing the feel good factor of a successful team.

Good Irish rugby teams will come and go, but our clubs and counties will always be with us.

I know that as an underage trainer/manager BT7, you will be feeling the pinch in keeping kids' interest levels up, and that you feel betrayed by Croker being used as an advertisement for sports competing for the attention of your charges.  But ffs BT7, the sporting destinations of 'your kids' will be more dependent on you and the club than anything else, not the Dubs and not the Irish Rugby/Soccer teams.  A youngster has a better prospect of playing in Croker by sticking to GAA than they have in Rugby or Soccer, even if they're there til eternity.  

[Hardy]

On Tipp v. Dublin, 1920 - A couple of pieces of amusing trivia about the preamble to that match emerged in a radio documentary last week. Unfortunately, I only half-heard it, but it appears that the Tipp team shared the train to Dublin on the Saturday with a contingent of Tans (I didn't get numbers). The Tans, Auxies etc. were not allowed to carry arms on the trains (remember the scene from "The Wind that Shakes the Barley"), so these boys were unarmed. Of course, some exchanges took place that quickly escalated into an all-out fight. Tipp won, they said. 

Another story was that Mick Hogan was a bit of a joker. He was sharing a bed in Barry's Hotel with another player and the room was also occupied by two strangers in another bed. (Barry's hasn't changed much, then). In the night/early morning, they heard some shooting (said by the narrator to be related to the Cairo Gang killings). The two strangers were very nervous, so Hogan had a bit if fun by throwing bullseyes (sweets) at the ceiling, convincing the two terrified lads they were bullets coming through the windows.

[scalder]

Lads, people are saying that Lansdowne will be rebuilt with the IRFU using Croke Park for the 50k + games but you forget that they will be taking massive sums off organisations for corporate boxes. Now can they really say to them, thanks but for the big games, ie England/France – we're off to Croke Park where you will have to pay again, surely this won't happen?
I think we'll see planning permission being granted eventually but with conditions restricting the corporate facilities(the are the reason for the stadiums huge height), the IRFU will put this to the public as making it unviable and so they'll move to Croke Park building a small 30k stadium somewhere in the city environs.

[realredhandfan]

surely this thread should be in the non gaa section. 

[SammyG]

BT7

Do you have the same problem with the GAA clubs who use rugby and soccer pitches and training facilities, or is it purely a one-way street?

let me know how the question is relevant and I'll consider answering it.

But if you want to know would I ride the pigs back were soccer or rugby in a position to advance the cause of the GAA in terms of its promotion and its finances, hell yeah, I'd jump at the chance. Its about getting ahead in competition. Money isn't the issue. People playing the games is.

But I'm sure you asked it thinking me in some way bigoted, hoping for the chance to catch me out and call me a hypocrite. Reread what I wrote in this thread (or maybe read it for the first time). Then clarify your question.

I look forward to your response.

Bt

Obviously I don't know you but you've never struck me as being the bigotted type and that wasn't the point of my question. I was genuinely trying to find out your opinion (and the others who oppose use of GAA grounds) on the GAA using other sports grounds.

I can understand (although not agree with) somebody who says, as a point of principal, 'it's our ground, our money, it should only be used by the GAA' but I don't understand how you can then turn round and use rugby and soccer grounds and training facilities, when the 'boots on the other foot'.

[bottlethrower7]

The reality is that rugby is currently experiencing the feel good factor of a successful team.

Good Irish rugby teams will come and go, but our clubs and counties will always be with us.

I know that as an underage trainer/manager BT7, you will be feeling the pinch in keeping kids' interest levels up, and that you feel betrayed by Croker being used as an advertisement for sports competing for the attention of your charges.  But ffs BT7, the sporting destinations of 'your kids' will be more dependent on you and the club than anything else, not the Dubs and not the Irish Rugby/Soccer teams.  A youngster has a better prospect of playing in Croker by sticking to GAA than they have in Rugby or Soccer, even if they're there til eternity. 

Billy, fair point. As a kid who played hurling in Dublin, I can recall exactly what my aspirations in the game were. Of course the ultimate would have been to play for the county and win an all-Ireland medal, but that was never much of a runner. All I ever wanted was to play in Croke Park. That was was the pre-development Croke Park. My primary school were frequently in finals there, but never any team that I played on. The good times always seemed to miss me by a year. Disappointing, but I always clung to that dream, that one day I'd get to play there.

In the area I grew up in the 2 main codes were GAA and soccer. All my life I saw kids grow up, play the games side by side, and then have to choose. When I was younger it was soccer that was the choice of many. At the time we had little by way of facilities, we met for games  at the local shops, and togged in ditches. Now we have great facilities, so obviously its not an issue. But the one thing we had, as a young club with nothing, was a game where a kid could realistically have aspirations of playing for their county, but more specifically, to do so in Croke Park. That was something the kids that went playing soccer couldn't ever have.

It may sound like a trivial thing, but I know I wasn't the only one. I recall the piece about Graham Clarke in Christy O'Connor's book. Here was a guy, one of the top hurling keepers in the game, and all he wanted was to grace that hallowed turf. Thankfully he got to, eventually. I wasn't so lucky, but thems the breaks. Playing Croke Park should be the reserved right of hurlers, footballers and camogie players. Thats my opinion.

Sammy, fair enough, but I think I've made myself clear. Its about getting ahead. To allow soccer and rugby into Croke Park does not, in my mind, benefit the GAA enough to make it worthwhile. If, theoretically, the GAA's cause could be furthered by selling out some soccer or rugby stadia in the future, then of course I would condone it. Its conjecture though - it won't ever happen.

[Tony Baloney]

This lad doesn't do irony does he?!

[Mid Mon]

What a dummy!

[Croí na hÉireann]

This lad doesn't do irony does he?!

You couldn't make that up 

[cavan4ever]

It really proves the mentality of these guys.

[realredhandfan]

Exactly its hilarious, but it dosent take away from the legitimate and ongoing arguement against opening Croke Park.  can we not have this rugby thread in the non GAA section please. 

[scalder]

RHF – I'd argue as we are discussing the future of the GAA its an GAA thread.