FRC Part 2. The 8 team provinces?

[thejuice]

Let's stick with the unfair system because anyway way you could make it fair would be unfair.

[Syferus]

How about we just give Dublin the AI and forget about all this playing football crap?

[BennyHarp]

Not at all. The boundaries of the provinces were probably drawn up in a similar fashion by some regal person and through war. I was just continuing on that basis since that is the only one you seem to recognise.

With you it seems, it's either that or tear the whole thing up.

I'm not bothered about where the provincial lines are drawn up. It's a football competition, I'm just not sure why we would draft random teams into another championship to try and maintain some semblance of a provincial championship that isn't working. All I'm saying is, that if we are going to make that jump we should pick 4 groups of eight regardless of geography, perhaps based on seedings from the league. The provincial councils would be maintained to govern the club matches played within the current provincial system.

[armaghniac]

4 random groups of 8 loses a lot of the local rivalry that defines the provincial championships. Geography also greatly increases the crowd at games.

[BennyHarp]

4 random groups of 8 loses a lot of the local rivalry that defines the provincial championships. Geography also greatly increases the crowd at games.

Great, so we'll just pluck one of these local teams and draft them into another province?

[Sionnach]

It's Connacht (or Anglicised version if you may Connaught, but nowhere in history, and yes I studied the goddamn thing until the LC have I seen it Connaght)

Connaght

This Province hath been otherwise devided then now it is, by reason the O'Reilies cuntrye (now county of Cavan) and O'Faralls cuntry (now the county of Longford) were held parcell of yt and Thomond or the county of Clare was accounted of Munster. The word Thomond signifieth north Munster, and was in the commission of the presidents of Munster in Sr. Warham Sentligers, Sr. John Perotts, and Sr. Will. Druries tyme. But Sr. Hen. Sidney consideringe the notable bownde yt hath from the rest of Munster, did establish yt under the goverment of Connaght, as yt is at this present. The Province conteineth all the lands circuited with the great ocean, betweene the ryver of Erne nere Asserow40 in O'Donells cuntry, and the ryver of Shenin where yt falleth into the sea, beneath Lymryke. It is in manner an Iland, bycause to the north and the west, yt hath the sea, to the south and easte the Shenin, and to the northeast the loughe and ryver of Erne, onely one small slipp of grounde betweene the Shenin and the Erne leaveth that parte vninclosed. It is devided at this present into sixe countyes. Clare, Sligo, Mayo, Gallwaye, Roscommon and Letrim.

So should the FRC give Clare back to Connacht or Connaght?  Definitely returning the O'Reilies cuntrye and O'Faralls cuntry should fit in pretty well with their plan.  Perhaps it's time to finally restore all its lost lands.

[Bud Wiser]

Just saw this now and any suggestion to move Laois into Munster will be resisted with the same ferocity if you tried to take a pram from a Moore Street trader. Our current hurling is the best thing to come out of Laois since Har Ramsbottom & The Escorts Showband got their first gig in Barry's hotel. Cannon fodder for Cork and Tipp ? Not gonna happen. What they should do is move just one county from Leinster into Ulster - Dublin. Cork should be barred altogether for throwing yesterday's game.

[AZOffaly]

I think this is only for football Bud. Hurling is grand. Although I like Brian Carroll's suggestion on Saturday, 'Everyone should be allowed in Division 1'.

[J70]

Lets see how this might work. Geographical constrainsts would surely come into it, but essentially we have 9 teams in Ulster, 6 in Connacht, 6 in Munster and 11 in Leinster.

So, we need to reduce Ulster by one, and move them into Connacht. Donegal might be an option, as they touch Sligo, but probably Cavan makes more sense as it's closer to more of the Connacht counties.

That makes Ulster 8, Connacht 7, Munster 6 and Leinster 11.

So the next three have to come out of Leinster. Again, based on geography, you could argue for Offaly or Longford to be in Connacht, with the borders with Roscommon and Galway in Offaly's case. Lets say Longford.

That makes Ulster 8, Connacht 8, Munster 6 and Leinster 10.

So now two more from Leinster into Munster. Offaly touches Tipperary, but would be stretching the province a good bit north. Laois would also be touching Tipp, and a bit lower down. Kilkenny are irrelevant for this hypothesis, so Wexford or Carlow probably the only others that would make sense. I'd imagine Offaly and Laois into Munster would be the most efficient.

So,

Ulster : Donegal, Monaghan, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone.
Connacht : Cavan, Longford, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and London.
Leinster: Louth, Meath, Dublin, Westmeath, Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford.
Munster: Offaly, Laois, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Kerry and Cork,

Just a wee nitpick which doesn't detract from your points... We border Leitrim, not Sligo. We've to cross 3 miles or so of Leitrim territory outside Bundoran at the narrowest point before crossing into Sligo. 

[Rossfan]

Central Council supposed to be voting on these today.

[Rossfan]

Depends on what they pass I suppose.
If they reject all the proposals ..... then it's goodnight FRC.