Burns wants rid of Tricolour & Anthem to attract Protestants to GAA

[Franko]

So based on experiences at an exclusively middle class club in south Belfast (really breaking down the barriers there eh joe?), plus a handful in Ballymena (actually kinda impressed with that one) means the GAA outreach is working?

If we were to see those sort of numbers at senior level there might be some merit to it. The fact is there is a mountain of work to be done in this area, and before anyone jumps down my throat for wanting to appease the nutters, Tom Elliot and co can kindly F off if they go out of their way to despise every aspect of the GAA.

Ah c'mon - you won't see clubs recruiting senior players straight out.  Underage is where it starts.  You wouldn't see too many clubs with players from a nationalist background on their senior squads who had never played gaelic games before.

What a stupid comment.

You won't see many/any Protestant kids playing for clubs anywhere in the north fullstop. St Brigids are an upper middle class, non-offensive club compiled of well to do professionals in South Belfast.

Brolley can pull 2 ridiculous examples out of his head if he wants but its complete rubbish.

Brolly gave 2 examples.  I know of at least one club in Derry where it's happening.  I'm sure others could put forward further examples.  The facts are there, you can choose to ignore them if you wish but they won't change.

[general_lee]

So based on experiences at an exclusively middle class club in south Belfast (really breaking down the barriers there eh joe?), plus a handful in Ballymena (actually kinda impressed with that one) means the GAA outreach is working?

If we were to see those sort of numbers at senior level there might be some merit to it. The fact is there is a mountain of work to be done in this area, and before anyone jumps down my throat for wanting to appease the nutters, Tom Elliot and co can kindly F off if they go out of their way to despise every aspect of the GAA.

Ah c'mon - you won't see clubs recruiting senior players straight out.  Underage is where it starts.  You wouldn't see too many clubs with players from a nationalist background on their senior squads who had never played gaelic games before.

I mean are these young players being retained? do they stay? This is what I would judge "unionist outreach" on. Kids will pretty much do anything you tell them with things like this and they more than likely don't fully understand some of the trappings that come with the GAA. When Ballymena or any other club have 7 Protestants on their senior panel I'll be really impressed. Not to take away from them or St Brigids or the Derry club you have in mind (I could probably guess who), I think it's great, it shows that they have fostered good relations in the community and have gained respect of people from all sides. For most clubs though it wouldn't be that easy, in fact I'd say many would struggle, and a few might even have no interest. I wonder is there any actual protocol for clubs to follow in this regard?

[imtommygunn]

Do any integrated schools have GAA teams?

I would imagine that more integrated schools is helping here.

[Franko]

So based on experiences at an exclusively middle class club in south Belfast (really breaking down the barriers there eh joe?), plus a handful in Ballymena (actually kinda impressed with that one) means the GAA outreach is working?

If we were to see those sort of numbers at senior level there might be some merit to it. The fact is there is a mountain of work to be done in this area, and before anyone jumps down my throat for wanting to appease the nutters, Tom Elliot and co can kindly F off if they go out of their way to despise every aspect of the GAA.

Ah c'mon - you won't see clubs recruiting senior players straight out.  Underage is where it starts.  You wouldn't see too many clubs with players from a nationalist background on their senior squads who had never played gaelic games before.

I mean are these young players being retained? do they stay? This is what I would judge "unionist outreach" on. Kids will pretty much do anything you tell them with things like this and they more than likely don't fully understand some of the trappings that come with the GAA. When Ballymena or any other club have 7 Protestants on their senior panel I'll be really impressed. Not to take away from them or St Brigids or the Derry club you have in mind (I could probably guess who), I think it's great, it shows that they have fostered good relations in the community and have gained respect of people from all sides. For most clubs though it wouldn't be that easy, in fact I'd say many would struggle, and a few might even have no interest. I wonder is there any actual protocol for clubs to follow in this regard?

I think it's too early to tell if they've been retained or not.  This is all relatively new - if you'd mentioned GAA outreach to Unionists 20 years ago you'd have been laughed out of it.  It's a slow process.  However, these young kids won't be doing anything without their parents' consent so the support of the parents is obviously there.

As far as official protocol, I don't think so. The nearest thing I know of are initiatives such as those below.

http://ulster.gaa.ie/community/community-outreach/

[general_lee]

So based on experiences at an exclusively middle class club in south Belfast (really breaking down the barriers there eh joe?), plus a handful in Ballymena (actually kinda impressed with that one) means the GAA outreach is working?

If we were to see those sort of numbers at senior level there might be some merit to it. The fact is there is a mountain of work to be done in this area, and before anyone jumps down my throat for wanting to appease the nutters, Tom Elliot and co can kindly F off if they go out of their way to despise every aspect of the GAA.

Ah c'mon - you won't see clubs recruiting senior players straight out.  Underage is where it starts.  You wouldn't see too many clubs with players from a nationalist background on their senior squads who had never played gaelic games before.

I mean are these young players being retained? do they stay? This is what I would judge "unionist outreach" on. Kids will pretty much do anything you tell them with things like this and they more than likely don't fully understand some of the trappings that come with the GAA. When Ballymena or any other club have 7 Protestants on their senior panel I'll be really impressed. Not to take away from them or St Brigids or the Derry club you have in mind (I could probably guess who), I think it's great, it shows that they have fostered good relations in the community and have gained respect of people from all sides. For most clubs though it wouldn't be that easy, in fact I'd say many would struggle, and a few might even have no interest. I wonder is there any actual protocol for clubs to follow in this regard?

I think it's too early to tell if they've been retained or not.  This is all relatively new - if you'd mentioned GAA outreach to Unionists 20 years ago you'd have been laughed out of it.  It's a slow process.  However, these young kids won't be doing anything without their parents' consent so the support of the parents is obviously there.

As far as official protocol, I don't think so. The nearest thing I know of are initiatives such as those below.

http://ulster.gaa.ie/community/community-outreach/

You'd still get laughed at from some quarters... I had that link in mind as I looked at it earlier this morning, the Cuchulainn experiment has been going from at least 2007 and it looks like the web page hasn't been updated much since. Imo the things listed there aren't enough. We can't just rely on a select few schools partnering up and being given a few months football/hurling exposure, nor can we just rely on a small number of clubs sporadically encouraging people from non-Nationalist backgrounds to play our games

[Franko]

So based on experiences at an exclusively middle class club in south Belfast (really breaking down the barriers there eh joe?), plus a handful in Ballymena (actually kinda impressed with that one) means the GAA outreach is working?

If we were to see those sort of numbers at senior level there might be some merit to it. The fact is there is a mountain of work to be done in this area, and before anyone jumps down my throat for wanting to appease the nutters, Tom Elliot and co can kindly F off if they go out of their way to despise every aspect of the GAA.

Ah c'mon - you won't see clubs recruiting senior players straight out.  Underage is where it starts.  You wouldn't see too many clubs with players from a nationalist background on their senior squads who had never played gaelic games before.

I mean are these young players being retained? do they stay? This is what I would judge "unionist outreach" on. Kids will pretty much do anything you tell them with things like this and they more than likely don't fully understand some of the trappings that come with the GAA. When Ballymena or any other club have 7 Protestants on their senior panel I'll be really impressed. Not to take away from them or St Brigids or the Derry club you have in mind (I could probably guess who), I think it's great, it shows that they have fostered good relations in the community and have gained respect of people from all sides. For most clubs though it wouldn't be that easy, in fact I'd say many would struggle, and a few might even have no interest. I wonder is there any actual protocol for clubs to follow in this regard?

I think it's too early to tell if they've been retained or not.  This is all relatively new - if you'd mentioned GAA outreach to Unionists 20 years ago you'd have been laughed out of it.  It's a slow process.  However, these young kids won't be doing anything without their parents' consent so the support of the parents is obviously there.

As far as official protocol, I don't think so. The nearest thing I know of are initiatives such as those below.

http://ulster.gaa.ie/community/community-outreach/

You'd still get laughed at from some quarters... I had that link in mind as I looked at it earlier this morning, the Cuchulainn experiment has been going from at least 2007 and it looks like the web page hasn't been updated much since. Imo the things listed there aren't enough. We can't just rely on a select few schools partnering up and being given a few months football/hurling exposure, nor can we just rely on a small number of clubs sporadically encouraging people from non-Nationalist backgrounds to play our games

Here are a few links from the Ulster GAA website showcasing various initiatives/events which are of a cross community nature.  This is only the info I gained from taking 5 minutes and going through the Ulster GAA press releases.  There are many things like this going on on a weekly basis which are never publicised outside of local areas.

September 2015
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2015/09/sport-uniting-communities-showcase-event/

July 2015
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2015/07/roe-valley-cuchulainns-reach-abc-final/

June 2105
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2015/06/integrated-schools-hurling-blitz/

April 2015
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2015/04/roe-valley-crowned-2015-cuchulainn-cup-champions/

February 2015
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2015/02/three-sporting-governing-bodies-announce-impact-dcal-funded-programme/

Nov 2014
http://ulster.gaa.ie/2014/11/three-sports-commit-to-tackle-bullying-now-2/

The GAA have moved a great deal in recent years.  The removal of 'active' discriminatory rules like 21 and 42 were a massive step forward and were welcomed by most.

Where I draw the line is the removal of 'passive' things which a good proportion of the players/membership deem to enhance our games in order to pander to a section of our society which I believe will simply never accept the GAA.  Burns use of Elliot was unfortunate, given Elliot's previous statements on 'never' attending a GAA game.

[Maguire01]

Pleasantly surprised to see such agreement with Jarlath's proposal. Apart from the potential to make the GAA more appealing to some (others will never embrace it, and we should spend little time trying to accommodate them) the flag and anthem add little as it is.

Only seeing this now, hence my late reply.  Your statement is simply bollocks.  As a player, standing for the anthem before a game is a very proud moment for me and most certainly adds to the occasion.  You certainly don't speak for all gaels with this.

I never claimed to speak for anyone other than myself, so calm yourself.

In your opinion, the flag and anthem add nothing. That carries a little less weight than your previous announcement. In my opinion they add a great deal.

Good for you.

Sneering and condescension.  A fellow GAA member says that they, in fact, think that the flag and anthem are a good thing and the games would be lessened without it and that's your response.  Definitely seems to be a common trait among the 'reform' group.

The thing is, it's probably one of the reasons that the attempts at reform will fail.  People don't follow a sneering smartarse with a superiority complex (see Burns).  They much prefer someone with a strong belief in something who's not afraid to show it passionately.  Actually, that's probably why the SDLP find themselves in the mire they are currently in.

Hmmm, so, i'm accused of "sneering and condescention" by someone who opened the exchange with "Your statement is simply bollocks".... and who refers to someone else as "sneering smartarse with a superiority complex"...

You stated, as fact, that the flag and anthem 'add little'.  You didn't say it was your opinion, you just stated it as fact.  I pointed out that plenty of people disagree with this (many have come out and said so on this thread).  I could have put it in less blunt terms but your statement was 'bollocks'.  There's no sneering or condescension in that.

I didn't state it as fact. It's obviously my opinion. How could it be a 'fact' when it's a subjective matter?
Do you need every sentence to start with "in my opinion..."?

[Seany]

Here's the actual interview.  He doesn't call for anything actually, which makes the thread title quite misleading.  Quite a measured response to pressure questioning if you ask me.
Typical Mallie. Not a clue about the GAA as his questioning shows.  Has spent too much time away from South Armagh.  Hard to believe from their accents that they were brought up in the same village.

http://www.irishtv.ie/eamonn-mallie-meets-jarlath-burns

[StGallsGAA]

I'd expect those protestants who would respond to outreach initiatives would not have any issue with the emblems, much in the same way as most Ulster rugby followers had no issue with the tricolour or anthem.   Those who might demand the abandonment of tricolour and anthem to appease protestants are the same people who will tell you if Catholics don't like to stand for GSTQ at N.I. matches, they can choose not to go.

[rrhf]

Agreed progressive nationalism is ok with their stuff and ok with our stuff. Everyone has a past and we all have a future..

[charlieTully]

Do any integrated schools have GAA teams?

I would imagine that more integrated schools is helping here.

My son is in 4th year at an integrated school. In that time they have played one match. There is not enough interest within the nationalist kids in the school never mind the unionists. They have a very successful soccer team which is well represented by catholic lads. It's our own community we need to be outreaching too for players as well as unionists. At under 16 level here we have an amalgamation of 4 clubs. 35 lads at training at start of the year. Loads have quit because they can't get any football.

[doodaa]

Do any integrated schools have GAA teams?

I would imagine that more integrated schools is helping here.

My son is in 4th year at an integrated school. In that time they have played one match. There is not enough interest within the nationalist kids in the school never mind the unionists. They have a very successful soccer team which is well represented by catholic lads. It's our own community we need to be outreaching too for players as well as unionists. At under 16 level here we have an amalgamation of 4 clubs. 35 lads at training at start of the year. Loads have quit because they can't get any football.

Why the need to amalgamate then if you have the nr's?

[charlieTully]

Do any integrated schools have GAA teams?

I would imagine that more integrated schools is helping here.

My son is in 4th year at an integrated school. In that time they have played one match. There is not enough interest within the nationalist kids in the school never mind the unionists. They have a very successful soccer team which is well represented by catholic lads. It's our own community we need to be outreaching too for players as well as unionists. At under 16 level here we have an amalgamation of 4 clubs. 35 lads at training at start of the year. Loads have quit because they can't get any football.

Why the need to amalgamate then if you have the nr's?

the individual clubs don't have the numbers but four together have far too many. I don't understand the thinking behind it at all. an amalgamation of 2 clubs yes but four is crazy.

[doodaa]

Do any integrated schools have GAA teams?

I would imagine that more integrated schools is helping here.

My son is in 4th year at an integrated school. In that time they have played one match. There is not enough interest within the nationalist kids in the school never mind the unionists. They have a very successful soccer team which is well represented by catholic lads. It's our own community we need to be outreaching too for players as well as unionists. At under 16 level here we have an amalgamation of 4 clubs. 35 lads at training at start of the year. Loads have quit because they can't get any football.

Why the need to amalgamate then if you have the nr's?

the individual clubs don't have the numbers but four together have far too many. I don't understand the thinking behind it at all. an amalgamation of 2 clubs yes but four is crazy.

It is crazy lol
As you say 2 clubs merging would have been fine it seems.

[Tothefuture]

As someone new to showing an interest in GAA in the last few years I have to say I welcome Jarlath's comments. I come from Co Armagh and grew up with no knowledge of the Sport. Having seen however through my Career the huge benefits that GAA can have on young people I have toyed with the idea of getting My own children involved in Our local club.

I have to say however my concern is whether it would encompass any political outlook. I have no interest in my Children attending sports clubs with flags etc and have been lucky in that the coaching or clubs in other sports they have went to have involved none of this. I fully expected GAA to be the same however having families members attend a GAA awards night at a different club I noticed Tricolours up for the Childrens ceremony. Would this be the norm in most clubs?