After the Darren Graham Affair is settled

[SammyG]

It started to confuse me when a men started to move from being political prisoners, to criminals to terrorist, without even having to set foot outside the prison gates.

When did this happen? As far as I recall the only people who weren't sure what they were, was the prisoners. One week they were POW's, the next they were Political Status Prisoners, the next they were Political Prisoners. To the rest of the world they were then and always will be terrorists.

[SammyG]

A bit too early to ring the bell on this one Sammy.

Ring the bell on what?

For months you have been parading strings of excuses about how many unionists were somehow excluded from the GAA, and within this thread you have (unsuccessfully) attempted to argue that the GAA has somehow excluded itself from the state school system within NI.

Or to put it another way, I have listed the GAA rules that make it a political organisation and explained why political organisations are banned from state schools

Imho, it is not inconceivable that greater dialogue with open minded unionists will lead to cosmetic changes to the GAA rulebook, removing verbose clauses which mean and deliver very little, but which are perceived as political obstacles by some unionists.

Excellent news and I hope you're right.

If this ever did happen, then the NI state school sector would in turn have to answer why it excludes GAA.

If it happened the state sector would have no reason to bar the GAA and given how good the 'grass roots' GAA is, I'd be amazed if there weren't loads of schools involved, in a fairly short period.

Your pathetic grasping at attempting to justify this exclusion shows that you too need to travel further down this road of open mindedness and mutual respect.

How can quoting from the GAA Official Guide be quantified as pathetic grasping? The GAA are the only body on this island (and I don't know of any others anywhere else) that want to combine the roles of political organisation and sporting one. They need to decide whether there political ideals mean more than furthering the game to the approx 20% that are currently excluded.

[lynchbhoy]

Perhaps, but imho, they might have had kids of all religious and racial denominations playing for them within 20 years if they had chosen not to name the club after someone so closely associated, not just with the nationalist community, but with one narrow political slice within it.

20 years - 30 years - not a chance
its not until the current generation have passed on that they can no longer indoctrinate the future protestant-esque offspring so that they will no longer be blinkered unionist/loyalists and simply normal people looking to just live normally like most of the rest of us want to..

think you dont know much about the club and the hurling reasons why it was named as it is...

[lynchbhoy]

When did I 'admit' anything of the sort? I gave you a list of his convictions.

you will fail to see this as your 'unionist/loyalist upbringing has brainwashed you folks into thinking with tunnel vision.
maybe in time you will see reality.

For the millionth time I'm not any sort of loyalist and certainly didn't have a 'loyalist' upbringing. If somebody goes out in the dead of night in a balaclava to shoot a man in the back, or plants a bomb to kill a load of people in a pub or chains up the doors on a restaurant so that people burn to death then that person is a terrorist. It doesn't matter if he claims to be a 'Republican' or a 'Loyalist' he is a terrorist.

snatter, in 50 - 100 years time I'd expect kids of all religious and racial denominations will be playing for the club called kevin lynch's
the naming was after his prolific yet short hurling career....not political.

Unfortunately I actually think that you believe this shite and can't see the harm in naming a sports club after a terrorist.

so the 'IMPARTIAL' courts of the day 'convicted' him for membership and 'participation' - feck you have had some dup-esque style upbringing to believe all that rubbish.

if you were to agree that the ruc/udr/british army/dup etc were also terrorists, then I would agree that the ira and inla etc were also terrorists then.

otherwise its your orange hall mentality that will continue to blind and blinker you.
no change there then.
You dont want to see/admit the imaginary walls you are putting up pretending there are some kind of barriers in existence to protestant peoples playing Gaelic games.
If young graham has played and is returning to play (and the outcry his despicable treatment caused across the country) then it should be obvious that all codes and creeds can play

except for you oo blinkered folks

[Rossfan]

[. One week they were POW's, the next they were Political Status Prisoners, the next they were Political Prisoners. To the rest of the world they were then and always will be terrorists.

The Rest of the World  no less!!!
For **** sake  - there's more  to the world than Unionists from the 6 North Eastern Counties.

[pintsofguinness]

Pathetic Sammy. 

[nifan]

20 years - 30 years - not a chance
its not until the current generation have passed on that they can no longer indoctrinate the future protestant-esque offspring so that they will no longer be blinkered unionist/loyalists and simply normal people looking to just live normally like most of the rest of us want to..

The current generation of prods dont want to live normally?
Bizarre generalisation

[GweylTah]

so the 'IMPARTIAL' courts of the day 'convicted' him for membership and 'participation' - feck you have had some dup-esque style upbringing to believe all that rubbish.

if you were to agree that the ruc/udr/british army/dup etc were also terrorists, then I would agree that the ira and inla etc were also terrorists then.

otherwise its your orange hall mentality that will continue to blind and blinker you.
no change there then.
You dont want to see/admit the imaginary walls you are putting up pretending there are some kind of barriers in existence to protestant peoples playing Gaelic games.
If young graham has played and is returning to play (and the outcry his despicable treatment caused across the country) then it should be obvious that all codes and creeds can play

except for you oo blinkered folks

Quite possibly the most mutant contribution seen here all year, well-done LynchBhoy, good to see that 'Ireland of Equals' is still work in progress.

[Main Street]

Any evidence to support Sammy's contention that the GAA (a recognised sporting association) is banned from all/some/one  state school(s) on the basis of an opinion that it is a political organisation?

Or is it by choice that GAA games are not on the state school's sports menu?

Are GAA games played at any of State schools?

[SammyG]

[. One week they were POW's, the next they were Political Status Prisoners, the next they were Political Prisoners. To the rest of the world they were then and always will be terrorists.

The Rest of the World  no less!!!
For **** sake  - there's more  to the world than Unionists from the 6 North Eastern Counties.

Yes the definition of terrorist is the same around the world.

[Rossfan]

No it's not !!!
Am Israeli Army Helicopter gunner shooting a rocket into an apartment block in Gaza/west Bank terrorises more people than a Palestinian suicide bomber but which one is called a terrorist by Israel/U S and Western Media.??
In Iran the Yanks are terrorists ,in the US the Iranians are terrorists,in Chechnya the Russians are terrorists,in Russia Chechens are terrorists etc etc.
One man's Freedom Fighter is another man's "terrorist" and has always been thus.

[Chrisowc]

No it's not !!!
Am Israeli Army Helicopter gunner shooting a rocket into an apartment block in Gaza/west Bank terrorises more people than a Palestinian suicide bomber but which one is called a terrorist by Israel/U S and Western Media.??
In Iran the Yanks are terrorists ,in the US the Iranians are terrorists,in Chechnya the Russians are terrorists,in Russia Chechens are terrorists etc etc.
One man's Freedom Fighter is another man's "terrorist" and has always been thus.

So is someone who is in INLA a terrorist?

[Donagh]

So is someone who is in INLA a terrorist?

I suppose they could be. It's quite possible a member of the Conclave could be a terrorist but membership of the Conclave does not make a man a terrorist.

[SammyG]

Any evidence to support Sammy's contention that the GAA (a recognised sporting association) is banned from all/some/one  state school(s) on the basis of an opinion that it is a political organisation?

I've had the conversation with several teachers (including ones who where pro-GAA) and they have all said that they couldn't bring it into a state school. Obviously it would take somebody to try and force a ruling/tribunal to get a definitive answer but I don't see any evidence of anyone being willing to take the chance.

Or is it by choice that GAA games are not on the state school's sports menu?

I'm sure that's true for a few but given that many state schools are mixed and others are involved in 'cross-community links', I'd be surprised if it's a huge number.

Are GAA games played at any of State schools?

Good question, I'm not aware of any. Anybody else know?

[Main Street]

Sports in my Secondary school was taught by a Physical Education teacher.
The PE teacher was also qualified to teach one or two academic subjects.
He was into soccer mainly but was more than adequate at teaching the skills of Gaelic games, Rugby, Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball.
It was in his job definition to teach sports.

There might have been a reaction in NI to the GAA rule 21, removed  only 2 years ago.
So far there does not appear to be any evidence to support that there is a legal type barrier to GAA inclusion in the state schools sports curriculum
Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane might have an answer.