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Fella from Cross? Watched it last night and he was magical. A terrific interviewee as well.

"How do you balance farming with the time required to be so dedicated a musician?"

"Badly"

Presume that was Piaras Larkin?  Unreal singer and a lovely young lad. He did a song Sean Gabha with the RTÉ symphony orchestra a few weeks ago,  I would urge you to listen to it,  it's is mind blowing! 

Does he not sing  with Blath na hOige?  Nearly sure that's  the same lad

[Man Utd]

1 - Which team do you support?

Man Utd

2 - How long have you supported them?

Since 1985

3 - Are you from the same town or city as that club? If not, do you have any personal or familial connection to it? Did you live there for a while? Do you live there now?

No, no, no, no (there's no limit)

4 - If the answers to 3 are all no, why do you support this team? How did you pick them out of all that's available?

Soccer  coverage was  few and far between. I was too young to stay up for MOTD then. My cousin was a Man U fan, and  would have filled me in about  it. FA cup final was the only live match really then,  so  decided to tune in and  support United v Everton. Norman Whiteside scored, and I was like,  hes from    up the road. So was  Paul McGrath ,  Frank Stapleton and Kevin Moran. They may as  well have only  lived around the corner  as far as I was concerned. Then my da filled me in about Moran  having played Gaelic for  Dublin. I suppose those "local"  links  were important for me then as an impressionable young lad (like Dennis Taylor and Barry McGuigan were  , in 1985 as well)so I would have watched out for  United's results without really getting into it all properly until around  1989/90. I was hardly a glory hunter  in those early days . Everyone at school had a team ,  so it was just something you had to do I suppose at that age. Then  the Panini  stickers  started , so  we were  at that.

In recent years I've become so disillusioned with  the whole game. The money , the  competitions, the poor quality,  the half arsed players. Means very very little these days. As a teen I'd be miserable if United lost ,  now I  honestly couldn't care less. I record MOTD , then Usually forward on to see most of the goals. That's about as much  PL soccer as I can tolerate these days.


5 - When England plays in international competitions, how do you feel about them? Do you
a - Root for England, particularly any players from your favourite EPL club?
b - Don't have a strong opinion one way or another, but would lean slightly towards wanting England to do well
c - Don't have any opinion at all
d - Have a mild preference for England to lose
e - Vigorously support England's opponents, and yearn for the English to do on the receiving end of a bloody good hiding

E-ish  I wouldn't say I want them stuffed. I just  want them out asap by any means, so you can  relax knowing they won't win it.

6 - Are there any local clubs in your own town or city that you could give your support to? If there are but you don't, why not? Is the quality of the competition not worth your while? Are the facilities crap? Did you just never get into it? Is it not well publicised and you don't know the games are on?

Attending soccer matches just wasn't a thing  in my world. GAA was the only  sport  on the agenda  in our house, attending-wise.

I've only been to Old Trafford once, and only because I was in  Manchester for something else and  managed to get tickets. So I'm not exactly  giving them  lots of my hard earned wages. I doubt I'll ever be back

I don't think it's  u2's music and success that  people have a problem with. It's  about Bono just being a  knob head.

I was a big fan of theirs , but if someone gave me a free ticket now , I would turn it down.  I couldn't  look at or listen  to Bono for two hours  without wanting to   repeatedly slap the bollix

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqx7ql4xqg3o

Surprised Conan Canavan didn't get one.

Which Canavan does  he belong to?

It's a funeral, not live f**king aid.

Tell that to bono. Him trying to get the congregation to join in with him singing the "Daaaaaaaaayyyyyy" word from his recited version of Beautiful Day at the end (and the Congregation not obliging). Then 'The Edge' suddenly wanders over and stands there awkwardly, seemingly also not knowing if he's at a funeral or live aid, and not sure if he's supposed to join in or not, before giving up and walking back to his pew.

Does anyone in Ireland have  anything good to say about poor old  Bonzo  any more?

Any respect he once had , is surely long gone by  now?

Am I the only one that thinks Imelda May is a dose?

She's incredibly  overrated  as a singer, I know that much.

[Radiohead]

Radiohead needs added. Kim Wilde 🤦 I'd f**king have OCS before her!

☝️ ahem... before Bonnie Tyler 🧐 gets involved.

Radiohead has been  recommended a couple of times. I'll add them

[Andy Moran played the media like a fiddle after that match asking a room of journalists did any of them really think Mayo would win the All Ireland final and he was greeted with silence.]

I don't understand this "under the radar" angle. Do you not watch National League football?

5 of Mayo's defence (along with 6 others who played in both) lined out in the 2025 NFL final.

12 of the 20 players used by Mayo last weekend played in a national league final 3 years ago.

10 of last weekend's matchday squad were in the 26 man panel for the 2021 Ai final

8 of last weekend's matchday squad were in the 26 man panel for the 2020 Ai final.

Stephen Coen too. He would have featured last weekend but for injury and he played in all the above.

They brought through a seam of quality players earlier this decade - Coyne, Hession, Callinan, McBrien, Carney, ROD - when the old guard were done. And they stayed competitive whilst waiting for those lads to mature into men.

Mayo have been hiding in plain sight for the past 5 years I reckon.

League stuff and knockout championship football aren't comparable, the only thing that could be compared looking back was Kerry's defending against Tyrone,Dublin and Mayo was as poor as it was against Donegal in the league final.  One Kerry poster on here thought Jason Foley whould mark Ryan O'Donoghue out of the game, instead O'Donoghue was Man of the match. The same Kerry poster hasn't posted since I wonder why?

Those stats are inflated by saying matchday squad instead of starting 15 which was much changed from the 2021 All-Ireland final

Mayo in their previous 4 championships was last 16,last 12 exits and hammered by Kerry,Dublin in All-Ireland Quarter-finals.  Mayo and their supporters can correct me if wrong,  7 or 8 of their starting 15 played in their first ever Croke Park championship match against Cork in this summers All-Ireland Quarter-final,  if that isn't the definition of coming in under the radar I don't know what is


After winning All-Ireland semi-final by 17 points the under radar stuff should have been over however Andy Moran played the media like a fiddle after that match asking a room of journalists did any of them really think Mayo would win the All Ireland final and he was greeted with silence.

Even though we have a more offensive based game All-Ireland finals are still won by the team that defends the best and the defensive work out of possession by Mayo forwards and midfielders was the stand out feature in them ending their 75 year famine.  Food for thought for teams with potential in what is sure to be another open championship in 2027.

I thought that was genius. It took the pressure off his team yet provided them with all the    motivation  they needed to go and win   the final .

[Aldo holding the round 1 draw before provincial finals was so poorly planned.]

Last year's was almost a nail in the coffin for provincials. Going further meant zero later on and was almost a negative. I am not sure how they rectify that.

Only 1 Provincial Champion made the last 8.

Perhaps let Provincial Champions straight to Round 2?
Have the 8 non Finalists play a prelim Round so 4 of them will be on their last life?

Why do that though?
After the provincial finals a lot of people were saying how good they were. Roscommon, Westmeath and Armagh certainly celebrated their wins and seemed to enjoy getting the titles.
The have their cups, why should doing well in that competition be rewarded in a separate competition.  I think a level playing field at the start of each competition is fairer instead of getting a leg up because you are already a winner. We had a great AI series, why mess with it?

Not a separate competition when county in Div 3,4 or relegated in Division 2 can reach the last 16 of the All-Ireland championship by reaching a Provincial final.

Provincial runner up getting the same as the winner, round 1 home game is probably the main issue. Aldo holding the round 1 draw before provincial finals was so poorly planned.

Typical John Aldridge 

[will anyone with designs on Sam put much effort into Provincials in future?]

In 1933 Cavan won their first Sam
Over the next 20 years they won 5 , Mayo won 3 and Roscommon won 2.Then it stopped.

Didn't Galway win 2 as well?

Seeing as Mayowestros and Tyrone were the 2 most improved teams this Summer will anyone with designs on Sam put much effort into Provincials in future?
Could we end up with 2 "slow bike races" -- NFL D1 and Provincials?

Only if they want the satisfaction of winning it because of a drought or a series of near misses (like Armagh).  There is very little benefit for the AI series and if anything being dumped out early on allows teams the chance to learn, lie low for a while and refocus.

And stay under the  radar, like Mayo did.

A few of those Mayo  lads I never really  seen much of (or heard of), until the Louth  semi. And   it was hard to judge If Mayo were really good or Louth  were really poor that day , so  we didn't really learn much from it. Nor did Kerry, it seems.

Red cortina
Clare Island
I hope we meet again

At least a dozen good tunes I'd put above the three that everyone knows tbh

I can guess  the 3 you refer  to.

i useta love her is grand, but you have to be in the  mood for it.  But there's many superior  songs.  There are as good lively songs  as I Useta Love her , such as FCA,  Hay Wrap and Presentation Boarder.

But  they just had  that knack for  writing tunes we can all  relate to. I only seen them live once to  my shame

Kerry won in 04, 06 (v Mayo), 07,09, 14, 22, 25 (7)
They lost in 02,05,08.11,15,19, 23 , 26 (

They won't have many hammerings of Mayo in future.

Since the end of Micko's  great team in 1986, Kerry  have won  9 from 40.  And  3 from the last 17.

Dublin have 10 from 40.

The  more AI's  continue to be shared  around the  other  counties, the better. 

Comedian Jimmy Cricket aged 80. Co Tyrone-born Belfast-raised, real name James Mulgrew.

Alas... there's no more.

From Cookstown I believe.

Left and Right wellies,  fingerless gloves.  Hadn't heard of him in years. Thought he might have  already died.

A few boos from the Kerry crowd  when president  mentioned the officials?