Paddy Heaney of the irish news!

[culchy1]

i thought paddy heaney was always spot on and had a good idea of what was goin on in gaelic games. he was a bit like the bookies in my mind, is never far wrong with most things. then i read the paper this mornin an he, in his sit on the fence section, posts remarks bout a certain m.hasson acting derry county secretary or somethin like that, who at the county convention spoke his mind bout the derry management an got slated for it. above this he has a picture of our very own michael hasson from rasharkin, an antrim delegate for the ulster council.
im sure paddy will eat humble pie by apologising in da moras edition.

i thought paddys edition of against the wined last week, bout the club season bein a twelve month one was excellent, he always touches on topics which you can associate with from grassroots thru to the highest level !

[Uladh]

The reporter would have no responsibility whatsoever for what photos appear beside their article. The first he'd see of it would be when its published, like you or me....

[Donagh]

Bollocks he's as bad as any convention delegate – latches onto whatever gripe he overhears in the social club. When was the last time you paid for a ticket Paddy or stood about in pissing rain in sub-zero temperatures? (we know you're here).

[SlimShady]

and apparently he refers to John McSparran as County Secretary also.

classy stuff Patrick, real classy 

[aontroim]

His column used to be fairly entertaining from time to time, now he appears to be trying to make a name for himself slating anything he can find wrong about the GAA - particularly in Antrim.

[believebelive]

McSparron is referred to as a secretary in the caption of the photo. It is highly unlikey that Paddy would have had anything to do with that as i would be very unlikely that he had anything to do with what photo was used.
When Heaney actually mentions McSparron in the text of Off the Fence he says he is the Amtrim chairman.

[johnjoe]

Slim, loved your comment, classy real classy Patrick. Reminds me of yourself!

Culchie, dont take things about Michael Hasson so personally!!

On Paddy Heaney, have to say his weekly column is usually top notch stuff, but the gremlins got at this weeks edition. Still worth buying the Irish News for tho. Keep er lit Paddy!

On Antrim issues, its hard to see what you would disagree with. Up to Antrim to get their house in order. What I do hate most though, is all the headlines Mc Gourty gets. Let him earn it with his county first. So far he has proved fxxx all at county level, except a first class nuisance. Should be a media ban on him til he plays a dozen good county games!! ( Some player tho).

[full back]

I have spoke about Heaney here before.
Most journalists do look here and indeed many get ideas for their articles from here.
Heaney used to be top notch but I think recently he has gone down the Spillane/Brolly route and tried to create too much controversy.
So in future Paddy dont create controversy and ruffle feathers just for the sake of it, or the next thing you know you will have your picture on a billboard with 'Love Him or Hate Him' beside it

[bennydorano]

He's still the best Journo at the Irish News by a long shot and one of my overall favourite GAA commentators.

Not often i would take a county board's side over a manager's, but Crozier made a dick of himself this year.

[drumanee]

you's are all talking crap,heaney is a top class journalist and write's on issue's that the normal gaa man on the street can relate to and it seems most of the time you all injoy his articles but you don't like it when he talks about your patch or county,be a bit more broad minded and open to critical analyasis now and then.as far as putting the wrong picture in,as someone has already said that has nothing to do with him

[Maximus Marillius]

Have to agree drum, compared to the other journalists in the Irsih News he a real jewel. Kenny liverpool archer, o'Hara, what a toad, he couldn't write about a match if it burned him on the arse, knows as much about gaelic football as Paisley. Brendan Crossan, not to bad and improving, but still doesn't hace anything like the knoiwledge of Heaney.

[thewobbler]

I'd say Paddy is suffering from the same thing that most GAA followers suffer at this time of year - there is so little happening that you're stuck for conversation points.

The quality of his column has dwindled a bit over the years, but that's the nature of the beast. When he started writing Against the Breeze, to fill in the quieter weeks he could call upon a wealth of general GAA topics and ideas that he had stockpiled over the years. Those quieter weeks produced many of his best articles as they were ideas that were probably fermenting for months.

But a stockpile like that is always going to dry up at some stage. If you've no stockpile and very few topical issues worth discussing, it's going to be to difficult to write a interesting column. Yet Heaney still does much better than most in this regard.

Let's not forget that the Ulster intercounty scene is hardly bursting with personalities to explore, and that players and managers at that level are more than likely to close up shop if a rigorous examination of their weaknesses or faults is undertaken. As the Irish News relies on strong relations with players and managers to sell papers on the back of their GAA coverage, controversy of this nature I'd say is avoided at all costs.  

[culchy1]

ok ok dont fuckin shit ursel.

aye i know anyone can make a mistake every now an then.
but i wudnt put my name agin somethin if i wasnt sure it wud be rite.
an i agree i enjoy readin paddys dont pee agin the breeze every week
he makes much better readin than that wee mchugh gabshit in the irish star

u dont have 2 be controversial 2 b a good journalist though
but paddys in the business o shiftin papers
an talkin all airy fairy bout playin midfield way the antrim manager 4 bredagh wudnt sell many papers.

[Hardy]

It's nice to see the GAA's efforts to reach out across the cultural divide beginning to  bear fruit, as evidenced by the growing use of Ulster Scots on this site.

[Donagh]

an talkin all airy fairy bout playin midfield way the antrim manager 4 bredagh wudnt sell many papers.

Wha?