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Israel considered the most hated country in Eurovision... yet ended up with one of the highest volume of public votes.

Your daily reminder that social media is not an accurate reflection of reality. 

How did they manipulate the public vote, by hook and by crook I assume.

People who wanted to support Israel made an effort and used their phone.

Israel considered the most hated country in Eurovision... yet ended up with one of the highest volume of public votes.

Your daily reminder that social media is not an accurate reflection of reality. 

Because you can vote for Israel, you cannot vote against Israel.

If counties are checking out for the Tailteann, it's not a good omen for the competition's future.

Wicklow seem to have stepped out, given the score Fermanagh got.
I expect the teams relegated and promoted,Fermanagh, Kildare, Down and Westmeath will fancy their chances.

What's the point kicking a ball in with maybe 2/3 Armagh men against 6 odd Donegal men

No point in "peppering" a ball in, at best you get half of these, but the other team comes up the field for the other half.

However, there is some role for a correctly placed ball when the time is right. The likes of Murnin has good ball winning ability if he gets the right ball in.

Ireland just on,sure in fairness she put on a decent show, it's a long way from Johnny Logan, Linda Martin and the excellent Rock n Roll kids but sure fair play to her I suppose.

The only magic Paul Harrington does is on a guitar and I have no idea about his sex life.

Armagh/Donegal play next Sunday in the Ladies Ulster final, would it have been that hard to agree a financial arrangement with the Ladies to get a few quid from tomorrows gate and have a double header?

That would be too much like common sense for the GAA to do.

Armagh ladies played i think Cavan last year before the Derry game

That was a semi-final last year. I suppose these fixtures are not planned on the basis of certain teams being involved. In the Ladies, Armagh v Donegal is the expected final, but in the men it was less certain who would be there. With the same team involved in woman and men, a combination makes sense, but not so much if different teams were involved.
Which was a semi-final.

As shown by this thread the big driver to the Tailteann Cup is that it's open for so many to get a run at it. Most of the counties in it could have a say if they get a bit of luck and a run going. We've had Wicklow, Laois, Antrim, Fermanagh, Down, Sligo, Kildare all tipped. If marketed right, this has potential. Makes a big difference from the AI run in! 

Potential for a very competitive competition. But it won't be promoted. Will get 2 minutes on the Sunday game and we will only see it  at semi final stage. The GAA don't do promotion unless it's the Munster hurling championship. The 3 games for 30 euro is a good deal. But if your Down a trip to London should maybe be taken out and a 2 games at a tenner each offered.
 

yep only munster hurling is promoted, and they still whine about it.  Not been in it this year I must say I'm looking forward to this competition more than Dublin run to another all ire

Munster hurling is filling out stadiums right, left and centre, why wouldn't you promote it?


I think Donal Óg's gurning about Cork always being on GAAGO, behind a paywall but up to a few years ago none of this would be available to view anywhere at all.

There is a point here, given that this game is tomorrow evening then it could have been covered, TG4 would have obliged. I'd watch it, but I'm not sure that I would fork out on GAAGo for it. I think that covering one hurling game each weekend is not an unreasonable ask.

Taoiseach, Tánaiste and a Senator Lombard in full flow on the anti GAAgo campaign.
Must  be an election soon?

How many games were they at in the last year?

I have this bad feeling in my stomach that this is going to be packed defenses and 15 men behind the ball with cross field passing until we're gonna pull our own hairs out. If this happens Armagh can do one, if i've to go back up that road again losing another close game thru defensive football I swear to f**k i'll crack. If we're gonna lose i'd rather have a go at them and play an entertaining  and enjoyable game of football. Take the shackles off and have a rattle at them!.

Probably 99% of Armagh supporters would agree.

Free the Armagh 15.
Fermanagh and Down were just another day at the office, but Sunday is the day to put all the training and work to good use, let's hope they do.

[Reminds me of Derry in 1993, when Tohill ploughed through the muck]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2024/0508/1448043-mcguinness-looms-but-time-for-armagh-to-deliver/

Another "it's their time", "greater need" analysis.

Which I think is fair enough, but it's pressure.

Reminds me of Derry in 1993, when Tohill ploughed through the muck and the Donegal backs to drag them to the title and AI shot they felt they'd fail to grab the previous year, which is why I am a little worried about men like Rian O'Neill being particularly driven!

Will never know how big Tohill stayed on his feet throughout the game, men bouncing off him while all around him, both Derry and Donegal men were sliding and slipping all around him. Still the best individual performance I've ever seen.
Philly McMahon would have given the MotM to someone else if he was Co commentator 

There shouldn't be muck on Sunday though, it will be dry before Sunday and while there will be some showers on Sunday it shouldn't be flooded (except around the back of the jacks).

No tickets on general sale. The last Ulster final between Armagh and Donegal in Croke Park had 50,000 odd, while the one before that had 67,000. In 2002, there were tickets on general sale.

Amazon.ie to start next year.
This will be handy, although cue people who are using it complaining about the lack of shops in their village

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/0509/1448097-amazon-ireland/

Both Tesco and M&S in Newry selling bottles with the logo but not the deposit, so bottle smuggling is the new thing.

I don't know. I just have visions of Rian O'Neill giving a Tohillesque tour de force, driving Armagh on to win through sheer force of will.
?
Pundits leaning Armagh from what I've heard so far. "It's their time!" seems to be the consensus.

tá ár lá anseo?

But they've done nothing in recent years to show they have the nerve to win a big game - I think they are just short a few players and need to focus on the football and not the physical antics they often get themselves involved in. If they focus on playing their own game and I think they'll do better than trying to out-tactic Donegal.

What physical antics? Have they been giving away more frees than the opposition? Have they had more cards?

League and championship this year 10 games each.

Donegal have scored on average 18 points per match and conceded 13

Armagh have scored on average 18 points per match and conceded 12

Armagh didn't concede goals during the bulk of the league, but have done less well in recent games. If you do not concede more than one goal then you have a good chance of outscoring the opposition.