@KenReid_utv
Karen Bradley says the Government is exploring ways of celebrating the centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seanofthesouth/status/961314592545804289
Any ideas, lads?
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#101
General discussion / Celebrating 100 years of NI in 2021
July 05, 2019, 02:36:10 PM@KenReid_utv
Karen Bradley says the Government is exploring ways of celebrating the centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seanofthesouth/status/961314592545804289
Any ideas, lads?
#102
Hurling Discussion / Hurling Championship 2019
May 08, 2019, 04:35:26 PM
"Kevin McStay has made the point ....that provincial football championships are on borrowed time and no longer command sufficient interest, which is why broadcasters are uniformly opting to cover the round-robin hurling championships during the early part of the season."
Leinster definitely the ugly sister when it comes to TV coverage
LEINSTER SHC ROUND-ROBIN
Sat May 11th – Rd 1: Kilkenny v Dublin, Nowlan Park (7.0, Sky Sports)
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Galway v Carlow, Pearse Stadium (3.0)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Carlow v Kilkenny, Dr Cullen Park (3.0)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Dublin v Wexford, Parnell Park (3.0)
Sat May 26th – Rd 3: Galway v Wexford, Pearse Stadium (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Carlow v Dublin, Dr Cullen Park (3.0)
Sat Jun 8th – Rd 4: Wexford v Carlow, Wexford Park (7.0)
Sun Jun 9th – Rd 4: Kilkenny v Galway, Nowlan Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sat Jun 15th – Rd 5: Dublin v Galway, Parnell Park (7.0)
Sat Jun 15th – Rd 5: Wexford v Kilkenny, Wexford Park (7.0)
Sun Jun 30th – Final: Croke Park
MUNSTER SHC ROUND-ROBIN
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Waterford v Clare, Walsh Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Cork v Tipperary, Páirc Uí Chaoimh (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Limerick v Cork, Gaelic Grounds (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Waterford v Limerick, Gaelic Grounds (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Clare v Tipperary, Cusack Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sat Jun 8th – Rd 4: Cork v Waterford, Páirc Uí Chaoimh (7.0, Sky Sports)
Sun Jun 9th – Rd 4: Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 16th –Rd 5: Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium (2.0)
Sun Jun 16th – Rd 5: Clare v Cork, Cusack Park (2.0)
Sun Jun 30th – Final:
Leinster definitely the ugly sister when it comes to TV coverage
LEINSTER SHC ROUND-ROBIN
Sat May 11th – Rd 1: Kilkenny v Dublin, Nowlan Park (7.0, Sky Sports)
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Galway v Carlow, Pearse Stadium (3.0)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Carlow v Kilkenny, Dr Cullen Park (3.0)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Dublin v Wexford, Parnell Park (3.0)
Sat May 26th – Rd 3: Galway v Wexford, Pearse Stadium (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Carlow v Dublin, Dr Cullen Park (3.0)
Sat Jun 8th – Rd 4: Wexford v Carlow, Wexford Park (7.0)
Sun Jun 9th – Rd 4: Kilkenny v Galway, Nowlan Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sat Jun 15th – Rd 5: Dublin v Galway, Parnell Park (7.0)
Sat Jun 15th – Rd 5: Wexford v Kilkenny, Wexford Park (7.0)
Sun Jun 30th – Final: Croke Park
MUNSTER SHC ROUND-ROBIN
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Waterford v Clare, Walsh Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 12th – Rd 1: Cork v Tipperary, Páirc Uí Chaoimh (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun May 19th – Rd 2: Limerick v Cork, Gaelic Grounds (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Waterford v Limerick, Gaelic Grounds (2.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 2nd – Rd 3: Clare v Tipperary, Cusack Park (2.0, RTÉ)
Sat Jun 8th – Rd 4: Cork v Waterford, Páirc Uí Chaoimh (7.0, Sky Sports)
Sun Jun 9th – Rd 4: Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds (4.0, RTÉ)
Sun Jun 16th –Rd 5: Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium (2.0)
Sun Jun 16th – Rd 5: Clare v Cork, Cusack Park (2.0)
Sun Jun 30th – Final:
#103
General discussion / Various bits re Brexit and Economics
February 26, 2019, 11:07:01 AM
"This is absolutely fantastic" - Trailer
"Thank you so much bud" - Hound
"You don't even understand it " OmaghJoe
To kick off here is a really interesting line from William Hague
"The whole landscape of British politics is at stake over the coming weeks – whether the referendum can be honoured, whether government can be carried on, whether a great political party can stay together."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/25/labour-imploding-brexit-balance-tories-need-stick-together/
With Labour imploding and Brexit in the balance, the Tories need to stick together
•
William Hague
25 February 2019 • 9:30pm
Brexit is within sight, but Conservatives must find a greater sense of unity than in recent weeks CREDIT: LEON NEAL /GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
While I think the three MPs who left the Conservative Party last week were wrong to do so, their departure should alarm every sensible Tory in the land. I have known quite a few defectors over the decades but, until now, they have been lone individuals leaving for personal ambition or after an agonising change in their own beliefs.
These three acted together and left in order, as they see it, to stick to their guns. Whatever you think of them, they are people who believe in an enterprise economy, individual freedom and a well-defended country – in other words, they are basically Tories. When Tories start leaving the Tory party, we should be very worried. Their loss cannot be shrugged off just because the Labour Party is in an even worse state.
Their act of leaving without changing their views is a poor reflection on the Conservative Party, but it isn't great news for the new Independent Group either. That group now mixes real Tories with social democrats, without knowing if anything enticing can be created out of such an exotic cocktail.
Their ability to present themselves as a centre-Left alternative to an extremist Labour leadership has been damaged at the outset by bringing in the centre-Right. The defections of Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston might therefore be the first in history to weaken both the party they left and the one they joined at the same time.
Whether the Independent Group can be made into a viable party that threatens the existing party system remains to be seen. It faces more than the well-known hurdles of our electoral procedures and the conundrum of how to co-exist with the Liberal Democrats without merging into them.
Its challenge is actually global in scale – to create a centrist philosophy and programme at a time when everyone from US Democrats to President Macron is struggling and failing to do so. When those 11 MPs sit in a room and think, they will have to come up with an electorally appealing centrist message, something that has eluded Hillary Clinton and most European leaders, and that Vince Cable has shown no sign of discovering.
Their most immediate problem will be if an orderly Brexit happens on schedule, leaving the one policy they have in common – stopping Brexit – irrelevant. The immediate threat to the Conservative Party is the exact opposite: that Brexit either doesn't happen or is not at all orderly. Unfortunately, the Tories are about to face a terrible choice between those two unpalatable alternatives unless they find a greater sense of unity than in recent weeks.
With less than five weeks to go to Brexit day, and no sign of an agreement that can both pass the Commons and be agreed in Brussels, Theresa May's famous reticence about her intentions, should all her efforts fail, is an important asset. If the EU is going to make any meaningful concession, it will only do so at the last minute and because it fears the consequences of a no-deal exit. And if the Commons is ever going to pass a deal, it will only be because time has run out for all other ideas and because people on both ends of the argument fear the worst from their own point of view.
The best approach for a cohesive governing party in this situation is to keep its collective nerve for another few weeks, extract a change to the legal durability of the Irish backstop allowing the deal to be voted through, and delay Brexit for only as long as needed to pass the legislation to implement it.
That unity may actually be easier to achieve now that the opposition seems to be discussing a second referendum more seriously.
We could then proceed to deliver Brexit, enter the transition period, open negotiations on a free trade agreement with the EU, and provide the country in the meantime with a steady government. Labour would be left to be deservedly consumed in its own flames of hatred, extremism and anti-Semitism, and the Tories could focus on finding the right leader and direction for the 2020s.
This is essentially what Mrs May is trying to do. If her whole party joined with her, behaving like a single giant poker player, she would have a reasonable chance of pulling it off. But that would need mutual trust, a quality political parties require to function and that is now in short supply. Inside Labour, trust has collapsed. Among the Conservatives, the departure of the three defectors shows how much it is already evaporating.
Tory ministers and MPs who are horrified at the practical implications of a no-deal Brexit no longer trust the ardent Brexiteers, the ERG, to vote for an improved deal even if it can be negotiated. Hence the desire among many of them to vote this Wednesday for the move by Yvette Cooper, enabling Parliament to seize the power to prevent a no-deal Brexit on 29 March, by passing a law to that effect in defiance of the Government.
Yet if this is passed, Mrs May's efforts to win any improvement to the backstop will be undermined. And if ministers defy their Prime Minister to vote for it, the full-scale disintegration of the Government will be underway. The whole landscape of British politics is at stake over the coming weeks – whether the referendum can be honoured, whether government can be carried on, whether a great political party can stay together.
How can the Prime Minister keep negotiating effectively with her options still open, but give those Conservatives who think a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster the chance to prevent that happening? How can she avert the collapse of her administration if it has to choose between no-deal and delay?
The best way, of course, is to reach agreement with the EU that the backstop will only ever be temporary, and then for her whole party to vote the deal through. But the Cabinet could make clear now that in the absence of that happening, the Commons would have a free vote on the choice between no deal and asking for the delaying of Brexit day, with ministers able to vote as they wish.
Without some such safety valve in prospect, March is quite likely to see Parliament take control from ministers to delay Brexit anyway, and the Government begin to break up. The three defectors would think themselves proved right. There isn't much time left to prove them wrong.
"Thank you so much bud" - Hound
"You don't even understand it " OmaghJoe
To kick off here is a really interesting line from William Hague
"The whole landscape of British politics is at stake over the coming weeks – whether the referendum can be honoured, whether government can be carried on, whether a great political party can stay together."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/25/labour-imploding-brexit-balance-tories-need-stick-together/
With Labour imploding and Brexit in the balance, the Tories need to stick together
•
William Hague
25 February 2019 • 9:30pm
Brexit is within sight, but Conservatives must find a greater sense of unity than in recent weeks CREDIT: LEON NEAL /GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
While I think the three MPs who left the Conservative Party last week were wrong to do so, their departure should alarm every sensible Tory in the land. I have known quite a few defectors over the decades but, until now, they have been lone individuals leaving for personal ambition or after an agonising change in their own beliefs.
These three acted together and left in order, as they see it, to stick to their guns. Whatever you think of them, they are people who believe in an enterprise economy, individual freedom and a well-defended country – in other words, they are basically Tories. When Tories start leaving the Tory party, we should be very worried. Their loss cannot be shrugged off just because the Labour Party is in an even worse state.
Their act of leaving without changing their views is a poor reflection on the Conservative Party, but it isn't great news for the new Independent Group either. That group now mixes real Tories with social democrats, without knowing if anything enticing can be created out of such an exotic cocktail.
Their ability to present themselves as a centre-Left alternative to an extremist Labour leadership has been damaged at the outset by bringing in the centre-Right. The defections of Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston might therefore be the first in history to weaken both the party they left and the one they joined at the same time.
Whether the Independent Group can be made into a viable party that threatens the existing party system remains to be seen. It faces more than the well-known hurdles of our electoral procedures and the conundrum of how to co-exist with the Liberal Democrats without merging into them.
Its challenge is actually global in scale – to create a centrist philosophy and programme at a time when everyone from US Democrats to President Macron is struggling and failing to do so. When those 11 MPs sit in a room and think, they will have to come up with an electorally appealing centrist message, something that has eluded Hillary Clinton and most European leaders, and that Vince Cable has shown no sign of discovering.
Their most immediate problem will be if an orderly Brexit happens on schedule, leaving the one policy they have in common – stopping Brexit – irrelevant. The immediate threat to the Conservative Party is the exact opposite: that Brexit either doesn't happen or is not at all orderly. Unfortunately, the Tories are about to face a terrible choice between those two unpalatable alternatives unless they find a greater sense of unity than in recent weeks.
With less than five weeks to go to Brexit day, and no sign of an agreement that can both pass the Commons and be agreed in Brussels, Theresa May's famous reticence about her intentions, should all her efforts fail, is an important asset. If the EU is going to make any meaningful concession, it will only do so at the last minute and because it fears the consequences of a no-deal exit. And if the Commons is ever going to pass a deal, it will only be because time has run out for all other ideas and because people on both ends of the argument fear the worst from their own point of view.
The best approach for a cohesive governing party in this situation is to keep its collective nerve for another few weeks, extract a change to the legal durability of the Irish backstop allowing the deal to be voted through, and delay Brexit for only as long as needed to pass the legislation to implement it.
That unity may actually be easier to achieve now that the opposition seems to be discussing a second referendum more seriously.
We could then proceed to deliver Brexit, enter the transition period, open negotiations on a free trade agreement with the EU, and provide the country in the meantime with a steady government. Labour would be left to be deservedly consumed in its own flames of hatred, extremism and anti-Semitism, and the Tories could focus on finding the right leader and direction for the 2020s.
This is essentially what Mrs May is trying to do. If her whole party joined with her, behaving like a single giant poker player, she would have a reasonable chance of pulling it off. But that would need mutual trust, a quality political parties require to function and that is now in short supply. Inside Labour, trust has collapsed. Among the Conservatives, the departure of the three defectors shows how much it is already evaporating.
Tory ministers and MPs who are horrified at the practical implications of a no-deal Brexit no longer trust the ardent Brexiteers, the ERG, to vote for an improved deal even if it can be negotiated. Hence the desire among many of them to vote this Wednesday for the move by Yvette Cooper, enabling Parliament to seize the power to prevent a no-deal Brexit on 29 March, by passing a law to that effect in defiance of the Government.
Yet if this is passed, Mrs May's efforts to win any improvement to the backstop will be undermined. And if ministers defy their Prime Minister to vote for it, the full-scale disintegration of the Government will be underway. The whole landscape of British politics is at stake over the coming weeks – whether the referendum can be honoured, whether government can be carried on, whether a great political party can stay together.
How can the Prime Minister keep negotiating effectively with her options still open, but give those Conservatives who think a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster the chance to prevent that happening? How can she avert the collapse of her administration if it has to choose between no-deal and delay?
The best way, of course, is to reach agreement with the EU that the backstop will only ever be temporary, and then for her whole party to vote the deal through. But the Cabinet could make clear now that in the absence of that happening, the Commons would have a free vote on the choice between no deal and asking for the delaying of Brexit day, with ministers able to vote as they wish.
Without some such safety valve in prospect, March is quite likely to see Parliament take control from ministers to delay Brexit anyway, and the Government begin to break up. The three defectors would think themselves proved right. There isn't much time left to prove them wrong.
#104
GAA Discussion / GAA's digital archive
February 13, 2019, 11:49:31 AM
www.gaa.ie/archive
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaa-digital-archive-good-start-but-where-s-the-rest-of-it-1.3791431
Piece by piece, the GAA continues to make strides at curating its history and bubble-wrapping it safely for the generations to come. Another step forward was announced at Croke Park yesterday with the launch of the association's digital archive, a move to reclaim its own footage from the grainy swamplands of YouTube and beyond.
The archive, announced in conjunction with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, has been compiled by accessing footage from broadcasters and editing it into bite-size pieces for general consumption. It is available on site in the Croke Park museum and online at gaa.ie/archive, and is an easily searchable collection of highlights packages from 113 All-Ireland hurling and football finals going back to 1961.
While welcome, the online version of the archive is far from perfect on first viewing. Although there is a facility in the Croke Park museum reading room to view full-length versions of matches, this option isn't available online. The press release that accompanied the launch advertises provincial finals along with All-Ireland finals, but they aren't available online either.
Neither is there any sign of the club finals from the past 30 years, as promised in the release. For an association that preaches democracy, it seems like an odd choice to include only teams that have made All-Ireland finals in the online archive, excluding the vast majority of the GAA populace at a stroke. Presumably this will be expanded as time passes.
Big appetite
That said, nothing sums up the appetite that exists for this kind of stuff in the GAA as much as the fact that the first reaction to a mass release of footage like this is to turn around and ask where the rest of it is. The association has for so long lagged so far behind in the provision of details on its own history, whether in annotated or filmed form, that any step forward must be saluted. It can only be hoped that a results archive that details teams, dates, scorers and referees is the next project on the horizon
"This is a fantastic initiative and one that safeguards so much of our history, not just for those who might have been fortunate to see the games the first time around, but for future generations too," said GAA president John Horan at the launch.
"These games were taken from vaults, where they were kept on video tape, and their digitisation ensures that they can be enjoyed here at the GAA Museum and around the world through the internet."
The chairman of the BAI, Pauric Travers, was also present at the launch in Croke Park. "In digitising television recordings of key GAA games and making them available through gaa.ie and the GAA museum, audiences will get to relive the excitement of key matches from football and hurling championships spanning almost six decades," he said.
"The BAI's Archiving Scheme is designed to support the development of an archiving culture in the Irish broadcasting sector, and this initiative will ensure that a key element of Ireland's sports broadcasting heritage will be preserved for future generations."
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaa-digital-archive-good-start-but-where-s-the-rest-of-it-1.3791431
Piece by piece, the GAA continues to make strides at curating its history and bubble-wrapping it safely for the generations to come. Another step forward was announced at Croke Park yesterday with the launch of the association's digital archive, a move to reclaim its own footage from the grainy swamplands of YouTube and beyond.
The archive, announced in conjunction with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, has been compiled by accessing footage from broadcasters and editing it into bite-size pieces for general consumption. It is available on site in the Croke Park museum and online at gaa.ie/archive, and is an easily searchable collection of highlights packages from 113 All-Ireland hurling and football finals going back to 1961.
While welcome, the online version of the archive is far from perfect on first viewing. Although there is a facility in the Croke Park museum reading room to view full-length versions of matches, this option isn't available online. The press release that accompanied the launch advertises provincial finals along with All-Ireland finals, but they aren't available online either.
Neither is there any sign of the club finals from the past 30 years, as promised in the release. For an association that preaches democracy, it seems like an odd choice to include only teams that have made All-Ireland finals in the online archive, excluding the vast majority of the GAA populace at a stroke. Presumably this will be expanded as time passes.
Big appetite
That said, nothing sums up the appetite that exists for this kind of stuff in the GAA as much as the fact that the first reaction to a mass release of footage like this is to turn around and ask where the rest of it is. The association has for so long lagged so far behind in the provision of details on its own history, whether in annotated or filmed form, that any step forward must be saluted. It can only be hoped that a results archive that details teams, dates, scorers and referees is the next project on the horizon
"This is a fantastic initiative and one that safeguards so much of our history, not just for those who might have been fortunate to see the games the first time around, but for future generations too," said GAA president John Horan at the launch.
"These games were taken from vaults, where they were kept on video tape, and their digitisation ensures that they can be enjoyed here at the GAA Museum and around the world through the internet."
The chairman of the BAI, Pauric Travers, was also present at the launch in Croke Park. "In digitising television recordings of key GAA games and making them available through gaa.ie and the GAA museum, audiences will get to relive the excitement of key matches from football and hurling championships spanning almost six decades," he said.
"The BAI's Archiving Scheme is designed to support the development of an archiving culture in the Irish broadcasting sector, and this initiative will ensure that a key element of Ireland's sports broadcasting heritage will be preserved for future generations."
#105
GAA Discussion / the GAA's supercrisis and the 2018 annual Report
February 07, 2019, 08:47:58 AM
The supercrisis is made up of
1. Dublin
2. Attendances
3. Croke Park and commercialisation
4. The football product
5. the dependence on a few matches to prop up the rest of the organisation
and it is visible in detail in the annual report
https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-ard-stiurthoir-tom-ryan-launches-2018-annual-report/
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gate-receipts-and-attendances-for-football-championship-slid-alarmingly-in-2018-despite-the-introduction-of-the-super-8s-37788169.html
1. "On the vexed question of Games Development grants, Dublin continue to secure a lion share of the €9.6m paid out directly to counties.
Dublin received €1.3m – an increase on last year's figure of £1.2m. Meath were the next biggest recipients with €367,400 but Cork – which has more registered GAA teams than any other county – received just €249,000."
This money goes on coaches
manfromdelmonte
"Dubs skill level is much higher than most teams
Kick with both feet, pass off either hand, step off either foot
Plus maximise every advantage going - 3/4 steps extra while bouncing the ball, cutting in front of chasing player while soloing or running, setting screens to get space to shoot.
All highly coachable"
2 "Overall, the average attendances figures at the 39 games in the All-Ireland series – which includes the qualifiers, the Super 8s and the All-Ireland semi-final and final – was 13,225.
In 2017 when there were 33 games played in the football series the average attendance was 19,049."
3."The GAA commercial income increased to €19.6m last year compared to €17.3m in 2017.
The Croke Park stadium generated a surplus of €10.9m in 2018 – they handed over €8m of this to Central Council. This brings the total figure that the stadium has generated for the GAA since 2006 to €108m."
It looks like commercial income is more important these days than the state of football
4.https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/gaa/gaa-should-have-restricted-players-to-just-one-handpass-reckons-dr-pat-oneill-900749.html
"The modern game wants the handpass and those that are making the rules and are responsible for them being implemented have conceded that.
"Being of the old school, I have to think there's far too much handpassing. This was an opportunity to restrict it and return to what the game is supposed to be — football. It's so much like European Handball now."
As a regular Croke Park matchgoer, O'Neill was alarmed by what he saw last season. "I would go to most of the Championship matches in Croke Park, not just the Dublin games, and I was never as bored as much at a game in my life as I was last summer.
"Some of those games were very pedestrian and they are following a soccer trend when it's so possession-based.
"A different strategy is needed to entertain the public because over the weekend I saw the TV viewing figures from last year and rugby games are higher than the GAA's. When you think that Gaelic football and hurling are our national games and reflect the wider community, that's worrying.
5. "While more than 800,000 attended the Central Council's championship games in 2018, six of the largest attendances accounted for over half the figure."
1. Dublin
2. Attendances
3. Croke Park and commercialisation
4. The football product
5. the dependence on a few matches to prop up the rest of the organisation
and it is visible in detail in the annual report
https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-ard-stiurthoir-tom-ryan-launches-2018-annual-report/
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gate-receipts-and-attendances-for-football-championship-slid-alarmingly-in-2018-despite-the-introduction-of-the-super-8s-37788169.html
1. "On the vexed question of Games Development grants, Dublin continue to secure a lion share of the €9.6m paid out directly to counties.
Dublin received €1.3m – an increase on last year's figure of £1.2m. Meath were the next biggest recipients with €367,400 but Cork – which has more registered GAA teams than any other county – received just €249,000."
This money goes on coaches
manfromdelmonte
"Dubs skill level is much higher than most teams
Kick with both feet, pass off either hand, step off either foot
Plus maximise every advantage going - 3/4 steps extra while bouncing the ball, cutting in front of chasing player while soloing or running, setting screens to get space to shoot.
All highly coachable"
2 "Overall, the average attendances figures at the 39 games in the All-Ireland series – which includes the qualifiers, the Super 8s and the All-Ireland semi-final and final – was 13,225.
In 2017 when there were 33 games played in the football series the average attendance was 19,049."
3."The GAA commercial income increased to €19.6m last year compared to €17.3m in 2017.
The Croke Park stadium generated a surplus of €10.9m in 2018 – they handed over €8m of this to Central Council. This brings the total figure that the stadium has generated for the GAA since 2006 to €108m."
It looks like commercial income is more important these days than the state of football
4.https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/gaa/gaa-should-have-restricted-players-to-just-one-handpass-reckons-dr-pat-oneill-900749.html
"The modern game wants the handpass and those that are making the rules and are responsible for them being implemented have conceded that.
"Being of the old school, I have to think there's far too much handpassing. This was an opportunity to restrict it and return to what the game is supposed to be — football. It's so much like European Handball now."
As a regular Croke Park matchgoer, O'Neill was alarmed by what he saw last season. "I would go to most of the Championship matches in Croke Park, not just the Dublin games, and I was never as bored as much at a game in my life as I was last summer.
"Some of those games were very pedestrian and they are following a soccer trend when it's so possession-based.
"A different strategy is needed to entertain the public because over the weekend I saw the TV viewing figures from last year and rugby games are higher than the GAA's. When you think that Gaelic football and hurling are our national games and reflect the wider community, that's worrying.
5. "While more than 800,000 attended the Central Council's championship games in 2018, six of the largest attendances accounted for over half the figure."
#107
GAA Discussion / 6 in a row
December 14, 2018, 11:29:38 AM
13,14,15,16,17
Is it
a) desirable for the sport
b) possible to stop it?
c) a sign that something is wrong ?
When do you think it will stop ? 19? 20? 21?
Are you expecting anything from Kerry ?
Is it
a) desirable for the sport
b) possible to stop it?
c) a sign that something is wrong ?
When do you think it will stop ? 19? 20? 21?
Are you expecting anything from Kerry ?
#108
GAA Discussion / ESRI research : the reality of life as an inter county player
November 07, 2018, 06:38:10 PM
https://www.esri.ie/news/new-research-examines-the-realities-of-being-a-senior-inter-county-player/
GAA players can spend up to 31 hours per week on their senior inter-county commitments and compromise on other aspects of their lives to do so, according to new ESRI research. Commissioned by the GAA and the GPA, the study uses data from a survey of 2016 players to examine how the demands of playing inter-county affects players' personal and professional lives, and their club involvement.
Players, particularly those aged over 30, compromised on their personal relationships and general downtime in order to ring-fence time for their inter-county commitments
Players compromised on sleep, with almost half not getting the eight to ten hours recommended for athletes on a pitch-based training day. The injury rate was higher among players getting seven or less hours sleep. Players' mental wellbeing was poorer than that of the general population, especially when compared to those of a similar age.
GAA players can spend up to 31 hours per week on their senior inter-county commitments and compromise on other aspects of their lives to do so, according to new ESRI research. Commissioned by the GAA and the GPA, the study uses data from a survey of 2016 players to examine how the demands of playing inter-county affects players' personal and professional lives, and their club involvement.
Players, particularly those aged over 30, compromised on their personal relationships and general downtime in order to ring-fence time for their inter-county commitments
Players compromised on sleep, with almost half not getting the eight to ten hours recommended for athletes on a pitch-based training day. The injury rate was higher among players getting seven or less hours sleep. Players' mental wellbeing was poorer than that of the general population, especially when compared to those of a similar age.
#109
General discussion / Big tech and personal data
October 30, 2018, 08:31:37 AM
What do people think? Privacy is dead. If you have an iPhone or smartphone it is complicit as is any Facebook data. Is this desirable?
https://tinyurl.com/y7djhsu9
The threat right now is the everyday part of it, which is the mass accumulation of data, the lack of privacy and that there isn't any tight control or ethics. People just aren't aware of the risk and the bias in the system that can lead to a very unequal society.
Cook warned that technology's promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information.
"Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users "increasingly extreme content" that hardens their convictions, Cook said.
"This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them," he said. "This should make us very uncomfortable. It should unsettle us."
https://tinyurl.com/y7djhsu9
The threat right now is the everyday part of it, which is the mass accumulation of data, the lack of privacy and that there isn't any tight control or ethics. People just aren't aware of the risk and the bias in the system that can lead to a very unequal society.
Cook warned that technology's promise to drive breakthroughs that benefit humanity is at risk of being overshadowed by the harm it can cause by deepening division and spreading false information.
"Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," he said. Scraps of personal data are collected for digital profiles that let businesses know users better than they know themselves and allow companies to offer users "increasingly extreme content" that hardens their convictions, Cook said.
"This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them," he said. "This should make us very uncomfortable. It should unsettle us."
#110
GAA Discussion / Was it worth shifting the all Ireland finals back 2 weeks ?
October 29, 2018, 10:58:04 AM
There are still county finals being played in late October.
#111
General discussion / Bord na Mona
October 25, 2018, 09:57:51 AM
Almost 500 jobs will be lost in the Midlands as Bord na Mona closes 17 industrial bogs.
For certain places in Offaly say this is like the mine closures in England in the 80s. Will the government do it English style and ignore the communities or will it support them until they become productive again as was the case in Germany when it closed its mines ?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/why-peat-is-most-damaging-fuel-in-terms-of-global-warming-even-worse-than-coal-1.3674537
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/nearly-500-bord-na-m%C3%B3na-jobs-to-go-as-semi-state-closes-17-active-bogs-1.3674414
For certain places in Offaly say this is like the mine closures in England in the 80s. Will the government do it English style and ignore the communities or will it support them until they become productive again as was the case in Germany when it closed its mines ?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/why-peat-is-most-damaging-fuel-in-terms-of-global-warming-even-worse-than-coal-1.3674537
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/nearly-500-bord-na-m%C3%B3na-jobs-to-go-as-semi-state-closes-17-active-bogs-1.3674414
#112
GAA Discussion / Soccer words that are not used in Gaelic analysis
October 24, 2018, 09:34:47 AM
1. "Quality"
Eg "Kerr ensured there was a conveyor belt of quality players going to the senior team"
Could be used for Roscommon at QF stage or Meath in the league
2 "Composure"
EG Ireland were lacking in imagination, composure and belief
Could be used for the Tyrone forwards or indeed any forwards against the Dubs
Eg "Kerr ensured there was a conveyor belt of quality players going to the senior team"
Could be used for Roscommon at QF stage or Meath in the league
2 "Composure"
EG Ireland were lacking in imagination, composure and belief
Could be used for the Tyrone forwards or indeed any forwards against the Dubs
#113
GAA Discussion / What were your highlights from this year’s all Ireland championship ?
September 20, 2018, 12:55:44 PM
As such
#114
General discussion / EU proposing to dump changing clocks twice a year
August 31, 2018, 06:44:44 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/31/eu-recommend-member-states-abolish-daylight-saving-time
The proposed directive could fall foul of the Republic of Ireland's government, however, as it would open up the potential for the Republic to run on a different time to Northern Ireland for seven months of the year. Another potential outcome would be that mainland Britain and Northern Ireland would operate in different time zones after Brexit.
https://youtu.be/d020hcWA_Wg
The proposed directive could fall foul of the Republic of Ireland's government, however, as it would open up the potential for the Republic to run on a different time to Northern Ireland for seven months of the year. Another potential outcome would be that mainland Britain and Northern Ireland would operate in different time zones after Brexit.
https://youtu.be/d020hcWA_Wg
#115
General discussion / Dolours Price
August 30, 2018, 11:26:03 AM #116
General discussion / Tourist numbers by county excluding the occupied territories
August 23, 2018, 03:10:32 PM #117
GAA Discussion / Timing of all Ireland Senior Finals
July 19, 2018, 01:47:14 PM #118
GAA Discussion / GAA stadium ends
July 09, 2018, 12:57:33 PM
Croke Park has the Hill and the Canal
The Killinan end is in Thurles.
What are the rest of them called?
The Killinan end is in Thurles.
What are the rest of them called?
#119
GAA Discussion / Jimmy does tactics
May 16, 2018, 03:35:13 PM
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/jim-mcguinness-mayo-now-on-a-familiar-but-unforgiving-road-1.3494910
The other important element is the dink-ball, as I call it, with the third man runner off it; that kicked pass inside bouncing in front of the receiving player is hugely important. It was a massive strategy for Jack O'Connor's All-Ireland winning Kerry teams and I feel it has become a central element of Dublin's game. And this is important. Dublin don't just want players supporting the ball in an ad-hoc way. In my opinion, it is a requirement of management that three players be involved in every attack. In other words, nothing happens in isolation.
In coaching speak, they play in pods. Dublin play in pods of three; the kicker, the man who wins the ball and, crucially, the third man runner. If you go back to Sunday's game in Castlebar, that is where the Galway goal came from. If you go Ballybofey, that is where the Cavan goal came from. Why is it so important as a tactic? For me, it is because it plays on human nature. We are naturally programmed to anticipate danger. All eyes are drawn to the man kicking the ball and the man catching it. These are the primary threats. The reality is that nobody thinks about the third man runner. If we are being honest - hands on heart - certainly from my point of view watching the game and, I imagine, everyone in the ground, who among us saw Johnny Heaney's first steps and said: oh, there's a goal on here. People watch the players on the ball and then this strike runner comes from nowhere. By the time you identify that he is the threat, it is too late. And I think this is a primary reason Dublin have been so successful.
And trust me: it is very hard to cancel out. Even if you know that the player you are marking is a strike runner, it is very hard. In Donegal we put a huge emphasis on 'anticipate the anticipator.' But from four years of age, players are thought to focus on the man on the ball. Your attention is drawn to what you perceive as being the threat and is about to hurt you. The third man runner - the real danger - can be 15 metres away, about to take off. For me, it is the most difficult attack to defend against in Gaelic football.
The other important element is the dink-ball, as I call it, with the third man runner off it; that kicked pass inside bouncing in front of the receiving player is hugely important. It was a massive strategy for Jack O'Connor's All-Ireland winning Kerry teams and I feel it has become a central element of Dublin's game. And this is important. Dublin don't just want players supporting the ball in an ad-hoc way. In my opinion, it is a requirement of management that three players be involved in every attack. In other words, nothing happens in isolation.
In coaching speak, they play in pods. Dublin play in pods of three; the kicker, the man who wins the ball and, crucially, the third man runner. If you go back to Sunday's game in Castlebar, that is where the Galway goal came from. If you go Ballybofey, that is where the Cavan goal came from. Why is it so important as a tactic? For me, it is because it plays on human nature. We are naturally programmed to anticipate danger. All eyes are drawn to the man kicking the ball and the man catching it. These are the primary threats. The reality is that nobody thinks about the third man runner. If we are being honest - hands on heart - certainly from my point of view watching the game and, I imagine, everyone in the ground, who among us saw Johnny Heaney's first steps and said: oh, there's a goal on here. People watch the players on the ball and then this strike runner comes from nowhere. By the time you identify that he is the threat, it is too late. And I think this is a primary reason Dublin have been so successful.
And trust me: it is very hard to cancel out. Even if you know that the player you are marking is a strike runner, it is very hard. In Donegal we put a huge emphasis on 'anticipate the anticipator.' But from four years of age, players are thought to focus on the man on the ball. Your attention is drawn to what you perceive as being the threat and is about to hurt you. The third man runner - the real danger - can be 15 metres away, about to take off. For me, it is the most difficult attack to defend against in Gaelic football.
#120
General discussion / Vicky Phelan and cervical check
May 04, 2018, 09:43:03 AM
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/vicky-phelan-i-m-here-to-tell-the-tale-and-by-god-i-m-going-to-take-these-guys-on-1.3479433
Vicky Phelan (43), from Annacotty in Co Limerick, is suffering from terminal cancer after earlier receiving a negative smear test under the HSE's CervicalCheck programme.
On Monday, the HSE confirmed a total of 162 women were not informed of a delay in their cancer diagnosis.
A total of 17 of these women have died, but the cause of death is not yet known. The HSE is still trying to contact another 13 women.
She said the inquiry should examine why the HSE fought against her High Court case so hard, including asking for details of how sick she was and how soon she might die.
"It's upsetting to think they demanded proof that I was likely to die earlier than expected. I mean Jesus, how dare they?" Ms Phelan asked.
In January of this year, she was given between six and 12 months to live.
She is currently on a treatment drug which costs €8,500 per dosage every three weeks. She said she is currently paying for the drug herself.
Vicky Phelan (43), from Annacotty in Co Limerick, is suffering from terminal cancer after earlier receiving a negative smear test under the HSE's CervicalCheck programme.
On Monday, the HSE confirmed a total of 162 women were not informed of a delay in their cancer diagnosis.
A total of 17 of these women have died, but the cause of death is not yet known. The HSE is still trying to contact another 13 women.
She said the inquiry should examine why the HSE fought against her High Court case so hard, including asking for details of how sick she was and how soon she might die.
"It's upsetting to think they demanded proof that I was likely to die earlier than expected. I mean Jesus, how dare they?" Ms Phelan asked.
In January of this year, she was given between six and 12 months to live.
She is currently on a treatment drug which costs €8,500 per dosage every three weeks. She said she is currently paying for the drug herself.