anyone else shouting at the tv at rte's coverage of the hurling?

[nrico2006]

It's just another piece of codology. This sort of shite allows GAA HQ to claim it's fulfilling its remit of promoting Irish by insisting on a clause in the RTÉ contract that the minor finals (and only the minor finals) be covered in Irish (and in Irish only).  Never mind that it's using the same compulsion that has almost killed the language. You'll learn Irish in school if we have to bate it into you and you'll watch the minor final in Irish whether you like it or not and whether you understand it or not. Do they not grasp the stupidity of making people resent the language as a pretence of promoting it and, in the same move losing 80%+ of the audience for underage football on the only occasion when it appears on TV? Of course they do, but they don't give a shite.

This is the same "policy" of language promotion that brings you a few phrases at the start of every GAA speech in pidgin Irish, the insistence on using the Irish language names of counties in passages of English and, of course, the tour de force that will have us all speaking the sweetest Irish within a generation - the insistence on the ludicrous "translation" of people's names into imaginary Irish versions. This is promoting Irish? Is it not just making a laughing stock of it?

Well said Hardy.

[spuds]

It's just another piece of codology. This sort of shite allows GAA HQ to claim it's fulfilling its remit of promoting Irish by insisting on a clause in the RTÉ contract that the minor finals (and only the minor finals) be covered in Irish (and in Irish only).  Never mind that it's using the same compulsion that has almost killed the language. You'll learn Irish in school if we have to bate it into you and you'll watch the minor final in Irish whether you like it or not and whether you understand it or not. Do they not grasp the stupidity of making people resent the language as a pretence of promoting it and, in the same move losing 80%+ of the audience for underage football on the only occasion when it appears on TV? Of course they do, but they don't give a shite.

This is the same "policy" of language promotion that brings you a few phrases at the start of every GAA speech in pidgin Irish, the insistence on using the Irish language names of counties in passages of English and, of course, the tour de force that will have us all speaking the sweetest Irish within a generation - the insistence on the ludicrous "translation" of people's names into imaginary Irish versions. This is promoting Irish? Is it not just making a laughing stock of it?

Wrote from a totally negative view of all efforts to give any promotion to the Irish language, blame it all on it being forced and shoved in your face. Blame the language dying out on the method it is being taught. So it would be better to have some programme in Irish on at a time and place that will be out of earshot of all ? Not everyone dislikes the minor commentry in Irish ! You either have an association that stands for something or you purely have a sports organisation that caters to the elite footballers and hurlers.

You have the imaginary surnames thing a bit back to front, albeit in a more historical way than you were referring to, as many original Irish surnames were translated to English surnames that sounded similar etc.

[spuds]

It's just another piece of codology. This sort of shite allows GAA HQ to claim it's fulfilling its remit of promoting Irish by insisting on a clause in the RTÉ contract that the minor finals (and only the minor finals) be covered in Irish (and in Irish only).  Never mind that it's using the same compulsion that has almost killed the language. You'll learn Irish in school if we have to bate it into you and you'll watch the minor final in Irish whether you like it or not and whether you understand it or not. Do they not grasp the stupidity of making people resent the language as a pretence of promoting it and, in the same move losing 80%+ of the audience for underage football on the only occasion when it appears on TV? Of course they do, but they don't give a shite.

This is the same "policy" of language promotion that brings you a few phrases at the start of every GAA speech in pidgin Irish, the insistence on using the Irish language names of counties in passages of English and, of course, the tour de force that will have us all speaking the sweetest Irish within a generation - the insistence on the ludicrous "translation" of people's names into imaginary Irish versions. This is promoting Irish? Is it not just making a laughing stock of it?

Well said Hardy.

That's quite funny, you agree with Hardy yet cannot understand the commentry in Irish. I'll be presumptious and assume that you were not forced to learn Irish at school in Tyrone !

[ziggysego]

That's quite funny, you agree with Hardy yet cannot understand the commentry in Irish. I'll be presumptious and assume that you were not forced to learn Irish at school in Tyrone !

When I was at school, Irish wasn't on the table. So unfortunately I never got a chance to learn the language. I'm desperate to someday.

As for Irish commentary during the Minor games, I say keep it.

[The Forfeit Point]

i far prefer listening to ó'sé than morrissey, canning and co.

[spuds]

As oppsed to "I cannot understand provide me with an English alternative" go out and learn some feckin Irish or put up with it.

In what way does not speaking Irish reflect on his own lot?

For him to say that the commentry should not be in Irish I think that the fact he does not understand it is a bigger point.

[spuds]

That's quite funny, you agree with Hardy yet cannot understand the commentry in Irish. I'll be presumptious and assume that you were not forced to learn Irish at school in Tyrone !

When I was at school, Irish wasn't on the table. So unfortunately I never got a chance to learn the language. I'm desperate to someday.

As for Irish commentary during the Minor games, I say keep it.

This I find very interesting in comparison to what Hardy was on about with it being taught wrongly.

[ziggysego]

That's quite funny, you agree with Hardy yet cannot understand the commentry in Irish. I'll be presumptious and assume that you were not forced to learn Irish at school in Tyrone !

When I was at school, Irish wasn't on the table. So unfortunately I never got a chance to learn the language. I'm desperate to someday.

As for Irish commentary during the Minor games, I say keep it.

This I find very interesting in comparison to what Hardy was on about with it being taught wrongly.

I didn't go to the same school as Hardy.

[Hardy]

It's just another piece of codology. This sort of shite allows GAA HQ to claim it's fulfilling its remit of promoting Irish by insisting on a clause in the RTÉ contract that the minor finals (and only the minor finals) be covered in Irish (and in Irish only).  Never mind that it's using the same compulsion that has almost killed the language. You'll learn Irish in school if we have to bate it into you and you'll watch the minor final in Irish whether you like it or not and whether you understand it or not. Do they not grasp the stupidity of making people resent the language as a pretence of promoting it and, in the same move losing 80%+ of the audience for underage football on the only occasion when it appears on TV? Of course they do, but they don't give a shite.

This is the same "policy" of language promotion that brings you a few phrases at the start of every GAA speech in pidgin Irish, the insistence on using the Irish language names of counties in passages of English and, of course, the tour de force that will have us all speaking the sweetest Irish within a generation - the insistence on the ludicrous "translation" of people's names into imaginary Irish versions. This is promoting Irish? Is it not just making a laughing stock of it?

Wrote from a totally negative view of all efforts to give any promotion to the Irish language, blame it all on it being forced and shoved in your face. Blame the language dying out on the method it is being taught. So it would be better to have some programme in Irish on at a time and place that will be out of earshot of all ? Not everyone dislikes the minor commentry in Irish ! You either have an association that stands for something or you purely have a sports organisation that caters to the elite footballers and hurlers.

You have the imaginary surnames thing a bit back to front, albeit in a more historical way than you were referring to, as many original Irish surnames were translated to English surnames that sounded similar etc.

What's the Irish for Moses Muzalewa? Piotr Crzewinski? Are we going to attract immigrant kids to the sport by starting off by telling them their names don't match up to our racial purity requirements? You can't be on our team because we don't like your name.

John Power is John Power and Sean Óg de Paor is not. If Jack Stack's parents had meant to call him Sean de Staic, they'd have put that on his birth cert., same as Aodán Mac Gearailt's put what they meant on his. When Mickey Black goes to Germany, he doesn't expect people to start calling him Mikel Schwartz and when Johann Schmidt comes the other direction he'd be taken aback if we called him Seán MacGabhann.

My point is that names are not translatable and that the GAA's ludicrous insistence on "Irish" names is cynical tokenism, the same as the pidgin Irish phrases and the nonsense with the commentaries in Irish. They're designed for one purpose only - to PRETEND that the GAA administration is promoting Irish. It's not. It's making a laughing stock of it. As someone who supports the regeneration of Irish, I resent that.

[spuds]

What's the Irish for Moses Muzalewa? Piotr Crzewinski? Are we going to attract immigrant kids to the sport by starting off by telling them their names don't match up to our racial purity requirements? You can't be on our team because we don't like your name.

John Power is John Power and Sean Óg de Paor is not. If Jack Stack's parents had meant to call him Sean de Staic, they'd have put that on his birth cert., same as Aodán Mac Gearailt's put what they meant on his. When Mickey Black goes to Germany, he doesn't expect people to start calling him Mikel Schwartz and when Johann Schmidt comes the other direction he'd be taken aback if we called him Seán MacGabhann.

My point is that names are not translatable and that the GAA's ludicrous insistence on "Irish" names is cynical tokenism, the same as the pidgin Irish phrases and the nonsense with the commentaries in Irish. They're designed for one purpose only - to PRETEND that the GAA administration is promoting Irish. It's not. It's making a laughing stock of it. As someone who supports the regeneration of Irish, I resent that.

The names being in Irish is not such an important issue for me to be honest, would be better probably for the commentators to have it in the preferred/normal version of the names. All very amusing your translations of the Smiths/Shmitz/MacGabhann but as you know foreign names are non-translatable, Moses Muzalewa and Piotr Crzewinski won't be put off by the attempts to have their names into Irish, more likely to be put off for other reasons.

You keep saying that the commentry for the minor match is tokenism but it is real and live. People want to watch the minor match in good numbers so it is in fact a real effort ! How is this making a laughing stock of it ? Who is laughing ? Sure the GAA administrators could do more but if they do nothing at all what then ??

Is having no exposure to Irish better than hearing a hurling and football minor All Ireland commentry in Irish once anually ?

[Hardy]

What does it achieve?

[joemamas]

thought the overall coverage was poor, I remember on of the most exciting parts of the entire game was the respective fans reaction when the teams first came on the field, RTE in my minfd failed miseribly in that regards, the overhead shot was pathetic, no shot of any of the fans, who is in charges of production, the need to show more of what is going on on the field too many breakaways to the studio and other analysts.

[del_carroll]

What does it achieve?

If you're left school like me for 20years+, then you'll probably find most of the irish that you still know and recognise comes from watching the minor matches in Irish, county names, the numbers, buailte go hard agus go tríd...(though TG4 excellent coverage of the club scene also increases exposure hugely)

It's only 70 minutes for crying out loud, what kind of Gaels are ye, to get all stroppy at being "forced" to listen to the language of your forefathers for the course of the game. If you ask me Irish is dying out mainly becasue of indifference among Irish people toward their own heritage and culture; too happy to blame the school system (which they all left many years ago), for their own basic laziness.

Slán

[spuds]

No answer to my questions !

What does it achieve?

It shows people that the language is still alive, albeit not well. It also allows Moses Muzalewa and Piotr Crzewinski realise that the language they are forced to learn in school can be combined with their interest in hurling ! It gives the likes of myself and others an opportunity to listen to our games in our native tongue. How is this tokenism ?

Hardy

As someone who supports the regeneration of Irish

How would you support the regeneration ? You are not happy with the way it is being taught, when something is done you call it tokenism, you say not enough is being done by the heads in the GAA. Do you support the regeneration of Irish the same way I support my English soccer team; from afar and half arsed !

[Hardy]

What does it achieve?

If you're left school like me for 20years+, then you'll probably find most of the irish that you still know and recognise comes from watching the minor matches in Irish, county names, the numbers, buailte go hard agus go tríd...(though TG4 excellent coverage of the club scene also increases exposure hugely)

It's only 70 minutes for crying out loud, what kind of Gaels are ye, to get all stroppy at being "forced" to listen to the language of your forefathers for the course of the game. If you ask me Irish is dying out mainly becasue of indifference among Irish people toward their own heritage and culture; too happy to blame the school system (which they all left many years ago), for their own basic laziness.

Slán

I'm not a "Gael" at all, because I never knew what that meant. Less still do I know what a true gael is, though I see many people labelled as such. Is it a term meant to exclude people?

I have no problem listening to Micheál Ó Sé. He's a fine commentator and I enjoy his commentaries in Irish. I'm just saying that the convention of presenting the minor finals in Irish is just codology and tokenism and some weird echo of the compulsory Irish we had in school. And since an alternative is not available for non-Irish speakers, this can only mean the GAA doesn't really care about presenting the minor games themselves to the widest available audience but wants to pretend it's promoting Irish.

What does the GAA REALLY do to promote Irish? Where are the Irish language courses? Has anyone ever heard of one of these in a club? Ever? Publications in Irish? Are there any? (I'm not talking about a few words of pidgin Irish in an English language publication or the linguistic comedy routine that tells you in English that today An Mhí are playing Cill Dara). Can anyone post here the details of how their club fulfils the remit of promoting Irish and how it's assisted in that by GAA central administration?