Mickey Harte joins the Irish News

[Mike Sheehy]

...what did McGuigan ever do apart from score a few points against an Armagh(??) defence made up of  cardboard cut outs of defenders. I mean seriously, you lads are great at the auld revisionism when it comes to the Kerry and Dublin teams of the '80s so lets start facing up some home truths about your own hero's. McGuigan was totally overrated.



Canavan was effective but also severely overrated. Not in Spillanes class at all.


wtf is that Donelly fella.....?

[longrunsthefox]

...what did McGuigan ever do apart from score a few points against an Armagh(??) defence made up of  cardboard cut outs of defenders. I mean seriously, you lads are great at the auld revisionism when it comes to the Kerry and Dublin teams of the '80s so lets start facing up some home truths about your own hero's. McGuigan was totally overrated.



Canavan was effective but also severely overrated. Not in Spillanes class at all.


wtf is that Donelly fella.....?

Sheehy - like Spillane you talk some drivel. Spillane was a great footballer-brilliant- but for natural ability not in the same class as McGuigan. All you have ever seen is the 11 points when he was half fit- he played for Tyrone in midfield before going to USA and for seniors when still a minor. Extraordinary footballer who you know nothing about. A natural more like Maurice Fitz, only better,  than workhorse Spillane.       

[tyronefan]

...what did McGuigan ever do apart from score a few points against an Armagh(??) defence made up of  cardboard cut outs of defenders. I mean seriously, you lads are great at the auld revisionism when it comes to the Kerry and Dublin teams of the '80s so lets start facing up some home truths about your own hero's. McGuigan was totally overrated.



Canavan was effective but also severely overrated. Not in Spillanes class at all.


wtf is that Donelly fella.....?

this lad is a good laugh but you are going to have to get out of kerry and see whats going on in the rest of the country.

other counties are playing football and believe it or not some of them are just as good as kerry and some even better

[Gaffer]

...

wtf is that Donelly fella.....?

Jaysus, Mike, he was some footballer

[BennyHarp]

Pat Spillane was a poor man's Brian Dooher! And nowhere near in the same class as men like Mikey Sheehy, John Egan, Maurice Fitz, Frank McGuigan and Peter Canavan!

[Mike Sheehy]

Jaysus, Mike, he was some footballer

you're probably right but this is so much more fun than trying to defend the reputation of past kerry players against Nordie revisionism.

[Gaffer]

Jaysus, Mike, he was some footballer

you're probably right but this is so much more fun than trying to defend the reputation of past kerry players against Nordie revisionism.

Definitely right, Mickey

[under the bar]

McGuigan was totally overrated.

So over-rated that Micheal O'Muirheartigh used to drive to Ardboe to watch him play club football!  But sure what would he know?

[Gaffer]

Micheal O'Muirheartigh
[/quote]


Can't have this man at all.  I think he s a bluffer!!!

[Minder]

Railway Cup should not be derailed Mickey Harte
By Mickey Harte
27/03/09

If many of the power-brokers in the GAA have their way, the competition will soon be a thing of the past     It is most regrettable that some of those in the best position to breathe renewed life into the Railway Cup competitions are advocating the last rites for this traditionally great competition.

Lack of public appeal and minimal television interest are cited as valid arguments for their cessation. These perceived failures are hardly surprising when one considers the continuous absence of a coherent plan for the restoration of this highest representative opportunity for the players of Gaelic Games.

In recent years, the GAA have been very fortunate to have had a most willing and generous sponsor in the person of Martin Donnelly. I know from speaking with Martin that he often found himself frustrated with the attempts to rejuvenate the competition. Moving the finals to such places as Paris or Rome, Boston or Abu Dhabi was never going to restore interest where it was first needed – here, at home in Ireland.

Perhaps these glamour destinations for finals were initiated to make the

competition more attractive to the players.

However, such 'incentives' were not necessary as the players saw it as a great honour to represent their province – when they got the chance. Normally 'getting the chance' would mean when you were chosen.

Unfortunately, this was not the case in recent years as the opportunity to represent your province might have to be forfeited because of internal club commitments, provincial club commitments, college/university commitments or, perhaps the greatest travesty of all – because you were committed to another code endorsed by the GAA!!

Going ahead with the most recent competition while the Compromise Rules series (Yes – that again!) was robbing the Ulster manager Joe Kernan of more than half of his team, displayed something close to contempt for this competition. (Would that go some way towards explaining minimal TV coverage?)

The easy talk in the street is to decry the Railway Cup as a phenomenon of the bygone days which is no longer attractive and which has been replaced by a more vibrant club series.

That the culmination of the club series – the All-Ireland club final – takes place in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day virtually endorses the myth.

Yes, the club series has expanded, almost beyond recognition, from a fledgling competition that didn't originally command unequivocal support, to one of the flagship competitions of the GAA calendar.

Indeed, we are currently experiencing an extension of the series to embrace the junior and intermediate clubs as well as the now traditional senior competition.

This enhancement of the club scene is only to be welcomed as this affords many players the

opportunity to represent their county, albeit in club colours.

Ultimately, every club player can harbour the

ambition of playing in a final in Croke Park. But why should this innovation at club level be at the expense of the inter-provincial series? Just as all club players would love to play for their county, so too do county players relish the chance to represent their province.

As I have alluded to on many occasions in the past, this is the highest truly representative outlet for gaelic players. Stars from the past treasured the opportunity to play with and against the best in Ireland – the modern-day players are no different in that respect, except that the players of yesteryear had an appreciative and sizeable spectatorship.

Currently the series is treated as something to be 'fitted in' to the fixtures calendar. In the last decade or more the competition has been almost contemptuously tampered with. The semi-finals might be in February in Killarney one year and on a November Saturday in Ballyshannon another year.

The sentiments appeared to be – get it played, get it off the books, why bother promoting this ageing competition?

A huge effort was initiated by sponsor Martin Donnelly a couple of years ago when the finals were played at the newly-floodlit Croke Park.

A crowd in the region of 10,000 – 11,000 people turned up (TV viewing numbers were estimated at 220,000 ) for what was a most enjoyable night.

However, this was immediately deemed a failure despite the fact that it was the first attempt at giving the competition the credibility it deserves.

Ultimately, what the competition needs is a fixed date in the calendar. Give two clear, uninterrupted weeks over to the hosting of the series. The last two weeks in October might suit. Build the profile of the games with a concentrated multimedia promotional campaign in the six-week period preceeding the games. In essence – rebrand the Railway Cup. There ought to be plate finals as well, giving every player two games in the series. This tournament could then be used as the final analysis for Allstar selection, thus

affording those players who exited the Championships earlier in the year the chance to stake a claim again. (Regularly up to two-thirds of the Allstar teams selected comes from the All-Ireland finalists).

Alternatively, there could be a team from the Railway Cup series chosen to travel with the traditional Allstar team and have a competitive exhibition game rather than the standard of exhibition game that currently prevails.

The finals could be alternated on a single weekend, with hurling on a Saturday under lights at Croke Park and the football on Sunday and vice versa.

Families, youth groups and schools could obtain

attractive packages for one or both events and perhaps entry tickets drawn for the chosen lucky supporters to meet the players.

With proper, professional promotion, imagination and the correct will, the

environment where television coverage would be sought and public interest rediscovered is most feasible.

Zambia mission so worthwhile

Next Thursday, April 2, my former teaching colleague Pascal Canavan, along with another teacher, Claire O'Donnell, and 14 students from St Ciaran's College, Ballygawley leave for a trip to Zambia.

This group are working in conjunction with the SMA group Friends of Africa on a number of projects in Lusaka and Ndola involving street children and orphans.

The St Ciaran's group have raised £30,000 and after their visit they will make a collective decision as to how best this money can be spent.

This is a most innovative approach to missionary work of this nature and a long-term relationship will be formed with whichever project is decided upon.

The group have given themselves the name 'St Ciaran's Peregrini', a name used to describe the first Irish missionaries.

It is hoped that other schools might initiate other missionary links and give new hope to those suffering from the ravages of poverty in the world.

Three other staff from St Ciaran's will spend six weeks in Zambia during the summer, clearly indicating that the idea of mission is alive and well in the school.

I would like to congratulate Pascal and all concerned for embarking on this act of caring and I have no doubt the life lessons learned through this initiative could never be found in a textbook.

[full back]

perhaps the greatest travesty of all – because you were committed to another code endorsed by the GAA!!

Give it up Mickey
FFS G-i-v-e  i-t  u-p 

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

He's right though, Martin Donnelly has been shafted time and again by the organisation. I don't know how he perseveres, but he does.

[rrhf]

I think the railway cup final should be played before the all Ireland final with members of the two teams playing obviously excluded. 

[under the bar]

I liked the idea of bringing the Railway Cup to other countries, sometime just after the AIF. 

It gives the players the chance to be rewarded with travel abroad to represent their province and brings inter-county standard GAA to the ex-pats guaranteeing big crowds.

[muppet]

Jeysus man will he ever shut up about the International rules? 

It's not as if the Railway Cup was in its prime before they were re-established was it and he misses the point about its demise. Its not the players, most love to represent their province, its the supporters. It means nothing to them in this day and age, sadly.