Peter McKenna

[The Voice Of Reason]

p2/3 near top bud
I said at the start that I was in favour of the old style presentation but would have respect for a decision that Peter McKenna would make.

Yourself and Peter McKenna should respect the wishes of the GAA membership, not the other way around. If a GAA tradition is to be changed, someone should bring a motion to congress (that should be debated by all clubs, no sneaky deals thank you very much).

So you carry on something that is traditional yet maybe harmful to you or your friends, or maybe casuing thousands of euro in damage to the pitch two weeks before the AI Football final when it can be avoided.

<snigger> ... U2 ... pot ... kettle ... black ... too easy

Only in the GAA do you have people phoning radio programmes demanding to be able to rampage where they like, when they like

As a GAA member, Croke Park part belongs to me (and could only be built because of the efforts of the millions of volunteers down through the decades in our clubs), and surely someone should be allowed on their own land...




For the football final, we should abolise the orange fencing (who gave the Croke Park directors the mandate to do this anyways??), and simply open the gates to allow the fans safely run/walk/stroll onto the pitch. Simple.

[Bud Wiser]

Yourself and Peter McKenna should respect the wishes of the GAA membership, not the other way around. If a GAA tradition is to be changed, someone should bring a motion to congress (that should be debated by all clubs, no sneaky deals thank you very much).

And who do you think you are then, look at the last sentence of your post.  It is wrong for Peter McKenna to make a decision but you want to come on here and dictate what is going to happen?   I won't respond to your other wild ideas other than to hope and pray that with the coutry in the state it is in you are not a shareholder in a large company that you would expect them to call an EGM if they want to paint new lines in the car park.  The management of Croke Park are there for a reason, to manage the stadium and they have already been given the authority through their appointment to do that. 

As far as my quote that you have highlighted goes, yes, I was/am in favour of the old tradition but I am also in favour of safety and when someone that is in a better position than me tell me what safety measures I should take when on their property,  I listen to them.

Last Monday night, sadly, when the Kilkenny team arrived home with the cup there was a gathering of fans in the Square and a man fell back and hit his head off steps.  That man was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he later died.  The man was 58yrs of age and today we probably have children without a father and an amount of grief for his family that ihas suddenly arrived on their doorstep because of bad crowd control that simply should not happen, or be allowed to happen.

At a guess, I would say that you and many like you on here and the likes of Eoghin Corry you wrote the greatest load of bullshit ever in yesterdays Herald are not 58 yrs of age.  Result?  No thoughts for anyone that may be elderly and caught in the queue on steep steps while fans are trying to get onto the pitch. Most of the people, including old people, who are leaving after the final whistle blows are heading UP the aisles. Supporters who want to run onto the pitch are heading DOWN the aisles.  What does that tell you?  Does it not say that there is a danger involved?  Does it not tel you that an old man can fall backwards and hit his head off the steps, or is it all fit agile young lads that are allowed into Croke Park and there is no place or safety for older people? 

I won't comment on your assertion that people will walk onto, and, wait for it, stroll onto the pitch ! !  "hello sir, how are you, it was a good game there, excuse me could I just get passed you, I am going for an ould stroll onto the pitch"  All I can say is whatever about Peter Mckenna managing CRoke Park Stadium I am glad from what I am reading on this thread that some of the contributors are not managing it.

[Jinxy]

Bud, unless you have more specific information than todays papers on that poor mans death in Kilkenny I think it's highly inappropriate for you to apportion blame.

[INDIANA]

Bud, unless you have more specific information than todays papers on that poor mans death in Kilkenny I think it's highly inappropriate for you to apportion blame.

Agree completely.

[Bud Wiser]

Bud, unless you have more specific information than todays papers on that poor mans death in Kilkenny I think it's highly inappropriate for you to apportion blame.

Agree completely.

Why am I surprised that you agree completely? The two buddies are back together again. Did Jinxy send you a PM?

I have no further comment to make on the mans death than I have already made other than to say my heart goes out to his family and the people of Inistioge.

Any comments on the other points I made lad's?

[Jinxy]

I'd rather you removed the comment in question to be honest out of respect for the man that lost his life and the people of Inistioge.

[Bud Wiser]

Would you ever cop on to yourself you fool.  This incident was reported in the Irish Times, The Star and in lots of media.  Both you and Indiana have some cheek talking about respect when you try to make an issue out of it.  I referred to what happened and what was reported but I am not going to lower myself to your level by making an issue of it.   I have no further comment to make about the mans death other than that I am sorry for his family and friends. 

Don't come on here with your righteous attitude telling me what to post or remove and have a small bit of cop on.

[Jinxy]

I won't say anymore on this Bud.
You'd want to take a good look at yourself though.

[INDIANA]

Would you ever cop on to yourself you fool.  This incident was reported in the Irish Times, The Star and in lots of media.  Both you and Indiana have some cheek talking about respect when you try to make an issue out of it.  I referred to what happened and what was reported but I am not going to lower myself to your level by making an issue of it.   I have no further comment to make about the mans death other than that I am sorry for his family and friends. 

Don't come on here with your righteous attitude telling me what to post or remove and have a small bit of cop on.

With all due respect Bud it wouldn't be possible for Jinxy or myself to be lower than you after that post.

[crossfire]

I don't think McKenna is doing a good job. He has one of the easiest jobs in the country. Croke Park is the only stadium of its size so there will always be demand for its use. There is no fighting or pitching needed to get events to take place there. The corporate facilities are top-notch and with the stadium's location so close to the city, again people will always want to piggy-back onto the whole romanticism of the GAA and its history and use the facilities.

I'm sure the bottom-line figures are all fine and dandy and from that perspective hes doing the job that was asked of him. But hes not in touch with grassroots GAA, its ethos, its people, what it stands for, and some of the fundamentals that should always always be preserved. For me thats the main problem. Hurling and football teams can't get access to the pitch for a runout the week before a game, yet its no bother for soccer or rugby to get all the time they want on it. The pitch being torn up - well that just beggars belief and theres no way it can be dressed up to make it sound any way sensible - remember 1985? The Simple Minds gig, how it made shit of the pitch and how the GAA said it would never make that mistake again (even though they did in 1987 with the U2 concerts that year).

When I was a kid I went to Croke Park whenever there was any game of any description on. I could relate what was happening there with what I did myself in my home club. Some of the guys in the club worked in the stadium in various roles. The history just exuded from the place - you could almost hear echoes of Ring, Keher and Rackard. You knew this was the stadium, the very same stadium, that those people who are such important historical figures stood in generations before you.

But now. Now its this big characterless money-making entity that the majority of people playing our games have not got a hope in hell of ever playing on. Now we're lucky if we even get to walk on the sod after a game. Now we have private security firms watching your every move. Its become an intimidating, less accessible place. Its become something that kids can only dream about ever playing in. When I was a kid we had the schools finals there. We brought our hurls to games. We went down onto the pitch and pucked around until we were asked to leave. I'm not saying it should go back to that, but its becoming further and further from what it should be.

The GAA is build around the people who volunteer. Who take teams out. The players who play. The kids who turn up in their droves every saturday morning to learn the skills of hurling and football. The stadium is their/our stadium. It shouldn't be this big white elephant that now stands where our beloved Croke Park used to. And its up to Peter McKenna and the rest of those in Croke Park Teo to ensure it stays the GAA's stadium (without losing sight of what the GAA really is and stands for).

Totally agree.

[Bud Wiser]

Would you ever cop on to yourself you fool.  This incident was reported in the Irish Times, The Star and in lots of media.  Both you and Indiana have some cheek talking about respect when you try to make an issue out of it.  I referred to what happened and what was reported but I am not going to lower myself to your level by making an issue of it.   I have no further comment to make about the mans death other than that I am sorry for his family and friends. 

Don't come on here with your righteous attitude telling me what to post or remove and have a small bit of cop on.

With all due respect Bud it wouldn't be possible for Jinxy or myself to be lower than you after that post.

The two of ye wouldn't know anything about 'due respect' not if it jumped out of a chip or burger bag at ye in Ballybough or Ballymiun.  I made a reasonable comment about a tragic event that was reported in the papers and the reply I got was that the post I made was insulting and that I was to remove it out of respect which infers I was being disrespectful, which in my book is a serious allegation to make.  It is only the two of ye that would see reason to make the comments you have made and it tells me a lot about how ye think.

[Jinxy]

YOU directly attributed blame for the mans death to poor crowd control.
YOU were the one that introduced it into the discussion.
I don't care what your motivation was, it's entirely inappropriate in my opinion.

[SLIGONIAN]

Would you ever cop on to yourself you fool.  This incident was reported in the Irish Times, The Star and in lots of media.  Both you and Indiana have some cheek talking about respect when you try to make an issue out of it.  I referred to what happened and what was reported but I am not going to lower myself to your level by making an issue of it.   I have no further comment to make about the mans death other than that I am sorry for his family and friends. 

Don't come on here with your righteous attitude telling me what to post or remove and have a small bit of cop on.

You are being disrespectful, your using a mans death for your own agenda on crowd safety, your taking advantage of the mans death. Your the one making a issue of it as you brought it up. Look in the mirror lad seriously. Its even sadder that your not man enough to admit it, but you do the opposite and go on the defensive again. Low act. The length ye lads who want pitch invasions stopped are going too is quite shocking.

My condolescenes to his family and Kilkenny GAA.

[INDIANA]

Would you ever cop on to yourself you fool.  This incident was reported in the Irish Times, The Star and in lots of media.  Both you and Indiana have some cheek talking about respect when you try to make an issue out of it.  I referred to what happened and what was reported but I am not going to lower myself to your level by making an issue of it.   I have no further comment to make about the mans death other than that I am sorry for his family and friends. 

Don't come on here with your righteous attitude telling me what to post or remove and have a small bit of cop on.

With all due respect Bud it wouldn't be possible for Jinxy or myself to be lower than you after that post.

The two of ye wouldn't know anything about 'due respect' not if it jumped out of a chip or burger bag at ye in Ballybough or Ballymiun.  I made a reasonable comment about a tragic event that was reported in the papers and the reply I got was that the post I made was insulting and that I was to remove it out of respect which infers I was being disrespectful, which in my book is a serious allegation to make.  It is only the two of ye that would see reason to make the comments you have made and it tells me a lot about how ye think.

Bud this has nothing to do with the topic- if you can't see how that post was disrespectful then I rest my case.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Who would have thought people would get so worked up over being allowed to invade a pitch.