GAA Outreach in Action...

[Myles Na G.]

Springfield Road had a narrow escape. They were going to call it Dusty.

[ONeill]

Isn't Shankill an Irish name or something?

There's outreaching for you.

[Tony Baloney]

Brian Kennedy Way.

Handily goes both ways.

[lynchbhoy]

Wonder what Joe feels about loyalist flute bands which carry the names of dearly departed sectarian killers on their drums / uniforms? Wonder if he feels that's noone else's business too? Wonder if he'd feel it was noone else's business if those same bands were receiving public funding for their activities and claiming to be 'reaching out' to nationalists at the same time?

You're a t**t, Joe. Sorry, but you are. If you can't see that naming grounds after members of the organisation responsible for La Mons, Shankill, Enniskillen, Teebane, Darkley, Kingsmill, etc etc etc while holding your hand out for tax payers money might be an issue, then you're a t**t.

Was Kevin Lynch a sectarian killer? McDonnell or Doherty sectarian killers?

I mean if Loyalists named their flutebands after a UVF man that died on hungerstrike then may be you'd have a point. If the GAA named clubs after individuals who actively engaged in sectarian killings then you'd have a point.

These men died on hungerstrike which was an emotive issue for the broader nationalist community, not just republicans. If you are unable to differentiate between the circumstances in which these men died (whether you agree or not with their politics) and the likes of the much eulogized Brian Robinson who randomly shot the first fenian he could find then maybe you are the t**t.

Kingsmill was sectarian, was it not? Prods lined up against a van, the sole Catholic identified and told to take himself off. If that isn't sectarian murder, then I don't know what is. Maybe not as random as Brian Robinson's attack, but hey, no brownie points for being better organised sectarian killers, eh? Darkley, an attack on prods in a prod church. Is that not sectarian? That's the organisation that the hunger strikers belonged to. One of the guns used at Kingsmill was linked to hunger striker  Raymond McCreesh.  The GAA should not allow itself to be linked to an organisation which committed such sectarian atrocities. It should not receive public funding while it does. Joe's an intelligent man, he should be able to see that. The fact that he can't makes him a t**t.

This has been done to death but....

As Joe Brolly clearly stated, Kevin Lynch hurled for both Derry and Dungiven with distinction.

Their decision to rename their club reflects the sentiment held in Dungiven at that time that a former and well decorated player such as KL was worthy of commemoration. Given the exceptional circumstances of his death, and that of the other hungerstrikers, I don't see anything untoward with ONE out of thousands of GAA clubs being re-named after a hungerstriker given the links he had with that club.

As for your examples of Darkley and Kingsmill; yes they were abhorrent sectarian crimes. Are they being glorified? NO. It's the exact same as me saying the laying of a wreath at a British Army war memorial is somehow glorifying Bloody Sunday or The Ballymurphy Massacre. Should wreath laying be discontinued because of the hurt, pain and killings inflicted on Nationalists by the British Army? What do you think?

The decision to name the club after Kevin Lynch has nothing to do with his talent as a hurler. There must be countless players down through the decades who have served their club and county longer and with more distinction - why not honour them? Lynch was singled out because of his activities off the pitch and therein lies the problem: some people within the GAA think that a member of the provisional IRA is a suitable person to commemorate. The vast majority of people throughout the 32 counties view that organisation as  a bunch of murderers, on the same level as the UDA or UVF, rather than on the same level as the British Army, which is the comparison republicans (and only republicans) like to make.

Please give us some evidence to back up you claim here Myles.
I'm looking forward to this ....should  be good!
Can't wait in fact!!!!

[lynchbhoy]

I'm gonna be honest here. Since when was the GAA about appeasing Unionists?

Some people might argue that the Orange Order was never "about appeasing" nationalists, but it doesn't mean that some people from the "other side" don't find some parts of their organisations/ activities offensive.

Are we still content in 2013 to operate an "I don't give a f*** what they think" attitude?  We know Brolly is, but I was hoping to come on here and see more liberal/ open-minded thinking from some others here.

The truth is that, whatever the circumstances of Lynch's death, he wasn't put away for handing out sweeties to sick children, but was, in fact, a member of a terrorist organisation. No amount of revisionism from Irish Republicans will change that and, although I have no time for Robinson or the DUP, I agree with him that there is no difference between historical or contemporary terrorism.  The scum who murdered Mr Black or Constable Carroll or the soldiers in Antrim a few years ago are exactly the same class of human being as those who carried out similar acts in the 70s, 80s or 90s.

If people don't understand why the name "Kevin Lynch" attached to a sports club can be deemed offensive then, to be honest, I don't see much evidence of community outreach. But if you don't understand that, then here is a heads-up: don't bother criticising unionists for being openly anti-GAA.

As long as openly anti-GAA doesn't involve assaulting GAA members, burning out Clubhouses/damaging GAA property or in anyway disrupting its activities that's fine by me.

I'm pretty sure that most unionists have in the past and will continue to meet your request.

Meanwhile, unionists can expect to do whatever they like because it's no business of anyone else (Brolly, 2013) and can expect that nationalists will not burn out or attack Orange Order property or, in any way, disrupt its activities.

Yes, that's a solution, both communities can live side by side, doing whatever they like but simultaneously pretend that the other side doesn't exist.  Why didn't we think of that before?

Just interested on your views on this one. Dan Breen was a leading member of the IRA during the war of independence and would have fulfilled all your criteria of a terrorist. The Dan Breen cup is presented each year in Tipperary. Is this acceptable in your eyes?

He was a terrorist to my mind (and based on the little information I have just read, a Nazi supporter). I do, however, accept that, enough time has now passed since he carried out his activities to deem it less offensive, so I would be in no rush to have things like that changed.

That said, shooting someone in the 1920s has the same end result as doing it in the 1970s or in 2012.  I think it's clear that, from this point on, the GAA really need to look at how they act.  They can't, in 2013, do the same things that they did 100 years ago if they are really serious about promoting better community relations.

So you had to do a bit of research in order to be offended


You could prob do a bit more on Kevin Lynch before casting your dispersions

Not for handing out sweets but for feck all - one fabricated charge (assault)

[Rossfan]

Isn't Shankill an Irish name or something?

There's outreaching for you.

Old Church i mBéarla.
Surely the PULs will want it re named Aulkirk 

[Myles Na G.]

Wonder what Joe feels about loyalist flute bands which carry the names of dearly departed sectarian killers on their drums / uniforms? Wonder if he feels that's noone else's business too? Wonder if he'd feel it was noone else's business if those same bands were receiving public funding for their activities and claiming to be 'reaching out' to nationalists at the same time?

You're a t**t, Joe. Sorry, but you are. If you can't see that naming grounds after members of the organisation responsible for La Mons, Shankill, Enniskillen, Teebane, Darkley, Kingsmill, etc etc etc while holding your hand out for tax payers money might be an issue, then you're a t**t.

Was Kevin Lynch a sectarian killer? McDonnell or Doherty sectarian killers?

I mean if Loyalists named their flutebands after a UVF man that died on hungerstrike then may be you'd have a point. If the GAA named clubs after individuals who actively engaged in sectarian killings then you'd have a point.

These men died on hungerstrike which was an emotive issue for the broader nationalist community, not just republicans. If you are unable to differentiate between the circumstances in which these men died (whether you agree or not with their politics) and the likes of the much eulogized Brian Robinson who randomly shot the first fenian he could find then maybe you are the t**t.

Kingsmill was sectarian, was it not? Prods lined up against a van, the sole Catholic identified and told to take himself off. If that isn't sectarian murder, then I don't know what is. Maybe not as random as Brian Robinson's attack, but hey, no brownie points for being better organised sectarian killers, eh? Darkley, an attack on prods in a prod church. Is that not sectarian? That's the organisation that the hunger strikers belonged to. One of the guns used at Kingsmill was linked to hunger striker  Raymond McCreesh.  The GAA should not allow itself to be linked to an organisation which committed such sectarian atrocities. It should not receive public funding while it does. Joe's an intelligent man, he should be able to see that. The fact that he can't makes him a t**t.

This has been done to death but....

As Joe Brolly clearly stated, Kevin Lynch hurled for both Derry and Dungiven with distinction.

Their decision to rename their club reflects the sentiment held in Dungiven at that time that a former and well decorated player such as KL was worthy of commemoration. Given the exceptional circumstances of his death, and that of the other hungerstrikers, I don't see anything untoward with ONE out of thousands of GAA clubs being re-named after a hungerstriker given the links he had with that club.

As for your examples of Darkley and Kingsmill; yes they were abhorrent sectarian crimes. Are they being glorified? NO. It's the exact same as me saying the laying of a wreath at a British Army war memorial is somehow glorifying Bloody Sunday or The Ballymurphy Massacre. Should wreath laying be discontinued because of the hurt, pain and killings inflicted on Nationalists by the British Army? What do you think?

The decision to name the club after Kevin Lynch has nothing to do with his talent as a hurler. There must be countless players down through the decades who have served their club and county longer and with more distinction - why not honour them? Lynch was singled out because of his activities off the pitch and therein lies the problem: some people within the GAA think that a member of the provisional IRA is a suitable person to commemorate. The vast majority of people throughout the 32 counties view that organisation as  a bunch of murderers, on the same level as the UDA or UVF, rather than on the same level as the British Army, which is the comparison republicans (and only republicans) like to make.

Please give us some evidence to back up you claim here Myles.
I'm looking forward to this ....should  be good!
Can't wait in fact!!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kevin Lynch died when he was about 25. He'd been in prison for 4 or 5 years before that. So when exactly did he play football or hurling 'with distinction'? Did he play for the senior teams at all, or was his success just in the minor teams? If his contribution to his club / county was all done by the age of 20 (or earlier) is that really the best Dungiven could do? Have there been no distinguished players or club men or women who have played with distinction, before going on to play a role in running junior teams, or helping administer the affairs of the club or county? How many other minor players have had clubs named after them?

[Shamrock Shore]

Why all the fuss about the name of one club's out of about 2,500 clubs.

One feckin club and suddenly we are all 'The IRA at Play'.

Eff off and find a real reason to criticise the GAA.

[Milltown Row2]

what was Connolly railway station named before it was changed

[Donnellys Hollow]

what was Connolly railway station named before it was changed

Amiens Street

[dillinger]

Rathcoole was named after the

Rathcoole Kai. 

[Lar Naparka]

And Hackballscross was named after Jim Hacker of "Yes, Prime Minister " fame.

[Wildweasel74]

Protestant Coalition
4 hours ago
The innocent victims demand that Marty McGunniness be arrest over bloody Sunday,after all he said he was walking about with a Thompson machine gun but he was no danger to anyone.And if you be leave that, i may as well tell you the pope is a prod.The innocent victims of south armagh thank the parachute regiment for what they did,so tell the PSNI to go get stuffed boys ulster stands with yous on this.

Surely this statement by frazier/and buddies is an arrestable offence thanking the parachute basically for what they done on blood sunday

[Nally Stand]

I don't be leave it!!

[Dougal Maguire]

Ballymena Ring Road named after Christy Ring