Exactly correct, fair play to Jim Gavin and the Dubs in general for keeping GAA on the headlines. Without Dublin GAA the GAA would be irrelevant.

suckvalleypaddy (Galway) - Posts: 1669 - 31/08/2017 17:29:37    2041273

I can never understand fans of one sport in Ireland running down another. I find it strange to be honest. I wouldn't be big Into a sport like Hockey but I'd prefer to see kids playing it than sitting at home in front of the tv getting fat.

As for Roddy's comments, I can see where he is coming from. The GAA summer attendances a far greater than what you see during the national leagues and that is a shame because Division 1 of the leagues is way more competitive that your average provincial championship or quarter final between a division 1 team and a team outside division 1.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 31/08/2017 17:29:40    2041274

The majority of the population of Dublin couldn't give a hoot about GAA. So no, we don't have the pick people think we have.
As for Roddy Doyle, I wouldn't be a fan.

realdub (Dublin) - Posts:6224 - 31/08/2017 12:10:53

County Derry is GAA mad, but Derry City itself is actually not. Most people here are soccer fanatics, but most from the Nationalist community would still have a passing interest in big GAA games.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 31/08/2017 17:35:27    2041275

Doyle should stick to talking about something he knows.
He obviously had no facts to back anything up. He says empty stadiums, the gaa is the largest attended sport in the country.
then was pointed out Dublin v Tyrone sell out last weekend and he replied ah that's just latter stages, what about the quarter final sell out what about the near 70thousand at the Leinster final, the Dublin footballers are the largest supported sports team in the country but let's just ignore that it seems.
He must not live in Dublin or if he does go outside on match day as the city becomes a wash with blue, the supporter numbers are there to back it up but hey let's just ignore that fact Mr Doyle. Soccer (not football) is on its knees in Dublin just look at shamrock rovers, bohemians , st pats, ucd and shelbourne combined attendances at home games would be less than 5 thousand, where as Dublin average 25-30 thousand for home league game's.
How do people like this get a platform to talk about something they clearly know absoultly nothing about. If anything in Dublin from my experience over the last decade the number of soccer jerseys on kids had dropped dramatically and people who would always have supported soccer teams in England and never played gaa are now in croke park for dublin matches throughout the year despite that English club side in action the same time. He sounds like somebody who is bitter and is trying to see things the way he wants to and not as they actually are.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 31/08/2017 17:43:21    2041278

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 31/08/2017 18:34:28    2041295

Can someone please post a link to this podcast or tell us the podcast number. I'm sure he said some stuff about the GAA that some GAA supporters don't agree with, but I'd like to hear exactly what he said. The link from the article hear doesn't have a Roddy Doyle interview? Fair enough if he prefers soccer, but not if he feels the need to run down other sports.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7342 - 31/08/2017 18:50:48    2041299

Soccer is still number one , rugby dominates south east of the county. Still surprises non Dubs to hear there are huge parts of South Dublin with no GAA clubs - Blackrock, Ballsbridge, Dun Laoghaire, Monkstown, Milltown, Dundrum, Donneybrook...etc

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4624 - 31/08/2017 19:38:27    2041307

I find Roddy Doyle's comments surprising as his family went to the local GAA club plenty of times. I am sure it is taken out of context to sell a podcast.
There is some merit to what the OP says. The fact is most Dublin GAA supporters have country roots who got them into the game. Be it 1st\2nd\3rd generation culchie.
Many Dublin clubs were founded by culchies. One of the main reasons the GAA is strong in Dublin is because of thier culchie forefathers.
People who Roddy Doyle is talking about do exist. But you will find more often then not it is because there is no culchie in thier bloodline. Or it has been so long ago that they have forgotten there is any culchie in thier ancestry.
Doyle is right in what he is saying. But he is exaggerating it. And does not state the real reason.
The half interested/ not interested Dublin GAA 'fan' who laughs at 'the gah' and says we for a British soccer team has no close culchie relations.
If he\she had they would be dragged to all sorts of GAA matches at a young age and told to shout for some team down the sticks.

gormdubhgorm (Dublin) - Posts: 990 - 31/08/2017 19:59:47    2041309

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1821 - 31/08/2017 20:28:16    2041325

Maybe there is some context missing to what he said but it sounds a pretty sad thing to say. The GAA is just a stop gap for soccer supporters during the summer? But the Irish soccer season is in full flow at the moment is it not? So surely supporters have plenty of soccer games to attend. If he's suggesting that soccer in this country is a non participated or attended sport then would that not make soccer the real fraud.

Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 31/08/2017 20:29:18    2041327

Mes will have a keniption when reads this :)

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts:7748 - 31/08/2017 18:34:28   2041295 

What did he say about the Bohs??!!!!

Lemme at him!!!!

Well actually LoI in Dublin is quite low at the moment but the four years before Dundalk's rise (and to a lesser extent Cork but their a fickle bunch down there so who knows when next their club will be let due again) 3 outta the four titles came to Dublin through the South County Dublin FC and Pat's.

Soccer has always been big in the larger urban areas in Ireland and always will be. Cork, Dundalk, Drogheda, Derry, Sligo, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Athlone, Newry etc all big soccer towns. And obviously the big two Dublin and Belfast.

Even in some country areas like Inishowen and Donegal generally have real strong soccer traditions.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 31/08/2017 20:32:14    2041329

I have to laugh gorm as that's absurd and a load of waffle man the gaa is strong in Dublin has nothing to do with having to be related to some form of culchie as you put it. Also the other post putting soccer as number 1 sport and rugby next is laughable. Dublin footballers are the largest supported team in the country and they capture the imagination of all four corners of the county,rugby exists in pockets and soccer has no support base in the county whatsoever as the five league of Ireland clubs combined home attendances wouldn't even half fill Parnell park let alone croke park.
Soccer has always clung to player numbers but let's be honest they are completely distorted as the way of counting player numbers in soccer is no where near accurate, counting five aside astro players on week nights, along with a bunch of lads who drink together forming a so called club with just the one team who use it as a social meet up to go to the pub afterwards is completely at odds with real soccer clubs and numbers, I know lads who are counted as playing for two or three clubs a year depending on there mood or circle of friends.
if you view it based on attendances, player numbers and general interest including tv viewing figures, Gaelic football is definitely the top sport in Dublin

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 31/08/2017 20:32:46    2041330

It's s factor of demographics

In a lot of large ( and no so large towns )soccer is more prevelant
Athlone/Dundalk/Sligo/Newry/Derry etc etc
Dublin clearly has the highest Urban/Rural split

It's the port of arrival - hence has a higher portion of non Irish born people - interest from immigrant communities is increasing but only as the next generation become more integrated

Most of the fee paying schools are in Dublin with rugby affiliation

I would say that the resilience of the GAA is encouraging with increased participation in south Dublin and leafy suburbs like Castleknock

That all said 5 percent interest in GAA in Dublin still provides a broader takent pool than 100 percent in Leitrim

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 31/08/2017 20:34:30    2041332

Roddy Doyle should stick to writing unfunny books

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8589 - 31/08/2017 20:38:27    2041334

Gaelic football is the no. 1 sport in Dublin now. Soccer and Rugby are close second. Rugby in particular is making inroads in to the GAA.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2518 - 31/08/2017 21:01:49    2041346

Here's a guy commenting on the gaa who really knows nothing about it. Completely fails to understand that the gaa is more than county league games in the cold of February. That there's clubs up and down the country fielding teams from under age groups and seniors all through the year etc.
I love the gaa and our county players. Roddy is sadly typical of many people in Ireland who follow the more glamorous EPL. And don't misunderstand what I'm saying cos I very much like the game of soccer also and loved playin it in my younger days. But if it's for the love of the game why can't people get fully behind their own domestic leagues. We have 2 of them on this island! Support Shelbourne or Sligo Rovers or Derry City or Cliftonville or Linfield! Truth is they are buying the better packaged product that is the EPL and if they really loved soccer then they'd support their own domestic leagues.
If you were to say go in to this place and you can have a yarn with Wayne Rooney,Diego Costa and a few others or go in to another place and have a chat with Mattie Donnelly,Diarmuid Connolly and Colm Boyle I'd be straight in to see the gaa lads without a second thought. Roddy and the boys can keep their EPL and give me the gaa any day.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 31/08/2017 21:03:12    2041348

Are ya alright there Roddy ??

ke40 (Kildare) - Posts: 209 - 31/08/2017 21:10:21    2041352

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7342 - 31/08/2017 21:26:04    2041360

Don't get it actually. I cringe at the we brigade (insert manu pool) or whatever, but particularly those two that have infiltrated down the country. Was talking to a dub prior to last Sunday match , asked him "do you think you will win today "? His answer was that wenger had lost the dressing room and "WE" would beat arsenal.. after I looked at him I think he copped on and said "oh you mean against Tyrone " ahh once WE win I don't care about the Gaelic. Funny thing he was wearing a aig Dublin shirt. Perhaps Doyle speaks for a larger number than I thought.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 31/08/2017 21:37:05    2041365

The 2 best attended sports in this country are Gaelic Football and Hurling.

If anything soccer is a con job because people don't actually attend matches they aren't real fans they're just follow it like people follow a TV show.

I really wish people like Roddy Doyle who may not be GAA fans but feel a need to comment on it would actually do some research before commenting.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 31/08/2017 21:38:42    2041367