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Roddy Doyle. Typical Dub or the exception?

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Replying To Oldtourman:  "
Replying To Administrator:  "This was posted as a new thread but as the subject matter is the same it has been incorporated here.


essmac
Posts: 307
Tyrone 31/08/2017 16:58

Roddy Doyle's GAA "knowledge"

"I always feel that GAA is really football supporters getting through the summer".

Rodders thinks the GAA is about inter-county championships in Croke Park. Oh dear. Writers are supposed to be observant and curious about what's going on around them. How does a supposedly-intelligent bloke have zero insight into how clubs are the heart-beat of communities the length and breadth of the country? How do you counter small-minded, ill-informed stuff like this?

I encountered real hatred of the GAA in Dublin. This sniggering contempt ("bog-ball" /"stick-fighting" /muck-savages" etc) was always from the ground-ball losers. The Rugby people either are indifferent or politely interested; but they're at least mannerly. But in my 15 years living in Dublin, I encountered quite a few soccer fans who openly hated the GAA.

The interesting thing was that this was never from LOI fans - the real cultural hatred, in my experience, came from the sad-sacks who, pathetically, say "we" when talking about the likes of MANU (NYSE) stock price US$16.60.

This sort of un-civilised nonsense is why you'll never hear me say a bad word about the Mighty Dubs. Fair play to Jim Gavin and the squad for what they're doing for GAA in the Pale."
Elements in Dublin also refer to Munster Rugby in similar vein. Ross O'Carroll Kelly's monologue on how Leinster had to 'disinfect' the Heineken Cup, when they won it, after it had spent twelve months in the south, is a classic example of this."
You know Ross O'Carroll Kelly is not a real person right?

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12120 - 01/09/2017 10:08:59    2041493

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Firstly, you will find the outdated and inaccurate views espoused by the likes of Doyle across the country, though probably to a lesser extent outside big towns and cities. I find a lot of people who hold such views are either of the generation who grew up in the era of The Ban, or perhaps their children, obviously influenced by parental disdain for 'the Gah'. And in a way, I understand why people of that age group would have negative feelings towards gaelic games, given the pointless and petty persecution of soccer and rugby types by the vigilance committees at that time.

It's a hangover from the era of the ban and the Christian Brothers alright.

It's an attitude that is dying out in Dublin to a certain extent but still very much exists around the place.

People will point to LoI attendances and say it means soccer is weak in Dublin but that misses the mark entirely. Soccer is still very much number one here but the gap between it and GAA has never ever been closer than it is now imo.

Other sports like rugby, boxing, athletics have strong pockets but would be miles behind soccer and the GAA.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 01/09/2017 10:15:36    2041500

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Replying To ke40:  "Are ya alright there Roddy ??"
Is that you squeaking??

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/09/2017 10:30:53    2041505

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Replying To riverboys:  "Who is Roddy Doyle?"
Think he wrote James and the Giant Peach.
You'd love it.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 2148 - 01/09/2017 11:03:22    2041514

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Soccer is the number one game in Dublin. No question (it is also the no.1 game in Limerick City btw, despite what the media might try and tell you!)
But...."The Dubs" are the biggest sporting "franchise" if you will, in Dublin
The biggest sports stars in Dublin domestically are Cluxton, Philly, Brogan and especially Connolly
The Dubs jersey outsold the Irish soccer jersey and United jerseys combined last year, with the latter two being the second and third on the list.
"The Dubs" are massive. Bigger than they have ever been, and for the GAA that is fantastic.

But, soccer is still King, make no misake about it

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/09/2017 11:04:30    2041516

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Roddy Doyle just seems to be a soccer head. Plenty of them in Dublin and plenty of those that have no regard for the GAA. That happens everywhere. Soccer still would be the dominant sport in Dublin. Football I think would be a second. There are parts of Dublin where the GAA is not prevalent. Where I live, there are a fair few Rugby heads, very few soccer heads.

seanfinn (Monaghan) - Posts: 360 - 01/09/2017 11:36:18    2041525

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about 18/20 years ago myself and a lad went to dublin for the weekend..racing sat ,shelbourne sat night and all ire sunday.we ended up a bit worse for wear staying on the south side.the lad who was to get us tickets failed to deliver. so we ended up going into a pub around ballsbridge area. there was a big crowd in..no all ireland to be seen(dubs were not playing)..a premiership match was all that was on.we were astounded.thats the thing about dublin city.pockets are totally no gaa. we went down a few doors and it was the all ireland all the way..

kavvie (Clare) - Posts: 505 - 01/09/2017 11:44:01    2041530

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Replying To 11jm11:  "It all puzzles me how a county like Donegal can have a large swathe of area which is anti gaa and yet can win 2 all irelands in a 20 year period where as we here in Kildare are football mad the length and breath of the county yet we have little to no success."
It's quite simple
they had good enough player's as a team to win it.
you only need to get thirty players in any county and work with them as a group .
Donegal did that and developed as a team, kildare just haven't had as good a players in that time together to achieve it. You can have thousands of players to choose from but you can only pick thirty as a panel and if the thirty are better in one county than the other well then the other thousands mean nothing.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2017 12:00:51    2041535

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Replying To kavvie:  "about 18/20 years ago myself and a lad went to dublin for the weekend..racing sat ,shelbourne sat night and all ire sunday.we ended up a bit worse for wear staying on the south side.the lad who was to get us tickets failed to deliver. so we ended up going into a pub around ballsbridge area. there was a big crowd in..no all ireland to be seen(dubs were not playing)..a premiership match was all that was on.we were astounded.thats the thing about dublin city.pockets are totally no gaa. we went down a few doors and it was the all ireland all the way.."
I would believe that....was in Dublin a few years ago for a party and decided to watch Mayo v Dublin on TV in the league first (you may remember the game was cancelled at HT because of fog in Castlebar) well anyway I must have went into three bars and all looked at me like I had two heads when I asked to put on the Dublin v Mayo game...they had no clue it was on and were not going turning off the golf or rugby league so I jumped in a cab to Drumcondra and good old McGraths had it on.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11231 - 01/09/2017 12:02:20    2041536

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Replying To Liamwalkinstown:  "Soccer is the number one game in Dublin. No question (it is also the no.1 game in Limerick City btw, despite what the media might try and tell you!)
But...."The Dubs" are the biggest sporting "franchise" if you will, in Dublin
The biggest sports stars in Dublin domestically are Cluxton, Philly, Brogan and especially Connolly
The Dubs jersey outsold the Irish soccer jersey and United jerseys combined last year, with the latter two being the second and third on the list.
"The Dubs" are massive. Bigger than they have ever been, and for the GAA that is fantastic.

But, soccer is still King, make no misake about it"
Liam can members of the current Dublin tea walk in certain parts of Dublin without being recognized or bothered? If so that is a great advantage in the build up to a final. Mayo players based in Dublin can go about their business but those based over here can not step outside the door without someone coming up to them.....I walked down the street an hour ago and met three people I know all on about the game and tickets....overhead two more taking about it.....it is a suffocating atmosphere to be in if you don't want to talk football.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11231 - 01/09/2017 12:05:20    2041537

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Replying To MesAmis:  "
Firstly, you will find the outdated and inaccurate views espoused by the likes of Doyle across the country, though probably to a lesser extent outside big towns and cities. I find a lot of people who hold such views are either of the generation who grew up in the era of The Ban, or perhaps their children, obviously influenced by parental disdain for 'the Gah'. And in a way, I understand why people of that age group would have negative feelings towards gaelic games, given the pointless and petty persecution of soccer and rugby types by the vigilance committees at that time.

It's a hangover from the era of the ban and the Christian Brothers alright.

It's an attitude that is dying out in Dublin to a certain extent but still very much exists around the place.

People will point to LoI attendances and say it means soccer is weak in Dublin but that misses the mark entirely. Soccer is still very much number one here but the gap between it and GAA has never ever been closer than it is now imo.

Other sports like rugby, boxing, athletics have strong pockets but would be miles behind soccer and the GAA."
On what basis are you suggesting soccer is number 1 sport in dublin, anybody I ever hear say this has no actual answer to that question with a single fact.
I have clearly stated three real categories of defining a sport's position as
1 attendances
2 participation
3 general interest including tv viewing figures
If you take each sport to task on all three areas Gaelic football is clearly number 1 in Dublin

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2017 12:17:44    2041539

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Replying To Liamwalkinstown:  "Soccer is the number one game in Dublin. No question (it is also the no.1 game in Limerick City btw, despite what the media might try and tell you!)
But...."The Dubs" are the biggest sporting "franchise" if you will, in Dublin
The biggest sports stars in Dublin domestically are Cluxton, Philly, Brogan and especially Connolly
The Dubs jersey outsold the Irish soccer jersey and United jerseys combined last year, with the latter two being the second and third on the list.
"The Dubs" are massive. Bigger than they have ever been, and for the GAA that is fantastic.

But, soccer is still King, make no misake about it"
That has to be the most bizarre post ever as you have gone to great lengths to show why gaelic football is the biggest sport in Dublin and then turn around and finish it off by saying but soccer is still king without a single reason to back it up haha

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2017 12:22:29    2041541

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Liam can members of the current Dublin tea walk in certain parts of Dublin without being recognized or bothered? If so that is a great advantage in the build up to a final. Mayo players based in Dublin can go about their business but those based over here can not step outside the door without someone coming up to them.....I walked down the street an hour ago and met three people I know all on about the game and tickets....overhead two more taking about it.....it is a suffocating atmosphere to be in if you don't want to talk football.
yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts:8615 - 01/09/2017 12:05:20

I remember Dennis Bastick talking about this very thing during an interview in the run up to the 2011 All-Ireland Final. There was a lot of talk about all the hype that was gonna get the Dubs. Bastick made the simple point that any of the Dubs could walk from Stephen's Green to Parnell Sq without anyone saying anything to them and that he doubted the same would be true of the Kerry lads in Killarney or Tralee.

Obviously most people wouldn't recognise the Dubs lads but I think even those that do recognise them are unlikely to say anything in anyways as I find there can be a lot more reserve in the city in comparison to the country.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 01/09/2017 12:27:57    2041544

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Liam can members of the current Dublin tea walk in certain parts of Dublin without being recognized or bothered? If so that is a great advantage in the build up to a final. Mayo players based in Dublin can go about their business but those based over here can not step outside the door without someone coming up to them.....I walked down the street an hour ago and met three people I know all on about the game and tickets....overhead two more taking about it.....it is a suffocating atmosphere to be in if you don't want to talk football."
Yew, I'd imagine DC, Bernard and Cluxton are the only 3 that would be recognized absolutely everywhere. I would bet even lads as high profile as Philly, Jack Mc, MDMA Flynner could get around relatively anonymously in their civvies.
Dublin is so different in that respect. Back in the 90's Jayo would have been the only player on that team who couldn't have walked the town unrecognised.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/09/2017 12:38:28    2041549

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Replying To yew_tree:  "I would believe that....was in Dublin a few years ago for a party and decided to watch Mayo v Dublin on TV in the league first (you may remember the game was cancelled at HT because of fog in Castlebar) well anyway I must have went into three bars and all looked at me like I had two heads when I asked to put on the Dublin v Mayo game...they had no clue it was on and were not going turning off the golf or rugby league so I jumped in a cab to Drumcondra and good old McGraths had it on."
But thats the same thing with pubs up and down the country not just Dublin or regarding the gaa that happens with anything.
limerick for example I went into Mcgettigans a place with around twenty screens on a saturday afternoon, sky had a double header of gaa championship action but on ever single screen was a rugby club game from New Zealand beeing aired. It took me six more pubs to find the gaa on, 10 minutes later a guy sitting at the bar told him to put that rubbish off and he did, myself and four other tables of people who had been watching the gaa said we would go elsewhere if he didn't put it back on and he immediately flicked back.
another time munster were playing a rabo game in thomond park and when the match was over I asked to put in one of the tv's the world darts semi finals, the barman flicked over and was getting into it, about twenty minutes later the manager flicked off and put a rerun of the Munster match that they just shown live on every tv, I asked the same barman can't you just let the one tv I was watching who the darts and he said the manager wants all tv showing the rugby as people will be coming back from thomond park and he wants the rerun of the rugby on for them.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2017 12:39:41    2041550

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Replying To yew_tree:  "I would believe that....was in Dublin a few years ago for a party and decided to watch Mayo v Dublin on TV in the league first (you may remember the game was cancelled at HT because of fog in Castlebar) well anyway I must have went into three bars and all looked at me like I had two heads when I asked to put on the Dublin v Mayo game...they had no clue it was on and were not going turning off the golf or rugby league so I jumped in a cab to Drumcondra and good old McGraths had it on."
Just to show ye its not just a Dublin thing, I tried watching the All Ireland hurling semi final in a pub in Kerry last September and they only agreed to put it on if i left the volume on mute..............
My father in law who is a clare man had to try 3 pubs in West Clare to watch a CLARE hurling match on TG4 2 years back! (West Clare is football country)

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/09/2017 12:40:39    2041551

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Liam can members of the current Dublin tea walk in certain parts of Dublin without being recognized or bothered? If so that is a great advantage in the build up to a final. Mayo players based in Dublin can go about their business but those based over here can not step outside the door without someone coming up to them.....I walked down the street an hour ago and met three people I know all on about the game and tickets....overhead two more taking about it.....it is a suffocating atmosphere to be in if you don't want to talk football."
Depends on what part of town they are in but generally speaking there wouldn't be the instant recognition thing that the Mayo lads for example would have to face. There are huge swathes of people in Dublin that are totally oblivious to the GAA, but unless you have lived or worked in Dublin it is hard to understand or believe that.
My son is in college with a girl (from Dublin), and last year she spent the entire summer working with one of the Dublin team, and one of the big names on the team at that, and she had no idea who he was. The week before the all Ireland final she was asking had he any plans for the weekend, to which he replied 'ah, I've got a football match on Sunday' and off he went. It was only when she seen his picture in the paper on Monday morning that she realised who he was. I couldn't imagine Lee Keegan or AOS being anywhere in Mayo where that could happen.

AHP (Dublin) - Posts: 323 - 01/09/2017 12:44:07    2041555

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Liam can members of the current Dublin tea walk in certain parts of Dublin without being recognized or bothered? If so that is a great advantage in the build up to a final. Mayo players based in Dublin can go about their business but those based over here can not step outside the door without someone coming up to them.....I walked down the street an hour ago and met three people I know all on about the game and tickets....overhead two more taking about it.....it is a suffocating atmosphere to be in if you don't want to talk football."
I don't think it's a gaa thing
I have played against a lot of the current team but if I see them I wouldn't feel the need to go up and talk to them if I don't actually know them, it's the same with anybody who has some sort of fame in Dublin be it sport's or other areas of life most people will recognize them but wouldn't feel the need to say anything to them

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 01/09/2017 12:45:56    2041557

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Hill, its simple.
The Dub's IS the single biggest sporting franchise in Dublin, no question.
But.......
if you took a sample of 30 youngfellas in Dublin, drawn from all over the county, told them pick 2 keepers and gave them a patch of grass and a standard ball, i GUARANTEE you they will play soccer, not football. Even if it was a GAA goals, they would still use the goals part and play soccer.
Do you think thats true Hill?

Also, if you asked the same 30 youngfella's who their favourites sports team is......I would be fairly sure, more would say a soccer team than a GAA team.
That's what I mean. The Dubs are huge, no question, bigger than they ever have been. But give lads a ball and they will play soccer, give them a tablet and they will look up soccer before GAA
That's how I define it
Do you think I am wrong?

Its not like i am having a pop at Dublin here....hardly!!!!!!!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 01/09/2017 12:45:58    2041558

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Replying To StirringIt:  "A lot more empty stadiums at League of Ireland matches, FAI cup games and some Internationals aren't exactly a sell out ( when ROI play smaller nations)
The soccer fraternity here do not support league of ireland teams but would gladly sit in a pub to watch cross channel soccer."
The soccer fraternity here are either playing soccer, coaching or involved in some way. If there's a game on telly clashing with their club game they'll be involved in the club game, regardless of importance or weather. Many of them also play football, hurling, rugby and other sports The League of Ireland do have small numbers attending. But these are diehards. No more than League of Ireland players who sign on for the off-season and get paid a pittance while working part-time during the season I have to admire their dedication and question their sanity. Lesser important Ireland games aren't well attended but early round GAA championship games aren't sellouts either.

Those you see sitting on barstools watching Premier League matches are shouting at GAA matches from the same barstools. Telling you yer man is never county county standard, their county never wins anything and they were a great underage player but the U16 manager didn't like them so they stopped playing. They know nothing about sport and are best ignored.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 01/09/2017 12:48:26    2041559

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