National Forum

Where Are The 'New Irish' Hurlers?

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Replying To ecad123:  "I do find it funny when all the Irish soccor fans want to see England beaten then the next week they are cheering for one of the premiership teams . I do think that the all Ireland hurling final day is the most Irish day of all. Alot of my relations in the uk have Irish passports and have never set foot in Ireland are they less Irish? But if you ask them they are British to the core."
The fella with the Irish passport who has never set foot in Ireland is less Irish than the Connemara man , of course he is, otherwise it means absolutely nothing to be Irish at all.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 03/09/2021 11:44:51    2377500

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I actually agree about the graduated levels of Irishness, there's no such thing and I despise anyone who claims to be more Irish than someone else. But what you'll often find is that us Irish speakers do not think or speak in the way many people love to say we do. There will of course be individuals who are elitist or arrogant or think they're more Irish than you etc., just because they speak the language doesn't absolve people of being idiots.

However my experience of the language, from when I was a wee boy sa Ghaeltacht to where I live now in Belfast, has been overwhelmingly inclusive and positive. Especially in recent years I have to say Belfast is thriving as an Irish language community, it's small but they are passionate about the teanga and they are unapologetic about loving the language and living and breathing it. Maybe in a strange way the people of Belfast do not have the baggage that generations have in the Republic when it comes to the language, they wear it much more as a badge of honour and rightfully so. People from the Gaeltacht recognise it, chest out, why wouldn't we be proud?

But if you don't speak it, I don't think I'm more Irish as a result. I would just always ask non Irish speakers to respect that we want to live their lives through the language, and please do not roll yours eyes when we get upset about the government not spelling their names correctly with a lack of fadas or whatever else, not to get angry about funding or claim that we're all rich elitists or whatever else. Irish and English can coexist in this country and thankfully the next generation seem to be embracing that. The whole country will be better with a more bilingual nation and I can't wait to see it.

In terms of hurling, I think there has always been a problem in getting it to spread outside the traditional counties. My own county has a solid enough playing base but they will never get to the senior championship with how things are structured at the minute. And the reality is that hurling is a distant third behind Gaelic football and soccer in Donegal.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 12:00:48    2377506

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Replying To AfricanGael:  "The fella with the Irish passport who has never set foot in Ireland is less Irish than the Connemara man , of course he is, otherwise it means absolutely nothing to be Irish at all."
Who are you to tell a person who has an Irish passport that they're less Irish than anybody? Do you have a wee quiz that we can all take?

The Connemara man would probably be one of the first to tell you to bí do thost going around ranking people's Irishness

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 12:04:20    2377508

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Replying To Galway9801:  "If I'm not mistaken there's a very talented young soccer player who has declined a call up to the Irish senior team as he is undecided as to whether or not he wants to represent us, or his parents country. (nothing against him btw, we've used the granny rule often enough ourselves).
If some of the new Irish don't even wish to play for Ireland in their given sport it demonstrates the scale of the challenge in getting them to commit to indigenous games."
If you're talking about the young fella playing at West Ham, Odubeko, from what I've heard he has actually had his head turned by England who he has no links to other than living there so I wouldn't hold him up as an example of the struggles for Gaelic Games or Irish soccer.

If he was actually torn between representing Ireland and his parents' Nigeria, I'd have no problem at all as identity is very complex. But when you consider many of the players who are 1st or 2nd generation Irish who are representing and have represented the soccer team in the past, I don't think that case is indicative.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 12:10:42    2377513

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Replying To JoeSoap:  "Who are you to tell a person who has an Irish passport that they're less Irish than anybody? Do you have a wee quiz that we can all take?

The Connemara man would probably be one of the first to tell you to bí do thost going around ranking people's Irishness"
In fairness there are many Irish passport holders who probably don't even consider themselves irish at all, let alone more /less irish (which I agree is a silly debate)

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 03/09/2021 12:29:55    2377526

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I think also that as a result of current social policies within a century ireland will be demographically and culturally unrecognisable from what it is now.
With this in mind the whole I'm more irish than you bla bla bla thing is especially pointless.
A few generations from now being irish will mean something totally different.

Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 03/09/2021 12:41:11    2377530

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Replying To JoeSoap:  "Who are you to tell a person who has an Irish passport that they're less Irish than anybody? Do you have a wee quiz that we can all take?

The Connemara man would probably be one of the first to tell you to bí do thost going around ranking people's Irishness"
Are you really trying to tell me that a foreign investor who was granted an Irish passport in return for investment is as Irish as the "Connemara Man ", get out of it with that garbage.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 03/09/2021 12:46:19    2377535

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Replying To Galway9801:  "In fairness there are many Irish passport holders who probably don't even consider themselves irish at all, let alone more /less irish (which I agree is a silly debate)"
Of course but if someone holds an Irish passport and considers themselves Irish I'm not gonna turn around and ask them the word for patriot as Gaeilge or make them tell me their favourite episode of Bosco to try and put them on some scale in my head.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 12:59:20    2377537

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Replying To JoeSoap:  "Of course but if someone holds an Irish passport and considers themselves Irish I'm not gonna turn around and ask them the word for patriot as Gaeilge or make them tell me their favourite episode of Bosco to try and put them on some scale in my head."
"Consider themselves Irish" lol , like the New Yorkers on "St. Patty's" day.

Didn't take too long to win this one.

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 03/09/2021 13:10:14    2377538

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Replying To AfricanGael:  "Are you really trying to tell me that a foreign investor who was granted an Irish passport in return for investment is as Irish as the "Connemara Man ", get out of it with that garbage."
Why do you have to rank them and what does it matter to you anyway? What does "as Irish" even mean, what level of connection to the country is needed for you to accept them? For you is Irishness solely about Gaelic culture and speaking the language?

There are plenty different versions of Irishness, I'm not going to turn around and make assumptions about anyone. The "Connemara Man" could be some eejit that actually hates all things Gaelic culture and actively tries to denigrate our language and heritage, but just so happens to have been born and reared in Connemara. The foreign investor may end up investing in more than just business in Ireland, maybe they employ 100 people in Ireland, maybe as part of their investment they invest in local communities, jesus maybe they even decide to get involved in a GAA club in their hometown in America and that would be a great thing for Irish culture would it not. Who is "more Irish" in that scenario to you?

I hate this sort of thing because I have been following the Irish soccer team for years and every away trip there are always some young pups who have a go at the English born fans, questioning them on how Irish they really are. These lads are sometimes 3rd generation Irish but they follow the team literally everywhere, and you have some eejit questioning their identity because they have a thick Birmingham accent. Some of these lads don't even have Irish passports. So no, I don't think someone from the Gaeltacht is more Irish than any other Irish person, and I say that as someone from the Gaeltacht myself.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 13:12:44    2377540

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Replying To AfricanGael:  ""Consider themselves Irish" lol , like the New Yorkers on "St. Patty's" day.

Didn't take too long to win this one."
jaysus you're insufferable. I'll make sure and send everyone your way before they call themselves Irish in future, didn't realise we had to pass your tests.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 03/09/2021 13:16:34    2377541

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Ah yeah Iv seen 2nd and 3rd generation Irish from London and Birmingham being questioned by other Irish supporters. It's an embarrassing watch. There's a level of arrogance there. I stepped in once when I saw an English guy explaining himself to one of those apes. I said 'mate you don't have to explain your Irish connections to anyone,what would u like to drink?'.

bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 03/09/2021 13:51:02    2377555

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