re dellboypolecat,u don't like hurling and don't really care, i'd say your not a true gael,denying your heritage and our Irish culture,hurling is an ancient game ,the fastest field game on earth and most exciting.You and your ilk are the biggest threat to Gaelic Games,playing soccer/rugby or Gaelic football as you call it out,Just have done with it and take up rugby.Those that play shinty in Scotland are closer to true Gaels than you. God help us , i thank God i live in an area that has a thriving G.A.A. / HURLING scene with 100's of genuine hurling clubs. Your loss,big time!

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 10/03/2009 09:01:01    228699

whats all this rubbish about being a "true gael"? if someone is not a big hurling fan then that does not make them any less of a GAA supporter than the next person in any way. We are all GAA followers and people saying that others are insulting our irish heritage by not being massive hurling fans is ridiculous and short sighted. Just because we are irish does not mean we have an obligation to support hurling as strongly as we support football.. and vice versas. We are entitled to support whatever sport we choose and having a preference for one over the other does not decrease our stance as followers of the GAA. Anybody saying otherwise would want to grow up a small bit

abcd1234 (Kerry) - Posts: 10 - 10/03/2009 10:08:05    228794

Well you can bet your life if the Tyrone hurlers ever did win anything that Dellboy would be on here crowing about them!

BTW, no offence intended to the Tyrone hurlers themselves. Fair play to them for playing the REAL game in the midst of such neglect and disdain. Same for hurlers in all the other Ulster counties other than Antrim.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 10/03/2009 10:27:47    228829

Agree with you there Hurlingdub ,those that strive to promote hurling in non traditional hurling Countys are to be applauded,but pats on the back are not enough,if their respective County Boards ignore our games,its up to the greater hurling community to help in any way we can. I know Ollie Moran was in Tyrone last week talking to and doing a few drills with the Tyrone hurlers. More help at under age and down the line,you'd never know.

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 10/03/2009 11:13:13    228873

Spot on. Hurling is not genetic. Where it is being seriously promoted even on a small scale as in Armagh and Fermanagh the results are starting to show. The idea of twinning weaker counties is also an excellent one and even a few sessions with the likes of Moran could help make strides. I know myself from my own club that bringing in an experienced outsider for occassional sessions paid huge dividends.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 10/03/2009 11:45:20    228900

Can't stand this mentality that you have to be an avid football, hurling, handball and scor fan to be a "true Gael". That you cannot profess to be a follower of the GAA unless you are out 3 nights a week training the under 10's, plus ferrying all the local kids to and from matches, and unless you are prepared to watch your club and county in at least -3 degrees on a Saturday night in February in a gale and with a storm storm to boot, etc, etc, etc.

There some kind of smugness that prevails amongst those who consider themselves "true Gaels" because of this and it's total rubbish. Do you deserve credit for what you do for your club/community/the GAA? Of course you do, as does anyone who gives their time to others in any way. However, for some people in the GAA world unless you do all the above as a minimum you can't consider yourself to be a follower and you cannot expect to have a valid opinion.

To suggest that someone who, for example, doesn't like hurling, is wrong and a lesser Gael is pathetic. People are individuals, we have likes and dislikes. We are allowed to have likes and dislikes for God's sake! It's a personal opinion and entirely valid. If someone prefers handball to football they are not lesser in any way to me, they simply have a different opinion to myself. No problem.

What's with all the "I'm a true Gael" stuff anyway? Why are people obsessed with proving this? I'm wondering if it ultimately comes from having some sort of inferiority complex.

The bottom line is that we are all allowed to follow our sports, and all other sports, to the level we each chose to do. To be able to call yourself a fan of the GAA does not require you to particpate at some minimum level, and people need to wise up and drop the "holier than thou" attitude towards those who do particpate at lesser levels or who's preferences vary to our own. The GAA is for us all, enjoy it.

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 10/03/2009 12:07:38    228918

I agree with you Bert. I can barely keep my eyes open watching Ulster football and I don't think that makes me a lesser Gael :)

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 10/03/2009 12:35:30    228939

Lol :D

Touché hurlingdub!

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 10/03/2009 12:47:30    228947

AHHH, Poor Bert , ye just keep missing the point up there. As a kid i played hurling,soccer,football,even a bit of schools rugby......you see , i had a CHOICE, and as with most of the people i know we chose hurling when it came to the crunch.Now, i was a good footballer,found it a simple game to play and even got my chance at intercounty level, but it was hurling i loved and thankfully chose. Problem in many areas of the North , is That your kids ,in many cases never get that choice,and that is wrong,what are ye afraid of? that they might prefer hurling,i'd put money on it if hurling was coached ,even on 60/40 scale. Also Bert ,opinions are ten a penny, actions speak louder than words.

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 10/03/2009 12:56:06    228955

Only joking Bert. Obviously prefer hurling and have little to do with football side of club but at the end of the day we are all part of the great thing. La Cosa Nostra.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 10/03/2009 13:13:14    228970

HURLINGDUB Your wrong i would not crow because am not a hurling fan and just because i do not follow does not mean am not a geal. FACT.

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 10/03/2009 14:00:16    229019

"AHHH, Poor Bert , ye just keep missing the point up there. As a kid i played hurling,soccer,football,even a bit of schools rugby......you see , i had a CHOICE, and as with most of the people i know we chose hurling when it came to the crunch.Now, i was a good footballer,found it a simple game to play and even got my chance at intercounty level, but it was hurling i loved and thankfully chose. Problem in many areas of the North , is That your kids ,in many cases never get that choice,and that is wrong,what are ye afraid of? that they might prefer hurling,i'd put money on it if hurling was coached ,even on 60/40 scale. Also Bert ,opinions are ten a penny, actions speak louder than words."


Sorry I'm not sure we're on about the same thing here? I wasn't referring to the difference in what choices kids have anywhere in the country, I was saying that people have a right to choose what they play and can't be judged on being a "true gael" or other based on that? A totally different conversation my friend. I'm happy for you that you chose hurling, well done - but what is your point?

For your information, however, where I come from, locally there is a choice of hurling, football, ladies football, camogie, soccer, rugby, netball, hockey, athletics, cricket, basketball and all at a reasonable competitive level within Northern Ireland and at a national level. It's nothing to do with what I was saying above, but I thought you needed correcting on your opinion that we have no choice. Hurling does exist in Tyrone, not in a huge way but it's there and everyone is able to play: they may have to travel further for it, but the choice is certainly there.

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 10/03/2009 14:05:14    229022

you forgot swimming,badninton,skiing,handgliding,mountaineering,ice hockey,golf,chess,darts,snooker etc etc . Choice me ****, Are you telling me that in most clubs/parishes in Tyrone that hurling is given an equal amount of time as football when kids join a ( G.A.A. Club ) ye don't,why would ye for fear they realise that hurling is a brilliant game and want to play it more, yere loss and yere kids loss. Throwing hurleys at kids and expecting them to suddenly love the game without proper coaching is an insult to our heritage and the G.A.A. Hurling is the only true Irish field game i know of and the yawn fest that is gaelic football is not.

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 10/03/2009 14:49:06    229094

Isn't it a pity alright that hurlings not properly promoted up North,say what ye like but its a great game and uniquely irish.

pullhaard (Limerick) - Posts: 195 - 10/03/2009 14:59:53    229105

eastgael: opinion, opinion, OPINION!

You are entitled to it of course, but I object to you telling me that hurling is the only true Irish field game blah blah blah. Exactly the point I was making above, the mentality of people who say that followers of one game or another are "true gaels". Rubbish. The GAA wasn't set up to be an exclusive organisation for followers of one Gaelic sport to the exclusion of those who prefer another. Listen, I think hurling is a phenomenal game, I personally think it's the best game in the world, but I don't believe I'm a "true gael" because of that and that other non-hurlers are not.

We're not great at hurling in Tyrone, everyone knows it. But you are suggesting it's not even an option for kids up here and that is patently not true. As I pointed out, people would have to put a whole lot more effort into it because there are only a few clubs. But it's still an option.

As for your comment about throwing a hurl into a kids hand and expecting him to play: frankly it doesn't deserve a response but you've got me going. I don't think clubs like Carrickmore and Dungannon and the rest would take kindly to this assertion, there are people working hard to coach the kids and the seniors at these clubs.

Finally, why it's all directed at the north: where's your broadsides at Carlow, Roscommon, Louth, Longford, Sligo and Leitrim, for example, who are all on the same level or lower than many counties in the north?

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 10/03/2009 16:43:37    229188

Carlow are the reigning Christy Ring champions, they beat Westmeath, who drew with Ulster's finest last Sunday.

So I suggest Carlow are a bit above most Ulster teams.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 10/03/2009 18:30:54    229307

Patrique, yes you are correct and Carlow are also a division 2 side so should not have been in that list. My mistake and I happily retract that.

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 10/03/2009 21:38:38    229493

Thank you Bert. Very good posts by the way, a lot of truth in what you say.

Obviously Tyrone have successfully chosen the football route, like most others, but still have a dedicated band of hurlers.

It is the "Who cares about hurling" posters from Tyrone that cause annoyance I think.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 11/03/2009 00:55:06    229686

Thank you Bert. Very good posts by the way, a lot of truth in what you say.

Obviously Tyrone have successfully chosen the football route, like most others, but still have a dedicated band of hurlers.

It is the "Who cares about hurling" posters from Tyrone that cause annoyance I think.


Aye, and these are every bit as bad as the "one true sport" hurling comments, no doubt about it.

Most of these comments do seem to come from those Tyrone posters who are continually on the brag about the last few years and uninterested in anything that doesn't come from Tyrone. They do the rest of us some damage unfortunately, but it's the nature of an online forum to be honest, and anyone who takes a few comments on an Internet mesage board and forms a view that they are representative of an entire county needs to be a bit more thought into it!

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 11/03/2009 10:55:50    229880

Fair points Parique and even you Bert. Some of the comments about hurling do make my blood boil,living in an area that lives and breaths hurling ,i find it hard to believe that people that make such comments could be genuine GAA people.Those that promote hurling in non traditional areas are heros of the GAA. Now ,off to back a couple of winners in chelt.

eastgael (Limerick) - Posts: 629 - 11/03/2009 12:56:51    229975