typical irish politcians enda kenny is trying to make it a popularity contest all these guys running having a clue about politics he enterd graheme geraghty for godsake the last time,can anybody tell me do you need anything other than being able to speak irish to become a t.d as you need at least 10 years experiance to work as a cleaner in dail eireann but seems any joe sope can become a politcian

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/01/2011 16:39:52    855058

yew_tree
County: Mayo
Posts: 2085

854283 tipptothetop
County: Tipperary
Posts: 135

854255
Wow. I think some people need to brush up on their history

So do I - history wasant a strong subject for many posters

Agreed. Tom1916, what are you on about? The opposite outlooks of the GAA and Fine Gael? Are Fine Gael oppossed to amateurism or something. Maybe in parts of the North being a member of the GAA is still a political statement (although I know rugby playing Unionists who have been to support their counties in Croke Park), in most parts it just means you like football and hurling. How are Fine Gael more "Unionist" than any other party? It was under Fianna Fail that articles 2 and 3 were removed from the constitution remember.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 27/01/2011 17:26:17    855108

roundball

John Bruton wasn't called John Unionist, especially by media people, for nothing. Fine Gael had a detrimentally negative affect on the Peace Process with their constant attacks on Sinn Fein which were ALWAYS pounced on and used by Unionists in the North to oppose progress. Bruton's fawning embarrassing antics with Charlie Windsor in Dublin were cringing in the extreme. Fine Gael have said that they are neutral when it comes to the North when in effect they are pro-partitionist and very anti-Northern Nationalist.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9819 - 27/01/2011 18:40:45    855193

Wasn't Dev a loyal rugby men (Old Blackrock College Boy & all that) and only barely tolerated GAA as it furthered his political ambitions. Many current FF politics are also products of fee paying rugby schools but misuse the GAA like their founding father did to feather their own political ego's and nests.

Con Brosnan (Free State Army Commander) & John Joe Sheehy (IRA Irregular & on the run) finished this type of rhetoric long ago in Kerry when standing side by side on the same All Ireland winning team shortly after the Civil War with John Joe proposing Con as his team captain.

dingle1 (Clare) - Posts: 805 - 27/01/2011 19:06:18    855225

re my previous text
Kerry football hero set the standard we should apply to Love Ulster
By Ryle Dwyer
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Con Brosnan, a Free State officer, managed to get safe passage guarantees for republican players like John Joe Sheehy and Joe Barrett to play games, and they used football to overcome some of the bitterness.
They played together on the Kerry team that won the 1924 All-Ireland title
JJ Barrett demanded that the GAA museum return his father's All-Ireland medals because God Save the Queen was being played at a rugby match in Croke Park. This was ironic because he had written a book, In the Name of the Game, which highlighted the positive role that the GAA played after the civil war in bringing people together in Kerry, where the conflict was fought with a particular ferocity. The atrocities at Ballyseedy, Countess Bridge and Caherciveen all took place in Kerry.
After the fighting, Con Brosnan, a Free State officer, managed to get safe passage guarantees for republican players like John Joe Sheehy and Joe Barrett to play games, and they used football to overcome some of the bitterness. They played together on the Kerry team that won the 1924 All-Ireland football championship, just the year after those civil war atrocities. Maybe this helps to explain why so many Kerry people treat Gaelic football as a kind of religion.
In 1930, Austin Stacks of Tralee won the county football championship and, thus, the right to nominate the captain of the Kerry team for the following year. Kerry were going for three-in-a-row, and Joe Barrett (JJ's father) was offered the honour. But he asked that it be accorded to Con Brosnan, who had nothing to do with the club.
BARRETT'S gesture was in recognition of the role that Con had played after the civil war. Four other Austin Stacks players were also on the Kerry team that day, but the club accorded the honour to a man who had taken the other side in the civil war.
"Con Brosnan was the political bridge- builder of our time," John Joe 'Purty' Landers, one of the five Stacks players on that Kerry team, told JJ Barrett for his book. "Regardless of pressure from within his own side of the divide, or from the other side, he did what he believed had to be done to bring about peace and healing. He was the ultimate peacemaker in Kerry football after the civil war."
Con Brosnan went on to lift the Sam Maguire in September 1931, capping a magnificent example of true sportsmanship, and the value of sport in the healing process. We saw that again at Croke Park this year, and we should develop that Croke Park spirit.
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, June 23, 2007

dingle1 (Clare) - Posts: 805 - 27/01/2011 19:37:03    855254

John Bruton wasn't called John Unionist, especially by media people, for nothing. Fine Gael had a detrimentally negative affect on the Peace Process with their constant attacks on Sinn Fein which were ALWAYS pounced on and used by Unionists in the North to oppose progress. Bruton's fawning embarrassing antics with Charlie Windsor in Dublin were cringing in the extreme. Fine Gael have said that they are neutral when it comes to the North when in effect they are pro-partitionist and very anti-Northern Nationalist.

What has this got to do with being anti-GAA though?

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 27/01/2011 19:52:10    855277

To Doublehop
Kildare

I would like to point out that the B B C are constantly inundated with ''appeals'' that coverage of all G A A games be stopped as '' that is a foreign sport''. despite the fact that G A A sports are by far the best attended. And G A A Clubs have to live with that day in day out. Maybe the civil war is over down South but certainly there is a battle to be fought every day in the North, and to make matters worse, people who should know better tell us to ''move on with times''

8596 (Armagh) - Posts: 30 - 27/01/2011 20:06:34    855310

that a boy 8956 stick it to them

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 27/01/2011 20:30:46    855344

Is Fine Gael support mainly in the west of Ireland ?
Mayo seems to be full of F.G. voters !! Is there a reason for this !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 27/01/2011 20:49:56    855382

yes because they all talk the same as the bowl enda

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 28/01/2011 11:14:52    855589

What has this got to do with being anti-GAA though?

Who said that? Are you making stuff up now? First you posted incorrect facts and now you are peddling blatent untruths.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 28/01/2011 11:28:19    855604

Do the Armagh and Antrim posters realise that FG has had two different leaders since John Bruton?

The_Real_IA (Meath) - Posts: 133 - 28/01/2011 12:08:22    855639

Jaysus you nordies would fight with your shadows, just move on with the times please.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 28/01/2011 12:23:22    855646

Erm, it's a question!

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 28/01/2011 12:23:35    855647

Erm, it's a question!

Very perceptive of you and you are correct in that it is a question, it is a question however based on an incorrect statement, therefore the question fails logic and is invalid.

I can only speak for myself, yes I do know that FG have had leaders since bruton, all equally as bad.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 28/01/2011 12:39:31    855663

ERROR, ERROR, DOES NOT COMPUTE

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 28/01/2011 13:31:01    855716

They may be bad leaders, and you may not like them, but the least you could do is find an example more recent than the 1990s that fits in with your claim that FG are any more "monarchist" and "unionist" than the other 26 county parties.

The_Real_IA (Meath) - Posts: 133 - 28/01/2011 13:36:51    855722

Ok since yer dislike seems to be based on John Bruton, how do ye rate Bertie Ahern?

tipptothetop (Tipperary) - Posts: 531 - 28/01/2011 13:48:20    855735

bertie is the best taoiseach ireland ever had put a statue of him outside leinster house

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 28/01/2011 19:35:53    856055

Enda kenny

rodtimedotcom (Galway) - Posts: 19 - 28/01/2011 19:50:27    856066