Cricket was the most popular sport in Ireland, particularly in kilkenny and munster, until WW1 then 'nationalism' and the miltant GAA rules on 'foreign' sports crushed anybody who dared to play

Anybody who dared to play it was crushed? That sounds a bit harsh even for cricket but it was a very different time I suppose...

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 04/03/2011 14:36:27    881309

Dellboypolecat
County: Tyrone
Posts: 14376

881306 No i be against as this should be for gaa only

Oh no it shouldn't!!

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 04/03/2011 15:03:37    881334

It was built for the gaa and it should be left at that end off.

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 04/03/2011 15:07:55    881339

Croke park playing surface is not big enough. Cricket is obvously much more popular in Ireland than some people on here think. With the test matches being boring issue, they are to a neutral supporter but i support England when ever they are playing simply because they are our neighbours and they can be very enthralling and interesting to look at. It is the pinnicle of the game and it would be such an amazing feat for Ireland to be allowed to play test matches.

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 04/03/2011 15:31:23    881369

Dellboypolecat
County: Tyrone
Posts: 14380

881339 It was built for the gaa and it should be left at that end off.

Should not be at all.

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 04/03/2011 16:06:05    881415

Yes cricket was the most popular game in Ireland until the turn of the century before people were forced to stop playing it as it was seen as an English game.

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 04/03/2011 16:56:51    881486

tinrylandman.
i am sorry to inform you but cricket was never the biggest sport in ireland . stop dreaming now

ta32 (Tyrone) - Posts: 4907 - 04/03/2011 17:23:49    881518

yes cricket was irelands most popular sport in ireland prior to the formation of the gaa.

shaggylegend (Monaghan) - Posts: 1948 - 04/03/2011 17:37:57    881528

It certainly was the biggest sport in Ireland for a long time, i guess some of you lads only learnt 'nationalist' history. It was the game of the farmers and labourers in villages all around Ireland.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4649 - 04/03/2011 17:38:52    881529

would be a laugh to see a six being fired right into the soft seats. Provincial council delegates and pioneer pins flying in all directions to avoid the ball.

thistle_harps (UK) - Posts: 879 - 04/03/2011 19:10:48    881588

One day cricket, and 20/20 are BORING.

Now a 5 day test match, for the intelligentsia, that is the real thing.

I would spend 5 days at Croke watching that.

Alas authorities are now dumbing down many sports, like snooker (power frames), darts, and whatever. The sports that need excitement added to them, such as soccer, plod along.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 04/03/2011 19:47:09    881607

i find this idea of cricket being irelands most popular sport before ww1. who played it. i certainly have never heard of any cricketers in my family or of anyone in the town ever having played. where were the pitches. . maybe it was the most popular because no other sport was played. maybe it was played by the anglo-irish but not the irish themselves. i shall have to read up on it. BTW no-one should be proud of the fact that they don't understand the rules. learn the rules and you might enjoy it. Irish people love sport. every sport , so there is no reason why we can't love cricket. we drink enough tea in this country so we should do well.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5520 - 04/03/2011 20:32:14    881626

revisionist history even on a cricket thread. Cricket was never irelands most popular sport. It was always for the elite. At least rugby has, to a certain extent, crossed that boundary and is no longer just for the upper class.

I thought we only played irish games in croker again since the IRFU finally go themselves organised and the FAI are still bumming off them. Would lansdowne (or whatever they call it this week) not be more suitable??? I doubt the game would attract 10,000 people.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 04/03/2011 20:44:26    881633

04/03/2011 20:44:26
hurlinspuds
County: Cork
Posts: 688

881633
revisionist history even on a cricket thread. Cricket was never irelands most popular sport. It was always for the elite. At least rugby has, to a certain extent, crossed that boundary and is no longer just for the upper class.




You learn something every day. The upper classes playing cricket? Not in England they didn't, mostly miners and farm labourers, but ye say they did in Ireland.

and I thought all they did was race horses, the upper classes.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 04/03/2011 21:25:22    881666

http://www.historyireland.com/volumes/volume15/issue2/reviews/?id=113943
For all those to lazy or ignorant to read up on history

tinrylandman (Carlow) - Posts: 387 - 04/03/2011 21:39:11    881679

I don't mind the one day matches but it would not be economically viable. Hardly anybody in Ireland understands the rules of Cricket never mind wants to look at it.
The one dayers are OK if you understand what's going on. The tests are generally boring as bat you know what. The 20/20 games are a bit of a joke.

Nick (Wexford) - Posts: 1100 - 05/03/2011 09:32:37    881719

Cricket may well have been the most popular sport in ireland in a time when the irish national
identity was being crushed by the brittish empire. It should be remembered that irish people
were denied education and religious freedom at the same time as the brittish game thrived.
Sure its no wonder so many played cricket when you remember the time of the famine how
the poor catholics would be fed soup if they were willing to convert to the protestant church.
All i can say is thank god we didnt lose our national identity and our ancient national games were revived
by the foundation of the GAA

atta (Meath) - Posts: 705 - 05/03/2011 09:34:45    881722

most popular games in dublin 4 rugbg and cricket ask dricco.

yankee (Clare) - Posts: 134 - 05/03/2011 09:48:04    881732

the NO brigade are still out in force yet wqhen you look at their location they paid nothing for croker yet think they can tell us that did how to use it. it was irish tax money that paid for croker so we will say how its used. we didnt listen to the nortern biggoted agenda at the time and wewont listen to it now and rightfully so.

liathroidboy (Mayo) - Posts: 4921 - 05/03/2011 09:58:55    881737

Liatroid Boy
I think you will find some tax payers money was used to build the aviva stadium
yet there is no suggestion anything other than rugby and soccer will be played there.
Just because people dont want cricket played in croke park does not make them bigoted.
You should also note thatthe tax payer built a football field in tallaght for shamrock rovers,
one of irelands leading "professional" soccer teams and point blank refused to give thomas
davis use of the same pitch. Sure while your at it why dont we get the queen to throw in the ball
in croker for a semi final when shes over in the summer. Indeed seeing as Ireland was such a
cricket strong hold why not have the hurling final played with cricket bats to mark their historical
signifigance

atta (Meath) - Posts: 705 - 05/03/2011 10:20:02    881751