It's easy to support Dublin, Kerry, Cork and Tyrone and so on. Teams who are successful and win games. Teams who are always challenging for honours whether it be provincial titles or All Irelands. I have been thinking about this for the last few days and I will admit that it's extremely easy to motivate yourself and go from one side of the country to the other in support of your team when they are always in with a shout. The question I ask is , do GAA supporters from counties like Louth , Westmeath , Wicklow, Cavan etc have more of a .. I don't really know how to put it .. Bond shall we say ? with their inter county side because they go all over the country in the belief that 9 times out of 10, they won't get a result.

If you just take the Dubs as an example. We have it very good, we are currently the minders of Sam Maguire. Currently the best team in the country because we won the All Ireland. Under 21 and Minor footballers both got to All Ireland finals last year too and senior footballers got to the league final so I'd imagine motivation is very easy to come upon when we know that this team are All Ireland champions and have the potential to win another in the not so distant future. It's easy to wake yourself up and say today I'm going to Newry , or today I'm going to Castlebar , in the hope that you can win this game. And obviously the flip side of that is the likes Of Cavan , who unlike Dublin , rarely get to even grace the Croke Park pitch whereas Dublin and their fans are there every fortnight or so.

Are the fans of the like of Cavan and Wicklow , a better bunch than the fans of the more successful teams , like Dublin , Kerry , Cork , and so forth. Or are all GAA fans who make the effort to go to away games in the bitter cold January afternoons and evenings just a credit to their respective counties

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13656 - 27/03/2012 12:27:31    1138066

First off, successful teams generate interest in them and a lot of support follows. That's only natural.

I was always a fan of the Irish Rugby team from childhood but I freely admit I did not pay much attention to the club level until Munster got the Heineken Cup in 2006 and I think it may be fair to say that it generated a lot of interest in Irish provincial rugby. Personally, I became a Leinster rugby fan in the months following that.

Naysayers & WUMs will call that bandwagoning but I don't care, I am and have been a Leinster rugby nut for the last 5 years or so and have really enjoyed the success they have achieved and it's all thanks to an Irish provincial team coming to the fore

On a similar level, I think a lot of Dublin fans who may have been previously passive in nature are now complete mad-heads who are enjoying their success and why not? The best way for a team to generate interest is to win big time and I believe the same could be said of any county. On that level, it's easy to support a successful county, the only question is does your support wane along with lesser success in the following years? Now that's what I call a bandwagoner.

But it remains somewhat difficult to apply that logic to the GAA because of the nature of its roots. I'm sure the majority if not all of us can agree that the GAA is not about who you like, but where you're from. As much as I like Kildare in football and Dublin in hurling, NO WAY would I shout for them over my own county. So on that level, it is easy not to support a successful county. you mention Cavan, my better half is from there and she will never ever stop supporting them or heading to Breffni and other places whenever she can. the loyalties are very undivided and easy or not easy will never come into it

That's my take on it anyway

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 27/03/2012 13:23:40    1138125

Every county has its hard core of loyal supporters who attend all their matches no matter how well their county is doing. This is added to by the "floating supporters" who come on board when their county is successful and snowballs as the county progresses in the various competitions. In my case there is nothing that motivates me like attending a Kildare match no matter how unimportant the competition is. I will admit when they were not doing so well my commitment wavered a bit and I went AWOL for a few of the more distant league matches. I have to admire the supporters of the counties who rarely experience success yet keep turning out to support their teams. Long may this continue.

OntheWhiteSide (Kildare) - Posts: 452 - 27/03/2012 13:40:25    1138142

Your showing your age there Wayne
Trust me, as a 32 year old, its has NOT always been easy supporting the Dubs
In fact, at times, its been down right miserable

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 27/03/2012 13:48:11    1138155

I was out on a rare visit in Drogheda one Sunday afternoon 10 years. Dublin where playing Meath in the Leinster Championship. I was in one of the fine public houses watching this game. There was this Lad watching the game wearing his Meath jersey. I started a conversation and asked him where he was from? He said he was from Drogheda. I asked him what part? And he said Meadowview. For anyone that does not know Drogheda, Meadowview is a Housing estate on the Southside which is in Co. Louth. Across the road your actually in Co. Meath. I said to him what are doing supporting Meath. He turned around and said that all his mates supported Louth so he supported Meath to be different. I say the same Lad is going around wearing a Man City jersey now.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 27/03/2012 13:57:14    1138169

Wayno1, i dont think any supporters are better than others simply because one county has success and another doesnt. We all have passion for our counties and want to see them successful. The Question i would ask is, what is a fan, because i know lads who wont go to even any Louth home games all year but you can be sure they wil be in Navan when we play Westmeath in May. i have been to every Louth game this year, home and away, i was in Derry on sunday and wouldnt miss a game yet bandwagon supporters will turn up in the summer criticising everything about the team, even though they have barely been to a game.

PK57 (Louth) - Posts: 1664 - 27/03/2012 13:59:03    1138172

As someone who followed our hurlers when it was neither fashionable nor profitable I would claim that there may be a slight element of masochism involved in following a weaker team. There is also the hope that it will all be worth it in the end and the relatively big days (for me they were times we drew with Cats, beat Cork or Galway in the league, and reaching the Leinster finals in 1990 and 1991). I'd imagine that followers of other weaker teams have similar highlights. There is also a nice feeling of camaraderie between the small number of people who travel to away games.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 27/03/2012 14:17:52    1138187

Go to most mayo games (without trying to brag about it). I do it for the love of the game and my county. I understand alot of people these days dont have the money to travel to many games.

One thing is guaranteed in life being a Mayo fan, Death, taxes and Mayo letting you down but hell, it will make it all the sweater when we do eventually win one. Hopefully in my lifetime.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11753 - 27/03/2012 14:18:39    1138188

i dont think any supporters are better than others simply because one county has success and another doesnt. We all have passion for our counties and want to see them successful

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Thats not what i'm saying , I agree with what you just said there i was merely asking a question. I just think for Me supporting Dublin it could be easier for me to motivate myself to go to Croke Park every few weeks because it is the creme de la creme of European stadia. A team who are all ireland champions and regularly in my lifetime make it to august and are still in the championship. Are current all ireland champions and are consistantly playing their football against the Irelands top teams

Whereas someone from wicklow for example , Could play one game in croke park in 5 or 10 years if they are lucky , go a few years without winning a championship game and play their league football against the Kilkennys and Carlows of this world, I am just asking the question would it be easier to motivate other supporters of the so called weaker teams to get up on a cold morning and make a long trip to the back **** of nowhere for a game they might lose , because as a Dublin fan i just feel its that little bit easier to motivate yourselves cause they are one of the best in the country.

Its not a question of supporters being better or worse , or less or more passionate.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13656 - 27/03/2012 14:32:03    1138206

Your showing your age there Wayne
Trust me, as a 32 year old, its has NOT always been easy supporting the Dubs
In fact, at times, its been down right miserable

________


I am not suggesting its always been easy for us either.

You know what age i am , I didnt exactly care at 6 and 7 when Dublin lost it wasnt as if i had the feelings and emotions i do now i only developed them in the last 7 or 8 years and in that time as you well know the Dublin footballers have had some horrible defeats , Meath 2010 , Kerry 09 and 07, Tyrone 05 and 08, Mayo in 06 , Cork in 2010, etc , So its not always easy and great supporting Dublin but we have won consistant leinsters. Not exactly something to brag about in a poor enough province and up until last year no All Ireland to back it up , But again even in those dark times and the aftermath or such horror defeats (These are the only moments i can talk about as i cant talk about stuff 25 years ago when im not even 20)...

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13656 - 27/03/2012 14:38:29    1138213

HD, back in the day of Brian McMahon, Shiner Brennan and Eamon Morrissey!
And possibly a young Vinny?

Was at those games myself!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 27/03/2012 14:46:56    1138221

Wayne, try from 96-02 and see how we got on!!!
Horror years my man !!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 27/03/2012 14:47:49    1138224

Even earlier Liam! Joey Towell, Matt Allen, Peadar Carton senior, the Henneberry's, Holdens, Harry Dalton, Mick Rheinisch etc.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 27/03/2012 15:02:38    1138242

"You can do whatever you want with your life, but one day you'll know what love truly is. It's the sour and the sweet. And I know sour, which allows me to appreciate the sweet."
Vanilla Sky

That's what being a supporter is all about. I'm sure Armagh winning in 2002, Tyrone 2003, Leitrim '94, Clare '95, etc, etc was brilliant for everyone in the county but it is always going to that much more rewarding to the people who had been following them in the darker days. Not everyone is going to win an All-ireland but causing an upset, beating your rival, etc. that's what it's all about.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 27/03/2012 15:06:08    1138249

While you're there, try 1964-73, 1984-94, you love your team, everyone does, success is relative for different counties, for a county who dosent see much glory, the odd win over the Dubs or Kerry or a rare provincial title will be remembered by these people like an all-Ireland would be for others. The passion for your county is pretty much the same no matter where you hail from!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8818 - 27/03/2012 15:13:01    1138258

whats really gone is the days of a Munster Hurling Semi Final filling Semple Stadium/Gaelic Grounds etc
Not too long ago is Tipp met Waterford, or Cork met Tipp or Limerick met Clare in a Munster semi final, regardless of the success or otherwise of the teams in the recent past you were guaranteed a bumper crowd and a huge atmosphere.
Nowadays the same games are played in front of half empty stadiums with a tepid to mild atmosphere compared to a few years back.
The back door has effectively killed the provincial championships.

Leinster football likewise. There was a time if Dublin met Meath at ANY stage of the Leinster it was second only to an All Ireland Final. Nowadays a Dubs Meath clash in a Leinster Semi Final is half the game with a quarter of the intensity.

I await the day we meet Meath in a 1/4 oe semi final and in knock out football.
Now that.................will be epic.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 27/03/2012 15:20:51    1138265

Realdub, cant agree with you re 84-94
1989-1995 is and always will be my favourite era of supporting the Dubs

96-02 was so bad, cos we were so bad. No Leinsters, regular humiliations. Similar followed in 03 & 04. Losing to the likes of Westmeath and Laois. No offence to anyone from those counties, but we dont do losing to the likes of ye ;)

89-94 was a great Dublin era. We may have not won any Sams but we had a team to be proud of and a team the city Loved like none since the 70's, and I would argue the current team is not as loved by the REAL fans as that team was.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 27/03/2012 15:24:44    1138271

its not easy to support a successful county, its exactly the same. a better way to phrase it, is that more people support you when you are successful when you will titles. And if you lose most of the time, people get bored. Fair play to a person who turns up each week to watch a team get hammered, personally, the potential or chance of medals is the reason i find it exciting as a dublin fan, im sure its the same for other counties. Reality is, losing is not fun, and there will always be better support with success, and I dont blame the bandwagon, always good to welcome a new face at any GAA event.

FOB (Dublin) - Posts: 912 - 27/03/2012 15:28:00    1138276

My father, grandfather and I have been going to Tyrone games since 1984,
and I have had the privilege of seeing some great players and great games.
Even in the bad times, when Derry where handing out hidings to us year in,
year out and the brits and gestapo made it difficult for us to get to games we
still persevered!
We always had the hope that some day success would come our way. After
the disappointment of 1986 and the robbery of 1995 we still kept attending
the games, because its in the blood, your club, your county they are your tribe!

Eventually success came our way and we enjoyed it, probably more so than the
bandwagon supporters because we had been in it for the long haul. Success
certainly makes it easier to follow your county, but true gaels support their team
through thick and thin.

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 27/03/2012 15:30:00    1138278

Losing to the likes of Westmeath and Laois. No offence to anyone from those counties, but we dont do losing to the likes of ye ;)


__________

YEH ... YOU HEAR THAT HORSE ;)

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13656 - 27/03/2012 15:30:18    1138280