1384661 kerryhound
County: Kerry
Posts: 11

1384212
Can anybody think of any other sporting organisation that associates itself with nationalism the way the GAA does? I'd be surprised if there was.

Wimbledon tennis has british army soldiers stewarding the event and carrying out the trophies etc. The London Olympics had british soldiers parading and leading out athletes and a flypast by the raf. Soccers fa cup has the british army carrying out trophies etc and rugby is the same i'm told, that's just 4 of numerous examples of another countrys nationalism being involved in their sports.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 15/05/2013 20:36:37    1384785

In the long run the GAA certainly should reach out to Unionist community and broaden significantly the numbers playing GAA sport.

Being realistic though significant numbers of Unionists aren't ready to join the GAA at this time. The 2 communities still go to different pubs, live in different areas and send their children to different schools.

The only thing they do together is go to Ireland Rugby matches but are all concerned willing to make the same changes that Rugby has already made; Irelands song, Teamsheets not in Irish, etc.

tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 15/05/2013 21:09:53    1384809

GAA is an integral part of Irish nationality and identity. Any Unionist who embraces it is by definition no longer a Unionist! We should just accept that there are different cultures and get along with it. We should not expect people of different cultural backgrounds to embrace Irish nationalist culture. No Unionist is ever going to feel fully comfortable in Corke Park or Clones. No more than a nationalist will in Ravenhill, despite the pretence that rugby is somehow above all of that.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 16/05/2013 08:06:33    1384865

1384212
Can anybody think of any other sporting organisation that associates itself with nationalism the way the GAA does? I'd be surprised if there was.

Wimbledon tennis has british army soldiers stewarding the event and carrying out the trophies etc. The London Olympics had british soldiers parading and leading out athletes and a flypast by the raf. Soccers fa cup has the british army carrying out trophies etc and rugby is the same i'm told, that's just 4 of numerous examples of another countrys nationalism being involved in their sports.


The GAA then is like the 4 aforementioned examples ? All this jingoistic nonsense in primarily the domain of the British establishment and the GAA just mirrors it. Like it or not this Nationalistic abuse of our organisation is just that - abuse . I'm a GAA man/player because the games and the passion is second to none . If one were to ask of my politics I would say republican . The 2 however are not related or interdependent and should never be.

Finsceal (None) - Posts: 559 - 16/05/2013 09:21:00    1384900

tyroneed
County: Tyrone
Posts: 94

1384809
In the long run the GAA certainly should reach out to Unionist community and broaden significantly the numbers playing GAA sport.

Hold on here a minute, the GAA shouldn't have to do anything. The GAA is a non sectarian organisation that welcomes people from all classes and creeds, if people don't want to join the GAA for some reason or other then the problem lies with them and not the GAA. The GAA has plenty of non Irish members from around the world and you just have to look elsewhere to see that hurling clubs are being set up by Americans. Bottom line is if anyone wants to join there is nothing stopping them except themselves.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 16/05/2013 09:29:05    1384904

Well said Tom1916. Although I would like to see the GAA, in conjunction with the education authorities, trying to spread the gospel of the GAA into the Protestant schools and maybe, just maybe, football and hurling becoming part of the PE curriculum. All this talk of setting up "Protestant" clubs is nonsense and is in itself a form of sporting apartheid within the same organisation.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 16/05/2013 09:50:42    1384914

brendtheredhand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 7196

1384117
Muffin, the days of some fat Archbishop from the midlands throwing the ball in whilst the local chapter of Fianna Fail and assorted dignitaries watch on from the best seats in the house are long since gone. I have to disagree with the idea that we slowly peel away the names of our national heroes because some people may find them offensive, we owe no one an apology for who we are or our history of resistance against a foreign oppressor who sought to extinguish the very Irishness that the GAA fought to preserve. There is much more at stake here than a matter of names, every bit as much as there is with the issue of flags, personally I would fight tooth and nail to preserve what we have.
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Well said Brend!How dare these people tell us who to name our clubs after.Next thing they will be saying is to rename the Hoganstand as its an inconvenient reminder of all that history that we would be doing well to forget.If you don't respect the organisation and its history then don't be part of it.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 16/05/2013 10:29:02    1384946

Finsceal, like it or not the GAA is part of the nationalist/republican tradition. It was established to counter the British cultural conquest of Ireland and that should still be part of its ethos. I do agree that it ought not be political in the sense that it identifies with any specific political movement and it does not, even though it is overwhelmingly of one or other party in different places. Having said that, there is nothing to prevent anyone of whatever view just enjoying the games for what they are.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 16/05/2013 10:37:24    1384951

'So given my points above, what do you think can be done to entice unionists to join and participate in the GAA and its games?'

Snuf, I hope i dont come across as being a bit pedantic here but 'unionists' will never really embrace the GAA, its the antithesis of what they believe and cherish.
Its a noble idea but when you talk of sandy row and other working class ghetto areas we only have to look at the whole 'fleg' dispute. Even more recently and horrifically the beating of a teenage girl from the falls in one of their shebeens(not far from sandy row as it happens) a couple of weeks ago.
Why or better still how should the GAA reach out to those unionists/loyalists that, firstly can do that to a teenage girl and secondly do that because of her religion.
The names of clubs and pitches is a red herring by the way, if they were changed the next requirement would be to change the colour of jerseys/teamsheets in irish etc. moving the goalposts is a sport in itself for unionists!!

bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 16/05/2013 11:02:07    1384973

Fantastic post , brilliant pieces written by Bennybunny and Ulsterman , well thought out and defined comments on a tricky subject , history is written by some , read by some but lived by others .
I am a reader of modern irish history , therefore I feel comfortable discussing subject , currently reading a book published in 1994 written by Mark Urban , wont go into subject matter here , however it gives a vivid idea of life in the north ,
There are those who say " move on " mostly they are uneducated and bored by subject and would sell everything the GAA is was and could be for second hand United jersey .
Of course we should be welcoming to All , but stay true to who you are , what you are , and what you stand and stood for , be modern be relevant but in trying to appease don't lose your identity .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 16/05/2013 11:39:54    1385000