Anyone else sick of this obsession over here with what the Brits think of the GAA!
All over social media and even online news feeds and radio over the last week we are hearing all this "hilarious" reaction to what the Brits made of hurling etc....
its pathetic. Basically we want them to tap us on the head and say well done paddy
its cringe and we need to seriously get over it!

why do we care?!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 16/06/2014 09:52:43    1604242

Unfortunately Liam, it's the old inferiority complex that raises its head every now and then. The need by some people to be reassured by what the British think is pathetic. Perhaps it was provoked by the recent presidential visit. The sight of Olivia O'Leary going on about how "we" love the British made me want to regurgitate the contents of my stomach.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3027 - 16/06/2014 10:08:20    1604259

To be honest I haven't paid much attention to the reaction, in fact I haven't even asked anyone in the office whether they have watched it or are even aware of it.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 16/06/2014 10:10:22    1604261

Completely agree Liamo, are we really that insecure about what a great game hurling is that we need to get British approval for our love for it?

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 16/06/2014 10:11:24    1604263

Totally agree Liam. "Oh, what are the Brits saying about our wonderful sport?!" Who cares.

ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1256 - 16/06/2014 10:13:58    1604265

lilywhite1
County: Kildare
Posts: 1912

1604259 Unfortunately Liam, it's the old inferiority complex that raises its head every now and then. The need by some people to be reassured by what the British think is pathetic. Perhaps it was provoked by the recent presidential visit. The sight of Olivia O'Leary going on about how "we" love the British made me want to regurgitate the contents of my stomach.
_____________________
Now you are making me ill Lillywhite, did a seasoned Irish journalist REALLY say that?

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 16/06/2014 10:14:14    1604266

I'd say people are interested in what British people think of it because it is being broadcast in Britain. I'd be similarly interested in what French people thought of it if it was broadcast in France, Japanese in Japan, Iraqis in Iraq etc etc etc

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12310 - 16/06/2014 10:16:32    1604268

lilywhite1
County: Kildare
Posts: 1912

1604259 Unfortunately Liam, it's the old inferiority complex that raises its head every now and then. The need by some people to be reassured by what the British think is pathetic. Perhaps it was provoked by the recent presidential visit. The sight of Olivia O'Leary going on about how "we" love the British made me want to regurgitate the contents of my stomach.
_____________________
Now you are making me ill Lillywhite, did a seasoned Irish journalist REALLY say that?

Brend not a real journalist but a sycophantic D4 RTE one, you know the type

Tim_Burr (Down) - Posts: 460 - 16/06/2014 10:20:13    1604275

I'd say people are interested in what British people think of it because it is being broadcast in Britain. I'd be similarly interested in what French people thought of it if it was broadcast in France, Japanese in Japan, Iraqis in Iraq etc etc etc

x2

It's curiosity, we want our games to be held in high regard globally, we want it to spread and for other cultures and nationalities to start playing it. Yes, that does include the United Kingdom, they are our neighbours after all!

bobby_shane (Dublin) - Posts: 106 - 16/06/2014 10:21:43    1604277

Agreed breffni. If the british say they don't like some part of it, we aren't going to change it for them are we? And the same for any other country. The real question is why do people jump on the defensive when it happens to be the English that are watching it as opposed to anyone else.

Inferiority complex indeed.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 16/06/2014 10:29:01    1604285

The games will go an regardless of what they think. I don't pay much attention to it but I would probably prefer that they like it rather than hate it.

This will all die down anyway. We have had it broadcast on a major satellite channel to a different audience than previous. People were merely interested in what they thought of it. As they said some pleasant things, I think it just became one of those good luck stories.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/06/2014 10:33:39    1604290

Lets strip everything away and look at the bare bones of where all this comes from through intellectual eyes:

1. We have a great little country here and we are proud of it!....but,
2. Like those who wear their county jersey around on holidays in Spain or wherever (cringe) and only drink in Irish pubs some irish people are obssessed with having others 'know that they are from Ireland' and having other Irish people 'know what county they are from'!
3. Some Irish people are obssessed with showing foreigners the games associated with Ireland because they think it gives them a sense of 'manliness' for others to know "this is what we play in Ireland, look its mad isn't it"!!!
4. This pursuit of acceptance as a 'manly man' by showing the game of hurling to foreigners will be accompanied by a slur on soccer, soccer players salaries, american football and the padding they wear and how all the lads playing hurling "dont get paid for it"!!!

It is not so much that these people want us to be 'loved' or have an inferiority complex with the British, but more a case of frustration that 'we have the best game in the world here - but you insist on loving this fickle soccer lark - please stop and have a look at our games and change your ways'!!!!

The Irish are no superpower on the world stage, we have no colonies, no voice thats listened to, no weight in international affairs. We are the 'little red haired scallywag' of the world.....and we just love it!!!!
This argument goes well beyond hurling comments on twitter and all that.
Well do I rememeber a journalist asking a member of the troika on the street after all the hard financial questions had been asked "What do you think of us, the Irish people?". He was looking for 'approval' that we are still that lovable little rouge of a nation who got itself into trouble and its big cousin will help it out!
Soccer: There we were in Poland and back in Italia 90 more concerned about packing up the title of 'Fans of the Tournament' than winning the actual tournament!!!!

So there it is, all we have to present to the world is our 'Irishness' that we are so proud of! Sure dont other people try to sample what that is like one day a year!
That we are so keen to share it with others I dont think is any bad thing and is quite harmless really! Sure, there are Olivia O'Leary speeches (the one when the Queen visited Ireland was totally embarrassing and cringeworthy) but other than that the hurling stuff is also a cringe but harmless stuff really!


Regards,

Snufalufagus.....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 16/06/2014 10:49:04    1604308

Snufalgus

I actually agreed with your little rant above and I even had a chuckle.

There, I said it. Now I don't feel well.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 16/06/2014 11:05:24    1604327

My OP is in no way a slur on Britain or the British, its a slur on us needing their aknowledgment in order to vindicate our own opinions of Gaelid Games.
Some seem to think the British population are falling head over heels in love with hurling!!! I bet more people watched netball or field hockey on SS over the weekend, but we dont want to hear that, it doesnt correspond with this pathetic "tell us how great we are" notion

Its like back in the day, when Uncle Gaybo would get the occasional hollywood star on The LLS, and Kenny was as bad, all they wanted to ask was "have you any Irish in ya...and what do you think of our little country"
And when said Famous person would play the game and tell us all how great we are, sure we all felt great about it.

This is the same craic. Its sad. GAA is not on Sky to win a new audience, it wont happen. Its on Sky to make money for the GAA and for Sky to make money from Irish people in Britain subscribing to watch it. For any "journo" to spend the weekend looking for quotes from random british tweeters about how great GAA is.....embarrassing.

Irish people LOVE to hear Johnny Foreigner tell us how great we are, and thats what it all boils down to.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 16/06/2014 11:09:06    1604331

You are delving deep into the national psyche there Liam, and Snuff for that matter, and you are hitting the nail right on the head,and sadly it ain't pretty.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 16/06/2014 11:22:16    1604344

Some points well made but another nail on the head for me is the view that Irish people will complain about anything and find something wrong with everything.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11550 - 16/06/2014 11:38:38    1604360

We all grew up with Gaelic games from such a young age that they are part of out DNA - it is nothing unusual from a human nature perspective to be curious about what someone else viewing them for the first time thinks. Likewise I am not sure of the need to be analysing to the extent of coming up with conclusions like inferiority complexes, showing our manliness etc - yes these might be relevant in a few cases but generally I would say it is just curiosity. If anything is it not open minded to consider others opinions?

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 16/06/2014 11:40:41    1604363

Freud once said: "The Irish are the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis"!........and yet for us, we know EXACTLY the ducking and diving we get up to and the open ended lyrical aul brand of sweet talk we have!

The argument I put forward earlier is EXACTLY correct and we all know it is!

The world becomes crystal clear when you go down into the gutter to drag up the truth.....and say it out!

Now in fairness 'the truth' about us in this instance is not so bad!....but 'truth be told' nonetheless!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laocha Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 16/06/2014 11:40:53    1604364

national psyche.....and you are hitting the nail right on the head,and sadly it ain't pretty.
brend
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Brend,

It aint pretty, but it aint exactly ugly either!......just a bit 'cringeworthy' is as far as I would go to describe it, but nothing beyond that, cos it harms nobody! Its just our 'stuipid thing' that we do thats all!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 16/06/2014 11:44:21    1604371

16/06/2014 10:21:43 bobby_shane
x2. It's curiosity, we want our games to be held in high regard globally, we want it to spread and for other cultures and nationalities to start playing it. Yes, that does include the United Kingdom, they are our neighbours after all! Don't think many here want games to expand judging by reactions

16/06/2014 10:29:01 TheMaster
Agreed breffni. If the british say they don't like some part of it, we aren't going to change it for them are we? And the same for any other country. The real question is why do people jump on the defensive when it happens to be the English that are watching it as opposed to anyone else.
Inferiority complex indeed. +1

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 16/06/2014 11:57:16    1604390