Let's play devil's advocate. Imagine the following scenario.
Yes, the British fall in love with , hurling. Within 10 years, GAA hurling has replaced soccer and British kids are seen in shopping malls wearing Tipp jerseys. Next thing
you know there are hurling clubs sprouting up everywhere in the UK. Before you know it, the GAA games are on Sky Sports 1,2 and 3 concurrently.
Essex beat Tipp in the ALL British Isles final and from now on British clubs win every piece of silverware. It'll just be like what happened in cricket, where the colonies became masters 0f the colonizers, except in reverse. HOw would we all feel about that? THe GAA becomes a global sport-the new 'beautiful game'-, it becomes de-politicized and our role in its promulgation is forgotten. How would we feel about that???

avonali (Dublin) - Posts: 1990 - 16/06/2014 12:20:19    1604414

Yeh I used to care about things like that, when I was about 10.

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8744 - 16/06/2014 12:28:07    1604423

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.

________________________

+1

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 16/06/2014 12:47:54    1604432

I don't think there's much of an obsession to be honest, our games are out there for a much larger audience to see and it's only natural to be curious about what new viewers (regardless of where they're from) make of them, that's all really.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 16/06/2014 13:02:24    1604445

I don't know how many times I've said this to people in the last 2 weeks. It's not an inferiority complex. It's human nature to be curious what other other people think about something you like or own or think is good. If they also like it, then it's human nature to be happy about it. Now relax

square_ball_69 (Westmeath) - Posts: 826 - 16/06/2014 13:32:49    1604477

Lads get a grip will ye.

Our games are being viewed abroad for the first time and it is interesting to see the overall reaction to the games.

It's only natural that it will get attention.

westkerry (Kerry) - Posts: 1250 - 16/06/2014 13:53:24    1604499

square_ball_69
I don't know how many times I've said this to people in the last 2 weeks. It's not an inferiority complex. It's human nature to be curious what other other people think about something you like or own or think is good. If they also like it, then it's human nature to be happy about it. Now relax

Exactly right. The actual inferiority complex is displayed by those who have an issue with this, simply because the country happens to be England...

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 16/06/2014 14:38:25    1604534

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

Did you ever stop to think that it wasn't so long ago that Johnny Foreigners were not exactly saying how great the Irish were in their country? you you rather they focused more on the mother and babies Tuam scandal?

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1952 - 16/06/2014 15:48:19    1604587

Zinny...what on Gods green earth are you on about you lunatic..

Master, anyone who thinks i am a barstooler republican anti Brit hasnt read anything i have written on that issue in the past!!
I sure aint!! :)

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 16/06/2014 16:02:14    1604595

avonali
County: Dublin

Let's play devil's advocate. Imagine the following scenario.
Yes, the British fall in love with , hurling. Within 10 years, GAA hurling has replaced soccer and British kids are seen in shopping malls wearing Tipp jerseys. Next thing
you know there are hurling clubs sprouting up everywhere in the UK. Before you know it, the GAA games are on Sky Sports 1,2 and 3 concurrently.
Essex beat Tipp in the ALL British Isles final and from now on British clubs win every piece of silverware. It'll just be like what happened in cricket, where the colonies became masters 0f the colonizers, except in reverse. HOw would we all feel about that? THe GAA becomes a global sport-the new 'beautiful game'-, it becomes de-politicized and our role in its promulgation is forgotten. How would we feel about that???

Not a hope in hell of this happening
Unless Tipp improve rapidly!!!

mhunicean_abu (Monaghan) - Posts: 1067 - 16/06/2014 16:06:13    1604598

I'd say it's more a human thing than an Irish thing, the want to be recognised for what we have achieved. We are proud of the GAA and crave outside recognition for what we have created.

Pretty harmless really.

What is annoying is the people who get worked up over it. Some spouting the line "who cares what the English think" are as much fighting an inferiority complex as those they are talking to. Think about it....

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 16/06/2014 16:16:11    1604605

avonali
County: Dublin
Let's play devil's advocate. Imagine the following scenario.
Yes, the British fall in love with , hurling. Within 10 years, GAA hurling has replaced soccer and British kids are seen in shopping malls wearing Tipp jerseys. Next thing
you know there are hurling clubs sprouting up everywhere in the UK. Before you know it, the GAA games are on Sky Sports 1,2 and 3 concurrently.
Essex beat Tipp in the ALL British Isles final and from now on British clubs win every piece of silverware. It'll just be like what happened in cricket, where the colonies became masters 0f the colonizers, except in reverse. HOw would we all feel about that? THe GAA becomes a global sport-the new 'beautiful game'-, it becomes de-politicized and our role in its promulgation is forgotten. How would we feel about that???

While it currently isn't difficult to imagine Tipp being beaten in any final, there may be some eligibility issues with that one (what with Tipp not being on a British Isle!).

But yeah, if hurling took off in Britain, that'd be cool. And it is good that we're starting to look to open up the games to a wider audience. But we shouldn't stop with opening it up to just one other country, we should think big, there are fertile grounds throughout Europe. It'd be great if they got the games on a network in the USA too, I think hurling in particular could take off here in a big way.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 16/06/2014 16:34:38    1604613

Liamwalkinstown - you clearly have never lived in the UK and had to put up with the stereotyping and racist idiots that live in that fair land. Irish people live among the Johnny Foreigner and having them interested in, and saying positive things about our culture is something to be applauded. But then again I guess you couldn't care less about that, its all to complicated to worry about.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1952 - 16/06/2014 16:44:38    1604618

It's the constant pandering to Sky Sports by other media outlets (barring RTE, who are of course bitter) that bugs me.

"Oh aren't Sky great, they put the camera's on the other side of Nowlan Park"

Describing Sky coverage as historic and praising the GAA for being forward thinking looking after ex pats and pursuing the British market.

Let's get a couple of things straight:

-It's TV3 coverage on another channel.
-It's more expensive for expats and British fans to watch it than when it was broadcast by Premier Sports.
-It's behind pay wall and broadcast purely for the profit of BSkyB, a company in which 21st Century Fox own a controlling stake. I'll not say what I think of Fox as I doubt it will be published.
-Sky may have turned the Premier League in to a mammoth product but what has it done for football in the UK? Participation rates are falling and the game is now only 3rd behind athletics and swimming in terms of participation.

Wake up folks! This is the reality behind Sky Sports. I'm not too concerned when it's only 14 matches but we, as members, need to be ready for revolution if and when BSkyB come back for exclusive rights.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 16/06/2014 16:45:06    1604619

I don't think most people care what other nationalities think of our games. It hasn't come up in our club dressing room or in any chats I've had with mates etc. People need to remember that the majoirty of Irish people don't have Sky and aren't really bothered about what people outside their own town or parish think. The vast majoirty of people aren't on hogan stand either so a lot of the viewpoints on here don't reflect the real situation on the ground. We need to remember that.

pdempsey (Mayo) - Posts: 1313 - 16/06/2014 17:01:52    1604629

pdempsey
County: Mayo
Posts: 686

1604629
I don't think most people care what other nationalities think of our games. It hasn't come up in our club dressing room or in any chats I've had with mates etc. People need to remember that the majoirty of Irish people don't have Sky and aren't really bothered about what people outside their own town or parish think. The vast majoirty of people aren't on hogan stand either so a lot of the viewpoints on here don't reflect the real situation on the ground. We need to remember that.

To be fair it's not just HS. The Irish Times on line have been re-tweeting British reaction to hurling, Balls.ie, thescore.ie and JOE.ie have all covered it and done compilations of British tweets. Pretty sure it's been mentioned on Second Captains as well. So it's definitely been well covered.

I think it's natural to be curious about what other nationalities would make of games that we are so familiar with but they have never seen but as you rightly say a few tweets by English Sky Sports junkies isn't going to generate much chat in rural Tipperary or Mayo... especially when lads have silage to cut.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 16/06/2014 17:09:35    1604638

It is sad that some within gaa are so narrow minded and living in the past.
Fianna fail and fine gael have moved on from civil wat politics, the church in ireland has no say in peoples every day lives anymore. Martin mcguinness toasting her majesty at white tie banquet.
And yet we have some in gaa who wants maidens dancing at the crossroads. (If you can find a maiden in modern ireland that is )
It is probably better to ignore these chip on shoulder low iq types than encourage them.
Its a wider audience that's all.

foreverroyal (Meath) - Posts: 349 - 16/06/2014 17:39:58    1604652

foreverroyal
County: Meath
Posts: 185

1604652
It is sad that some within gaa are so narrow minded and living in the past.
Fianna fail and fine gael have moved on from civil wat politics, the church in ireland has no say in peoples every day lives anymore. Martin mcguinness toasting her majesty at white tie banquet.
And yet we have some in gaa who wants maidens dancing at the crossroads. (If you can find a maiden in modern ireland that is )
It is probably better to ignore these chip on shoulder low iq types than encourage them.
Its a wider audience that's all.

What are you on about? Nobody has mentioned maidens at any point.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 16/06/2014 17:50:59    1604655

We are a small country living beside a bigger one that forced a lot on us over hunderds of years. We have been anglicized in so much over the years. We have copied many things from them that have looked poor and cringeworthy, One thing that is uniquely Irish is our GAA something that is a great sport and one that we all agree is fantastic to watch and one we have all said would be great if other countries got a look at. Now we have the bigger country looking at the GAA ,something that is ours and something we take enormous pride in. So Irish people's interest at the English reaction is an obvious thing to happen. .but it's an interest with pride knowing it's our sport they are watching. No one is looking for approval ,because approval is irrevalent , they don't understand our games why would approval matter. We are saying these are our games aren't they great , if want to know about them we'll gladly explain. But they are ours and this is what ye call sport.

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 16/06/2014 18:03:51    1604662

Forever calling people "low IQ types" because they have a diferent viewpoint discredits your own intelligience. It's is also indicative of an element of modern Ireland that I dislike, namely pseudo liberalism wherby the right to free speech is only tolerated as long as there is consensus or concorrence with majority held viewpoints. Liberalism doesn't extend to those who hold diametric opinions.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3027 - 16/06/2014 18:22:26    1604674