First i would like to congraulate you on your great victory over Kerry yesterday

My question is would any of the Tyrone supporters in Croke Park yesterday have been Protestants or would the Protestants in Tyrone have watched the game on television ? sorry if some people find this a navie question to ask but i would like to know the answer

Redhot (Cork) - Posts: 739 - 22/09/2008 09:13:13    104167

I know of one young fella (27 or so) who is married to a catholic who regularly goes to matches.

I also have a hockey playing friend from Belfast who seen most of the 2nd half.
I did try and get some of the girls from my work to watch, but i don't think they did. Wouldn't mind, but they say they are into sports - 2 of them mad into soccer. Now, why would ANYONE be mad into soccer??? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Babsta (Tyrone) - Posts: 71 - 22/09/2008 10:23:49    104218

Yes to both questions...

Redhandsam (Tyrone) - Posts: 93 - 22/09/2008 11:04:01    104277

I have workmates who I know would have been watching the game on the beeb and supporting Tyrone, just like we would support Ulster in the Rugby but there would be an element that don't like to see all the bunting and flags etc throughout the county and these are the ones that probably were sitting on roundabouts with their usual sunday picnic during the game. Anyone who watched the game from whatever background witnessed a classic and all that is good about our games.

mugsys_barber (Tyrone) - Posts: 2160 - 22/09/2008 11:22:09    104301

yes I know protestants who regulary go to GAA games.The Ulster Unionist chairman of Omagh in 2005 admitted to being an avid Tyrone GAA supporter. Have also friends who watched the match including one who almost all of the time refers to Derry as Londonderry. Opening up of croke park to other sports, GSTQ being respected, PSNI GAA team and the general peace process is now leading to more and more taking up the sport. But don(t hold your breath, will take another generation before we see any noticeable difference. What about southern protestants? can you name some AI winners?

fupball (Tyrone) - Posts: 48 - 22/09/2008 11:54:38    104366

Work with a lad from Maghermason , near Strabane which is a fairly staunch protestant town and he goes to most of the Tyrone games. He marches during the summer with the rest of the bowler hat brigade but he's not afraid to watch gaelic games or to wear his Tyrone jersey. Must be the red hand on the jersey!! -) and before any starts on the origin of the red hand , I KNOW IT'S TO DO WITH RED HUGH!!

dubupnorth (Dublin) - Posts: 1897 - 22/09/2008 11:58:26    104375

My guess is that the entire Tyrone team and subs yesterday would have all been all Catholics ...right or wrong ?

As for the querry about southern protestants and the GAA i am from Cork most of the protestants down here would not be involved in the GAA they would be more into the rugby and the soccer

Redhot (Cork) - Posts: 739 - 22/09/2008 13:59:57    104568

Right. but i hate all this craic about feeling intimadated by flags and all that craic, drives me bananas!

HokeyPokey (Tyrone) - Posts: 1744 - 22/09/2008 19:02:13    104968

What do you mean by being imtimadated by flags i do not understand what you are coming at please go into more detail

Redhot (Cork) - Posts: 739 - 23/09/2008 09:10:11    105194

The sports minister in the assembly stated that he was glad northern ireland had beaten the republic away from home in the international gaelic match. This shows the mindset we are up against.

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 23/09/2008 09:21:31    105205

I'm from Leitrim, there have been many past and present Leitrim county players who are COI, wont name any names as their religion is a personal thing and they are out there to represent the county regardless of their background, which is not an issue

Same goes for the clubs, plenty of COI and other protestantsn playing and involved witht the GAA

Jack Boothman from Wicklow was a protestant, and president of GAA

liatroim_abu (Leitrim) - Posts: 82 - 23/09/2008 10:43:46    105279

redhot when does religion have an influence or a bearing on a players worth. like most people in this country religion is of little interest to the average gaa player, as the saying goes thank god im an aethiest

reddoctor (Tyrone) - Posts: 1241 - 23/09/2008 11:20:42    105347

Tom1916 It's only a bit of banter. just like trimble calling the Tyrone - Armagh final an All- british final and our friends across the border making comparisons with Tyrone and the B. army and black taxis. ROI fans chant 'only one team in Ireland 'to NI fans and BTW the NI sports minister along with his wife were at the end of some sectarian abuse from Celtic fans on the boat back from Scotland recently. As for the NI Vs ROI AI final - well before the match started that was the strangest version of GSTQ coming from the tyrone boys I've ever heard.

fupball (Tyrone) - Posts: 48 - 23/09/2008 12:28:05    105482

i know dublin fans routinely sing whats it like to serve a queen to 'nordies' when they play them....
just a bit of harmless slaggin - id sincerely doubt any of the hill 16 ruffians would be accepted into the hallowed ranks of the orange order!!!!

Horse (Laois) - Posts: 1146 - 23/09/2008 13:13:40    105535

Redhot County: Cork Posts: 112 What do you mean by being imtimadated by flags i do not understand what you are coming at please go into more detail Every year in our major towns and some villages from about June to August we drive under the red, white and blue bunting and say nothing as it is what occurs for the twelfth and its a culture thing so lets respect that, this bunting is normally decked out beside various flags from various organisations (if you'd call them organised that is??). Yet Fermanagh GAA team does well this year and the county gets covered in Green and White - Radio stations go mad, papers go mad with complaints from certain individuals. Tyrone get to an All Ireland Final - Our fifth senior final since 1884 and again cries from certain people about the flags and bunting being intimidation. Its just what your up against as Tom1916 righty pointed out. There is a siege mentality that exists within one section of the community and Ulster isn't so British whenever a counties GAA team is doing well which makes the whole outnumbering thing even harder to take especially in Nationalist dominated counties like Derry, Tyrone, Armagh and Fermanagh and South Down as it sends out a signal that there are more nationalist/republican areas outside of West Belfast which makes the whole thing unbearable to take in within certain quarters and makes a mockery of the "Our Wee Country" jibe, It should be "our wee county" - (North Down).

mugsys_barber (Tyrone) - Posts: 2160 - 23/09/2008 13:46:15    105580

Fair question Redhot. Such a question is quite reflective of the general lack of understanding of the 'sit-ee-ation' prevailing in Ulster. The differences in subtlety in say, Cork compared the border counties in quite remarkable. Most Cork folk will ask you out straight, whereas 'what school did ye go to' generally does the trick up North.
But what is common across the country at large is a general lack of recognition of the strong Protestant influence has had on the GAA. Fair enough, not too many Protestants on the Tyrone bus to Dublin, but there was at least one (Sam Maguire) with them on the way home. Add to that the all the clubs across the country named after Emmet, Parnell, Thomas Davis, John Mitchel and Wolfe Tone, and it is clear that thousands of GAA folk fervently invoke the spirit of their Protestant heroes on a weekly basis.

Eddie the Exile (Monaghan) - Posts: 1209 - 23/09/2008 13:50:20    105589

fupball, I don't understand alot of what you are saying as i do not know anything about socker etc and neither do I want to but you are incorrect on your bit of banter remark. Read the article below: A political row has erupted over comments made by Sports Minister Gregory Campbell after Tyrone won the Sam Maguire Cup. But Mr Campbell defended his remarks, insisting Tyrone and Kerry are "in different countries", and therefore the match was an international occasion. Derry SDLP councillor Mark Durkan accused Mr Campbell of disrespecting the Gaelic games tradition. He said: "Gregory Campbell's comments about what was an outstanding Tyrone victory in the All-Ireland football final were pathetic. "There will be few Gaels or other sports fans that will be impressed by a Sports Minister saying that he 'supposes' the team should be acknowledged on the basis that they were playing in an international game. "He needs to realise that he has a position of responsibility now and he needs to truly respect the efforts and identities of all sporting traditions. "He might think he's clever and hope that people may think he was 'having a laugh'. "But he let the cat out of the bag when he said that even if he had been free he wouldn't have gone to Croke Park." In response, Mr Campbell said: "I passed on my best wishes to Co Tyrone GAA football team which obviously is a Northern Ireland team in their victory over Co Kerry GAA Team from the Republic of Ireland in the GAA football final. "It is a factual position that Tyrone is a county in Northern Ireland and Kerry is a county in the Republic of Ireland . This year's GAA final amounted to an 'international' event. In any international tournament involving a team from Northern Ireland competing with a team from another country, I normally support the team representing Northern Ireland . "I acknowledge that the GAA as an organisation has made improvements; however there are other areas were they have still much to do."

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 2001 - 23/09/2008 14:10:41    105618

I was there with my flag very proud ,very loud to be supporting Tyrone and the game.

williewentwell (Tyrone) - Posts: 1712 - 25/09/2008 18:40:03    108024