Seems that the kerfuffle over the New York hurling win is growing. See they were supposed to lose, like they do every other year, but on this occasion they defeated Derry. So they should be playing Antrim in Ulster in their next match.
But they have a problem. They don’t want to fly to Ireland because they may have visa problems if they then try and get back into the States.
So the GAA are have postponed the match while they try to sort something out. Antrim don’t want to go to America. Their players will need[1] to take time off work and Antrim GAA will have to cough up money to pay for accommodation and travel.
And, maybe it is the conservative authoritarian side of me but if I’m being brutally honest I say fuck New York. If they are fielding illegal immigrants then it is their own look out. Why should Antrim have to rearrange their schedule in order to accommodate law breakers?
Maybe I’m being harsh, but I can’t help but compare attitudes to the Irish living illegally in American versus the attitude to immigrants who’ve come here to Ireland.
And what is all this about the Ulster champions not being involved in the All-Ireland. Few question to any GAA heads; First of all is this true? Second of all, why? It can’t just be because Ulster[2] hurling is shite can it?
And while I’m talking about sports, pop over to the Hogan Stand and vote in the poll, just remember you DO want to see Munster in Croke Park. It’d be deadly.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Ulster hurling is just shite (plus the fixtures schedule is unnecessarily complicated). I had a moment of clarity last year when I understood the qualifiers, but I don't really understand it any more.
http://www.irishnews.com/championship2006/fixture…
There's nothing there to me that says that an Ulster team couldn't qualify through the Group A/Group B thing.
I agree with you on the visa/immigration issue. The double-standard is really appalling. Whether you agree with them or not, immigration laws are laws and breaking those laws has consequences. Amnesty policies are also unfair to the people who played by the rules.
I don't mind amnesties for people who've been there for a VERY long time or maybe have kids there or something, but the idea that you should just throw amnesties around willy-nilly is deeply unfair. It's like a thief not being made to return money he stole because he stole it a REALLY long time ago.
Then there's the whole argument to be made about how many people stayed in Ireland and made it what it is today (!) and how other people fecked off illegally to Amerikay and are now whining for our government to help them stay away.
Of course, can you imagine how annoying it would be to have all those feckers coming home here with their mid-Atlantic accents, complaining about how we don't have enough Starbucks here and how the weather is terrible.
Ann, thanks for the link but I'm still bemused. God be with the days when it was winner progresses, loser out. Course I do like the fact that we get second chances now, But talk about complicated. And I notice that although Ulster hurling may be crap they do actually have an Ulster championship. No Connacht one is there?
But NM they are good decent local people. And local people should be helped out no matter what. It's the non-locals that the are the problem :sigh:
Are YOU local? (mwah ha ha ha!)
I'm looking at my handy fixtures chart from my Irish Sun glossy GAA colour supplement. (Yes, I bought the Sun. For the supplement. Don't judge me! :)) It has quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final matches listed for the Munster, Leinster, and Ulster championships. Under the Connacht championship, it just says "Winners: Galway"
I don't know about you, but if I'm on the county board in Mayo or Sligo, I'm going to be running around putting hurleys in the hands of anyone who seems like they might be able to wield one. It seems absurd that Galway would just be declared provincial winners in what appears to be walk-over fashion.
I cannot even tell you how much it pains me that I'm going to be in Amsterdam this weekend instead of at Thurles for the Cork-Clare match.
I'm pretty sure that Sligo don't have a senior hurling team, or at least they've never competed in the Championship that I know of. My brothers played hurling at underage level, U14 & 16's, but that was mainly cause a neighbour who was originally from Tip got involved.
Ah, just been on wikipedia, and it seems that they compete in a different competition. The Nicky Rackard Cup which is for the weaker hurling counties.
See we never even thought about Sligo and hurling when watching it, we just support Limerick or Tip. I know they are rivals, but d'mother is from Limerick so that's where that loyalty comes from. And we spent many a summer in Tip with various cousins.
I'm sure you'll be able to find some Irish pub to watch the match in.
Irish…pub? What means this?
It's da noooo ting like. Places where you can buy drink and then drink it on the premises are called pubs, right? And in furrin places they do be having all sorts of tings round these pubs, pretending that they are just like home, and Irish.
See.
It'll never catch on.