Irish GAA Joker Guy

GAA (Gaelic Games) Quotes, Jokes and humour.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Players clubbing together to make up a team

Players clubbing together to make up a team

AGAINST THE BREEZE By Paddy Heaney

Remember the cloth caps, crazy women and club mascots. These characters were presented in the results of a survey examining the personality of club supporters. A number of readers have since queried if similar research has been conducted with regard to club footballers. By a great coincidence, the findings of a detailed analysis of our club footballers has just been completed, and some of the results are published in this week's column.

- Physio's Friend: Four words can sum up the playing career of a typical physio's friend and they are: 'lame for every game'. Pulled hamstrings, severed ligaments, sore groins, you name it, and he has had it. - Physiotherapists dream about getting one of these players on their client list. He is the ideal customer. Once a physio's friend has signed up, all financial worries can be forgotten. With a guaranteed two trips a week, for injuries, either real or imagined, the sick one will pay bills, mortgages and put children through university.

- The Male Model: It's easy to spot the male model at training sessions. He's the player wearing the Cork jersey on Monday, Meath on Wednesday and Dublin on Friday. Not only will he have the jersey, he'll also have the accompanying shorts and socks. Male Models normally sport a healthy tan for about six months of the year. He is the one player in the changing room guaranteed to bring hair gel, shampoo and deodorant. After his liberal application of deodorant, he can be difficult to see as he will be enveloped in a cloud of sweet smelling mist. The Male Model despises the fact that he must share his toiletries every week with some spongers. However, he realises it is a necessary evil if he is to leave the changing room looking and smelling his very best. -

County Star (Club Hero): He is the heartbeat of the team. This man sends himself to sleep at night by counting O'Neill's footballs floating over a crossbar. Despite huge commitments to the county panel, he will be a regular attender at club training sessions. The Club Hero is highly valued, primarily for his talent, but also for the example he provides other players. Club heroes watch what they eat, go easy on the drink and refrain from cigarettes. If they have one weakness, it's women. For some misguided reason they are under the illusion that women are not detrimental to your health.

- County Star (The Invisible Man): This other type of county footballer enjoys a love/hate, though mostly hate, relationship with his club's supporters. They love him when he turns up for matches because he can be the difference between winning and losing a match. They hate him because they think he is a big headed poser, who seeks only personal glory through his county team, while abandoning the very club that taught him how to play the game.

- Hard Ground Specialist: Just as there are race horses that cannot cope with soft ground, so there are footballers who feel ill-suited toearlyseason training. Hard ground specialists consider the dedicated winter trainers to be mere point-to-pointers, whereas they are the genuine flat-race thoroughbred. With the recent good weather, they will havestarted to appear at training sessions throughout the country in their droves

- The Schoolboy: The schoolboy has only one thing in his head: football. Carrying absolutely no weight, the schoolboy runs just for the fun of it. Older players in the team are jealous of schoolboys as they represent their lost youth. Junior football is the traditional sacrificial ground where balding corner-backs regularly obliterate frisky teenagers for no apparent reason. Schoolboys are best advised to stay clear of these ageing veterans if they wish to stay clear of serious injury.

- The Student: The transformation from schoolboy to student is as pronounced as that of the caterpillar to butterfly. Where once he was a schoolboy whose only ambition was to get on the senior team; the student discovers the pleasures of wine, woman and song. Football is put way down the agenda. For the first six months of his fresher year the student will have a silly looking smile permanently attached to his face. A pot belly will start to develop in his midriff. He will give the excuse of either assignments or exams for his continued absence at training, yet there will be repeated sightings of him in Paykos, Club FX, The Western Star, The Wash, The Courthouse, Havana Browns, Mangans; you get the picture. The club hero will try to lecture the student about the error of his ways, but it is hopeless, he will be a lost soul for the next four years. Due to space constraints these are all the players that can be described today.

Other players which could not be included were: Team Talker, Psycho, Mr Excuses, and the Nearly Man. others would include the one more year man .... brought on with ten minutes to go to rapturous roars from the crowd., never won a medal, jersey clinging to the belly, socks up around the bandaged knee. Subject to rushes of blood to the head which guarantee a ball to be ballooned into the stands after a headless thirty yard run driven on by the crowd. the Horse ....... who has no football whatsoever, but is there on pure brute strength alone, and would spend a full training session lining up for a crack at either the Model, the Schoolboy, the Student or the County Star.

Labels: Championship, croke Park, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Jokes

posted by Michael at 10:54 AM

Saturday, July 28, 2007

GIFT GRUB...WATERFORD V CORK

GIFT GRUB...WATERFORD V CORK
Press Play Below -
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RUNJA6RD



share your files at box.net

Labels: Championship, cork, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, gift Grub, humour, Hurling, Jay Keane, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Semple Stadium, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match, waterford

posted by Michael at 5:19 AM

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Limerick, your my Lady

Taken from http://www.limerickblogger.org/blog/


The comedic trio that is The Shams! came to notoriety when they first aired their sketches on Radio Limerick One.

Now the station which made them famous is offering the sketches, which were gathered together for their most recent CD “The Attack of Helen Kennedy” on the RLO website.

You can “wrawk” the zip file containing the files which can be downloaded here.


Being sketches on Radio Limerick One, alot of them will have RLO themes to them, however, some are sketches on Limerick itself.


We have been authorised to give a few samplers of what is in store.


Frank Sinatra will be spinning in his grave when he hears this.












share your files at box.net


This one will probably get us into trouble, but f**k it











share your files at box.net


It’s funny because it’s (more-or-less) true












share your files at box.net

Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

posted by Michael at 1:53 AM

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Meath feckers ......

Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

posted by Michael at 8:41 AM

Monday, March 06, 2006

Various Multimedia



-------------------------

I upload a few bits and bobs. They are not exactly GAA related but are Irish through and through and are damn funny.

Just RIGHT CLICK and then "Save Link as ...... " Save them to your hard drive. All virus checked.

Limerick Bord Failte - Irish Tourist Board advertisement . Its all about the gangs, the Gardai etc in fair old Limerick.








GMC - Not tonight A real Cork Rap song.. Lyrics include "Gang of us got to the door last night and the bouncers saw RUNNERS and said 'NOT TONIGHT' so we waited outside for a while.... " Very funny.






Dutch Gold Kid by Dan Excellnt in the tune of Dido/Emimen




_____
Maastricht GAA Profile
Their website



----------

Decent Gaelic Football Comp

Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

posted by Michael at 6:13 AM

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Whats New

August 2006
  • Added two new videos to the funny Pics section and added a video to the Down Section

    Video added to the
    Kerry , Laois and Dublin Sections.

    June 2006
  • I added a youtube video of some some Meath fans wearing the jersey with pide.
  • I added a video of Maurice Fitz from Kerry in action.
  • I added an adverrt for the All-Stars in the multimedia section.
  • I added a video from a Armagh V Tyrone fight

    April 2006

    I added a Babs Keating Quote to the Tipp county Jokes section.

    March 2006
    On Monday, March 06, 2006 I added three sound files. A Limerick Bord failte Ad (fake, of course). Secondly, there is Dutch Gold Kid, an ode to Roy Keane (Dido/Emimen style) and thirdly a Rap song from GMC - a cork rap outfit about bouncers.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

  • posted by Michael at 6:52 PM

    Tuesday, February 07, 2006

    Trouble flares as Dubs beat Tyrone (5th Feb 2006)










    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    5th of febraury 2006

    Tempers flared at Healy Park in Omagh during the National League game between Tyrone and Dublin




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion

    Tempers flared at Healy Park and four players were sent-off




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size






















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion

    Referee Paddy Russell struggles to control the National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    Tyrone player Collie Holmes is sent-off




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size




















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion


    Referee Paddy Russell shows a red card to Tyrone player Collie Holmes during the National League clash with Dublin.




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size


















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion

    Dublin's Alan Brogan clashes with Michael McGee. Dublin's Alan Brogan clashes with Michael McGee of Tyrone (left) after being sent-off




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size

















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion

    Dublin's David Henry and Nial O Se go head-to-head with Tyrone's Kevin Hughes and Stephen O'Neill




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size




















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion


    2005 footballer of the year Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill receives his marching orders from referee Paddy Russell.




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size




















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    GAA Emotion

    Tyrone goalkeeper Pascal McConnell gets to grips with Dublin player Derek Murray.




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





















    National League match between Tyrone and Dublin

    05/02/2006


    Referee Paddy Russell is escorted from the Healy Park pitch after stormy league game between Tyrone and Dublin




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:48 AM

    Tuesday, January 10, 2006

    Sports Pictures of 2005










    All Ireland SFC final, Tyrone V Kerry, Croke park

    GAA Emotion

    Brendan Moran (sportsfile, Dublin) took this picture. He says "generally at the final whistle one picture you want is the manager celebrating or reacting. What happened this year, with the crowd running on, the gardai and stewards making a cordon, and that makes it quite physical around that area.

    I came up the sideline - we're allowed up a certain distance along the line - and Mickey Harte was 20 feet away. I was quite near him but there were cameras and other photographers around - there ws jostling, but it was good natured.

    Mickey did a TV interview, his daughter came over, but then Brian Dooher came out of nowhere. Hate put his head on Dooher's shoulder. In Doohers speech he mentioned Cormac McAnallen."




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size




















    Cork's Gemma O'Connor celebrates with team mates

    Winning the All-Ireland senior Camogie final at Croke park on September 18th, 2005.

    Dan Linehan (Irish Examiner) says "I've covered camogie finals for the last nine or ten years and without fail, it presents some of the best picture opportunities. Camogie players ... are more expressive than their male counterparts. As a result you get incredible pictures, not just of joy and celebration, but of sorrow and dejection. This picture ws takena fter the final whistle - it was almost as if they presented themselves to the camera. I was just drawn to take the picture."




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



















    Kilbrittan National School Team

    With captain Pauric Deasy, celebrate their Sciath na Scoil final victory at Pairc Ui rinn, Cork, on May 31st, 2005

    Des barry (Irish Examiner) says "It is my favourite sporting event of the year. i have been covering the Sciath na Scoil finals for over 10 years and it offers more picture opportunities than All-Ireland Finals. What makes it so specia? There are no inhibitions with the kids, there is a wonderful innoncence in everything they do, whether it is playing, celebrating or dealing with defeat. Regarding the action shots - theya re fantastic - they jump into the air or they jump right into the lens!."




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size




















    Limerick's Garryspillane's Donie Ryan celebrates victory

    Garryspillane beat Kilmallock in the Limerick SHC Final at the Gaelic Grounds on October 16th 2005.

    Dan Linehan (Irish Examiner) says "Final wins like this are always special. Garryspillane have never won the county senior title so this was a bit of history in the making. As I ran onto the field after the match, i noticed this guy falling o the grround. In all the mellee you are rtying to keep an eye on four or five possible shots at any time and I decidd to go after this guy. I took four or five shots and ten had to wait until he got off the ground before I could identity him by the number on his back."




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size


















    Cork's Corona Boots

    All Ireland SHC quarter-final, Cork V Waterford, Ceoke Park

    Brendan Moran (Sportsfile, Dublin) says "I got a tip-off. one of our lads noticed something yellow on the boos as the team parade was heading in my direction. He texted me so I used my longest lens to zoom in and I just started taking pictures. We do this pre-match stuff as a matter of course but never send it out.

    The match started and I took this picture of Niall McCarthy and the logo on the boot came up in that as well. To be honest, I forgot about it until the next day. All the papers were doing their follow-ups on the Sunday matches and that usually focuses on a sending-off or a controversey. So we decided to send out the boot picture as something different.We could not have imagined the response. Within minutes the phones were hopping. Despite the publicity, we wee not in collusion the the PR company who arranged the deal with the Cork Players. We got negative publicity, so be it. We are always trying to pick up on something different, likie fellows wearing Lance Armstrong bands, or the Paddy Power logos on the hurleys two years ago. We are not out to get players into trouble. There was no conspiracy. "




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size
















    Hurling Championship launch

    Giants Causeway, County Antrim

    Ray McManus (Sportsfile, Dublin) says "Its a little different to covering a game, it's a planned, set up shot. Th order in which the players line up (Cork's Sean Og O hAilpin, Wexford's Michael Jacob, Kilkenny's James McGarry, Waterford's Eoin Kelly) is dicated by height, but even as I see the shot again I see I might have done it differently. "




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size


















    The real on the pitch

    NHL, Galway v Tipperary, Pearse Stadium

    Ray McManus (Sportsfile, Dublin) says "It was just an ordianry league game, Galway against Tipperary, and I'd asked for permission to go into the umpires dressing room before the game. I wanted a photograph of them putting on their white coats before the amtch started, but that wasn't working. Eventually they came out, and while they were waiting for the referee they just formed a line. i didnt set it up, i think most times you'd know thay's ben done. One of them was looking at me and I asked him to keep talking "




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Gaaa Match

    Taken during 1976

    Taken by Josef Koudelka in Ireland during 1976. You can see more of his Pictures here







    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Tags: GAA, Jokes, GAA Jokes, Cork, NHL, Pearse Stadium, Hurling Championship, Hurling, Gaelic, , All-Ireland, Camogie, Croke Park, Sean Kelly, Ted Walsh, George Hamilton, Colm O' Rourke, Sean cavanagh, Peter Canavan, Sean Og O hAilpin, GAA, Irish, Irish Guy, Jokes,

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 9:23 AM

    Thursday, January 05, 2006

    2005 Quotes

    2005 Quotes


    "It was prehaps the most generous, the most liberal decision ever taken by any sporting or business body because we have out of the generosity of our harts put our finest asset at the disposal of our keenest rivals."
    Sean Kelly - after Rule 42 was scrapped in march 2005

    "We're one of the great sporting nations and we'd really only be opening it up for our own patrons. I remember American football being played in Croke Park and I can guarantee you it hasn't caught on in Wexford. If a neightbours' house wenton fire and you'd a spare room you wouldn't leave him out in the cold."
    Wexford's Sean Quirke argues the case for the dropping of rule 42.

    "Nicky Leeson, you banker, you banker."
    The welcome given to Nick Leeson, of Barings bank fame, by the crowd at Terryland poark when he was introduced asGalway United's new commercial director.

    "All Sports are been anlysed far too much by Bolloxes like us."
    Ted Walsh, sitting around a table with George Hook, pat Spillane and Eamon Dunphy

    "If you're down around the new Dundrum town centre right now you can pop out your breasts with pride because here is the champion of Europe, David Gillick, the local lad made good!."
    RTE's George Hamilton gets a touch carried away after Gillick's gold at the European indoor Championships.

    "I'd been ill and hadn't trained for a week and I'd been out of the team for three weeks before that, so i wasn't sharp. i got cramp before half-time as well. But i'm not one to make excuses."
    Clinton Morrison. No excuses, then.

    "Somebody should check his birth cert because Idon't think he was born, I think he's a creation of god."
    Colm O' Rourke on the divinity that is Kerry's Colm "Gooch" Cooper.

    "It used to be a good old Ulster fry before amtches, but we've changed that now to Muesili - which tastes a wee bit like what you'd find at the bottom of a budgie's cage."
    Former armagh goalkeeper Benny tierney on the county's all-new pre-match breakfast menu.

    "The defender was so laid back there he was almost vertical."
    TV3 pundit Frank Stapleton.

    "I just went up to him and said please Peter, please take it. I knew he was the only man for the job. I know he's already a legend in tyrone, but that's going to make hime something crazy alltogether."
    Tyrone's Sean cavanagh after Peter Canavan's last minute free beat Armagh in the all-Ireland semi-final.

    "waht a way to win an All-Ireland Final. Ten amtches, beating the Ulster champions, the Leinster champions, the Munster champions, and also the current All-Ireland winners. So maybe those people that critised our style of football will think otherwise now and give the county a bit of respect."
    Peter Canavan after Tyrone's marathon championship ended with visctory over Kerry in the final.


    "babs Keating said to me one night the difference between a pat on the back and a kick in the arse is a foot and a half."

    Brian Kerr, under pressure.

    "There might ahve been one or two Irishmen tap-dancing on some of my players' feet and that might have got them a bit angry."
    Australian coach Kevin Sheedy tries to find a reason for some of his plaers losing the plot in the International Rules Series.

    "i was sitting next to rog (Ronan O'Gara) after the game and just looked at him and suggested that someone dig a hole and put us in it."
    Anthony horgan after Ireland lost 45-7 to new Zealand at Lansdowne Road.


    "I was very, very hurt. i had worked for nine years in lots of roles for the association, for the one employer and as a full-time employee. So to be dispatched, cut off, more or less overnight was quite hurtful andd disappointing. but that was their entitlement and that was the decision of the wise men of the association."

    Brian Kerr, reflecting on the decision of the FAI not to renew his contract as Republic of Ireland manager.

    "next weekend is going to be a tough one, whatever happened against New zealand, Australia are a different bag of hammers."
    Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan looking forward to the game against Australia, In which Ireland also got hammered.


    "Looking at our games near the end of the campaign ... against Cyprus away we were like a pub team. After that game people were having a pop at Brian (Kerr), but you can't blame hime for one been able to make a 10-yard pass. we supposed to be the cream of Irish footballers and we were just all over the shop."

    Damien Duff's on the Irish team's World Cup qualifying campaign.

    "Ever since I started off in Na Piarsaigh, and going to the North Monastery, i was told croke Park, the steps of the Hogan stand, that's what you inspire to. I bought into that growing up on the norh side of Cork, and I waned to live that dream. And today it came true."
    - Sean Og O hAilpin after captaining Cork to the all-Ireland hurling title in September.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 9:57 PM

    Monday, January 02, 2006

    GAA - Ireland's own Column"

    Heart column of 'Ireland's Own', a monthly magazine which prides itself on being very quirky! Well its readers are certainly quirky and/or possessed of a good sense of humour!


    a.. Grossly overweight Louth Senior County Full forward, 42 years old, Gemini, seeks nimble sex-pot, preferably South American, for tango sessions, candlelit dinners and
    humid nights of screaming passion. Must have own car and be willing to travel.

    a.. Following a sad recent loss, teetotal Tipperary man, 53, hurling fan, seeks replacement mammy. Must like finches orange, making sandwiches in tinfoil for the big matches and answer to the name Minnie. Thurles area.
    a.. Galway man, 50, in desperate need of a ride.
    Anything considered.

    a.. Bitter, disillusioned Kerry man lately domianted and rejected by
    longtime 6 county palying partner seeks decent, honest, beatable woman, if such a thing still exists in this cruel world of hatchet-faced northern b****es.

    a.. Ginger-haired Limerick senior hurler and troublemaker, gets
    slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops every night after training, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more.


    a.. Artistic Clare man, 53, former Senior County Hurling Manager - petite, loves rainy walks on the beach, poetry, unusual sea-shells and interesting brown rice dishes, seeks mystic dreamer for companionship, back rubs and more as we bounce along
    like little tumbling clouds on life's beautiful crazy journey. Strong stomach
    essential.


    a.. Dublin Chartered accountant, rugby man, 42, seeks female for
    marriage. Duties will include cooking, light cleaning and accompanying me to office
    social functions. References required. No timewasters.

    a.. Bad-tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard living in a
    damp cottage in the arse end of Roscommon seeks attractive 21-year-old blonde
    lady with chest.

    a.. Meath Devil-worshiper, navan area, seeks like-minded
    lady for wining and dining, good conversation, dancing, romantic walks and stomping and spitting on GAA player from the restt of the country.


    a.. Attractive brunette, Macroom area, winner of Miss
    Wrangler competition, who's not afraid to cry, for long nights spent comfort
    drinking and listening to old Abba records. Please, Please!

    a.. Cork man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the Sunday on the 2nd weekend of September betwen 2.00 pm and 11.30 pm.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 5:24 PM

    Tuesday, December 06, 2005

    GAA better than soccer (2)

    1) The GAA player who played in front of 80,000 at
    the weekend will be teaching your children, selling you meat or fixing
    your drains on Monday morning. The soccer player who plays in front of
    80,000 will be moaning about playing too many games and will be trying to
    sell you his personalised brand of leisure wear

    2) GAA nicknames are better. Soccer players just add a Y to their surnames

    3) Dublin vs Meath is a real derby. What does Utd. Vs City mean to Ronaldo or Sibierski

    4) How many soccer players does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer
    eleven. One to stick it in and ten to surround and kiss him after he does it

    5) Soccer players go to the papers after a game. GAA
    players go to the pub

    6) John Terry would run a mile if he came up against Francie Bellew

    7) GAA teams are numbered 1-15. A soccer team reads like the lottery results

    8) All soccer players wear shin pads. Some hurlers wear helmets

    9) Television runs soccer. Schoolteachers run the GAA

    10) The GAA is about where you're from. Soccer is about who you like

    11) No segregation at GAA games

    12) No soccer team has a nickname quite as lovely as the Fighting Cocks of Carlow

    13) Bubble perms never made it to Croke Park

    14) A scoreless draw in the GAA would be quite a novelty

    15) Roman Abramovich can buy the League. You can't buy Sam!!

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 9:08 AM

    Thursday, September 29, 2005

    Bits and Bobs....










    GAA Uranus

    GAA and Progressive Rock

    Its a bit silly but I ahve no idea between GAA and Progressive Rock..






    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





















    Get your Kit Off

    Spar Supermarket Spain and erotic GAA

    Is this subliminal advertising... Everytime I see it... on turns to "off" and I get a bit shaken. Is it a waning to GAA fans not to take off their shirts during a hot day on the Hill?




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 4:25 AM

    Monday, September 05, 2005

    Feckin Animal - but which one?

    Taken from the front page of the Irish Times the Monday after the Cork V Kerry Championship Semi-Final







    Ouch. Seamus Moynihan bites while Brendan Jer O' Sullivan Gouges

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 7:10 AM

    Sunday, September 04, 2005

    Female fans as 'prize heifers'

    I don't view female fans as 'prize heifers' says under-fire GAA chief

    No koke this, but sounds like one. It taken from the Irish Independent of Thursday September 1st 2005.

    GAA president Sean Kelly last night said he was surprised to have been accused of regarding female fans as 'prize heifers'.

    He was responding for the first time to a furore caused by his assertion that well-dressed ladies should be paraded on the Croke Park pitch before big games.

    His views, in programme notes for last Saturday's All-Ireland football quarter-final replay against Tyrone, sparked accusations that he viewed female fans as "prize heifers".

    Ladies' Gaelic Football Association head Helen O'Rourke accused Mr Kelly of treating women like animals at a country fair.

    Mr Kelly, chairman of the integration committee charged with bringing the women's and men's associations together said female GAA supporters were a "wonderful sight for sore eyes"."The thought struck me that we should have a 'Queen of Fashion' at big days in Croker," he said in his notes.

    "Select the best dressed of the ladies, march them around the field after the band and then present the winner with her prize - a day at the races, or a day in the bog, two tickets for the All-Ireland, etc."

    But the top female Gaelic organisation described his remarks as "condescending" and an "insult".

    Mr Kelly wrote: "At the drawn game, I took a good look at the women. They are now coming to matches in their droves, more power to them. They go to great trouble to dress up for the day in their county colours - all matching from head to toe. Some of the women build around the official jersey in a most imaginative and, may I say, attractive way. Others design their own concoctions. Wonderful sights for sore eyes."

    Helen O'Rourke responded that women were more interested in playing football in Croke Park than being paraded in a fashion contest.

    "He sounds like he's talking about putting a county parade rosette on a prize heifer. It's antiquated and I thought those days were long over.

    "It is obvious that women who play football and come to matches are there because they love and are interested in the game. We have 100,000 members and every one of those aspires to play at Croke Park, not to be paraded around at a fashion show.

    "It's in very poor taste. I couldn't believe it. I was very disappointed when I read the programme and I think he must have been watching too much of the Rose of Tralee. It sounds like a country fair."

    Speaking to the Irish Independent last night, Mr Kelly insisted his remarks were "a harmless bit of fun and should be taken in the context and spirit in which they were written".

    He was surprised any offence could be taken and defended his record on promoting the affairs of women in the GAA.

    "Nothing I said was derogatory towards ladies. In fact it was quite the opposite. I think it is wonderful to see so many ladies now attending GAA games in their county colours. I was merely complimenting that."

    He added: "There is never a problem or a big deal made about best dressed ladies at race meetings. It's part and parcel of any festival. I was complimenting the standard of fashion at GAA games now and suggesting how it could be acknowledged in a light hearted way. I didn't think offence would be taken four days after the game."

    Ms O'Rourke said she felt his comments set back equal opportunity moves to integrate men's and women's sporting organisations.

    "Fashion is not the reason women come to Croke Park . . . We had to wait up to 10 days before the GAA agreed to our match last weekend and this article has undermined the interest women have in the sport.

    "All we want to do is play football. I found it quite insulting because we have to struggle so hard for our sport."

    She conceded: "He might have been joking, but there is too much of those kind of sentiments around that are seriously meant."

    Colm Keys and Helen Bruce

    ----------------


    This is not taken from an episode of Fr Ted it is a direct quote from Sean Kelly's programme notes..

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 6:47 AM

    Friday, September 02, 2005

    The Top 10 GAA cock-ups

    The Top 10 GAA cock-ups



    1. Kerry's "goal" against Tipp (1999 Munster football
      c'ship) :
      After just eight minutes Kerry corner-forward Gerry Murphy kicked the ball wide but it came back into play off a stanchion and the Rathmore player finished the rebound to the net. Kerry won by 6 points and Tipp were not awarded a replay.



    2. The "point" that never was (1995 Leinster football
      tie) :
      Laois' Mick Turley kicked the  ball over his head with 42 seconds remaining and the ball was deemed to have gone over the Carlow bar. But video evidence showed that it had gone wide. Laois won by a point. Laois later offered Carlow a replay and won in the re-fixture.




    3. Six sent off (1999 Leinster tie) : With the introduction of new rules, ref Niall Barrett of Cork dished out 14 yellow cards and sent off six players, four from Carlow. Westmeath won by four points.



    4. GPA "Player of the Year" (2001) : After
      initially awarding and informing Padraig Joyce both verbally and in writing that he had won their award, on the night of the presentation he is playing for Connacht in the Railway Cup in Killarney and cannot attend. But at the ceremony it is announced that Declan Meehan won the award.



    5. Jimmy Cooney's "lost minutes" (1998 All-Ireland
      hurling semi-final) :
      With Clare hanging on to a three point lead against Offaly, Galway ref Jimmy Cooney blows for full-time with over two minutes of play remaining. By the time he realised his mistake, stewards were leading him from the field. Hundreds of Offaly fans sat in protest on the field. The Kerry U-21 hurlers were due to play Kildare after but couldn't proceed. The Senior game  went to a replay, which Offaly won.




    6. Cork minor's two yellows (2000 minor semi) : Midfielder
      Kieran Murphy received two yellow cards from Roscommon ref Gerry Kinneavy but wasn't ordered off. Cork held on by a point and Derry's appeal for a rematch was turned down.



    7. Alcohol Sponsorship :  In pre-Guinness hurling championship times the Central Council voted against accepting financial backing from the drinks Industry at a behind closed doors meeting. It subsequently emerged that the vote was tied and it was former and the then GAA President Peter Quinn which decided the issue.



    8. Wrong team won (Connacht minor final 1989) : In the dying seconds of the game, Roscommon who are trailing Galway by a point, are awarder a penalty. Shane Curran sprints forward and drives the kick to the net. The whistle blows and Roscommon assume they have won and are presented with the cup. But it subsequently emerges that the ref disallowed the goal from the penalty and Galway are declared the official winners. Galway agree to a replay but lose.




    9. Get off Charlie Redmond (1995 All-Ireland final) : Ref Paddy Russel sent Charlie off in the game against Tyrone, but Charlie stayed on the field. It was only a few minutes later when the ref sees Charlie that he leaves the field. Dublin win by a point but Tyrone do not appeal.



    10. No show for extra-time (1987 NFL QF) : Dublin and Cork finish level at the end of normal time. Cork retire to their dressing room and fail to re-appear for the E T. The match was restarted with Dublin facing no opposition. While the Cork players are on their bus, Barney Rock scores the easiest game of his career to put Dublin through. Cork's protests are turned down and Dublin go on to win the League.




      Taken from Its a Funny Old Game

      Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 4:07 AM

    Thursday, September 01, 2005

    You know it's Championship time with......


    You know it's Championship time with......




    Taken from It's a Funny Old Game

    1-10
    * Flags outside houses near championship time.
    * the noise in Croke Park when the teams come out.
    * the few pints in the Big Tree before the game
    * the anticipation in the days coming up to a big game
    * the banter between supporters.
    * the stories about players from a bygone age.
    * Every player, no matter how good, always has a younger brother that would have been better but for the booze/women/emigration/job/incarceration etc. (Delete as appropriate)
    * On any one summer sunday more people would attend club and county fixtures across the country than would attend soccer and rugby combined all year long.

    * Old blokes with transistor radios who are always more interested in the radio telling you about U-21 hurling down in Limerick than the game they're watching in Irvinestown.
    * Ringing up people you haven't spoke to in 12 months telling them to keep you in mind for a ticket, then getting a complete shock when they come up with the goods. Then telling everyone that asks you for a ticket to 'feck off - do you not know how hard it is to get tickets'.

    11-20
    * The craic in the pub after a big win and not caring that you're going to miss the bus, because you know someone will give you a lift.
    * The OOOOOOO of the crowd when there is a bone crunching shoulder.
    * Those days when you're playing out of your skin and you can do no wrong, you just know before the keeper kicks the ball out, your going to catch it clean.
    * Championship football on a warm summers evening, the hard sod, quick ball and the roar of the crowd.
    * Pints in the town after winning a club championship game.
    * John 3:7
    * Beaches in July when all the fathers are inside their cars listening to the news from Clones or Thurles.
    * Interviews with the players and you hear the real accents of the places they come from.
    * Bringing the cup around to schools in the months after the all-Ireland

    * Pubs with Allstar posters on the walls

    21-30
    * "Johno's" car or van filled to the roof with under 12's on the way to a match.
    Then, on the way home he stops at a shop and buys them all ice-cream,all from his own pocket.
    * The one line comment from some wit in the crowd that gets both sets of supporters
    laughing and cheering.
    * The last bars of amhran na bhFiann lost in the mighty roar
    * Cars parked in every gap in the hedge and every farmyard at local championship matches.
    * Not caring about the splatters of cowshite caked on the ankle of your trousers because of the day thats in it.
    * Young wans playing their own championship behind the goals at the county final
    * "Anyone buyin or sellin a ticket ?"
    * The anticipation of the first club challenge match of the year
    * Wee Mickey on the School team being the first player from the club to get a provincial medal - boys but he's going to be some footballer.
    * The same wee Mickey getting caught by his da taking a pint after he scores 1-6 on his championship debut at 15 - bought for him by the club captain - who's da caught him in a similar situation 15 years earlier

    31-40
    * You shake hands with the guy you're marking before the match, then proceed to kick seven sorts of s**t out of him and abuse his mother for 60 minutes,and shake hands with him again after.
    * Being lifted over the turnstiles by your Da when you were a kid.
    * Having something to talk to your Da about
    * gives you sense of identity of where you come from, something you will have til the day you die

    * when you're a young lad after coming home from Croker, you and cousins and neighbours play out the match again until the sunday game (you're Mikey Sheehy and your cousin is Jack O'Shea)
    * The pure Heart and love for the game that makes a lad want to die going for the ball as opposed to the pros in soccer that show no emotion.
    * The local newspaper supplements in the week of a big match.
    * Straw hats (why are they confined almost exclusively to Galway and Mayo supporters?)
    * The conveyor line of stout, so they just top one off when you order

    * The combination of professionalism and naivety - Larry Tompkins, one of the best prepared and most professional footballers ever, missed a Munster final because he got sunburned on his feet!

    41-50
    * The most professional sports organisation in the country runs one of the few truly amateur sports left and sends out Danny Lynch to deal with the world's media!
    * The consolation that no matter how bad things go ..there's always next year (not anymore in Kilmoyley)
    * Wearing your county jersey because you love it, not because it is a fashion item
    * Hearing people in the crowd going on about will so-and-so start? I heard he's on the beer, I heard he's too busy chasing skirt to be bothered his arse training etc. giving out about him for the whole game and then he ends up being the hero by scoring the last minute winner and they turn around and say I knew he'd do it, what did I tell ye?

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:56 AM

    Tuesday, June 28, 2005

    The State of Tipperary Hurling










    Tipperary Hurlers

    Taken during training for the Munster Final 2005

    The Tipp Boys are well known for their fondness for the auld sauce and this picture of Eoin Kelly during training says it all.






    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 10:54 AM

    Saturday, June 04, 2005

    A Pissing (GAA) Match 1976










    Gaaa Match

    Taken during 1976

    Taken by Josef Koudelka in Ireland during 1976. You can see more of his Pictures here







    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 6:20 AM

    Sunday, May 01, 2005

    If Soccer is this Gay, More GAA Please



    Is soccer gay?





    And theya re thinking of letting Soccer into croke Park. You must be joking. Damien Duffers me arse.

    From http://www.linksdaily.com/?sida=tengill&id=106042

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 10:16 AM

    Tuesday, February 22, 2005

    Truth is Stranger than Fiction

    A tale of Men










    Mini Riot

    NINE GAA club members were each given suspended jail sentences yesterday when they pleaded guilty to charges arising from what was described by gardai as a "mini-riot" two-and-a-half years ago.

    The charges followed an incident involving members of Scotstown Gaelic Football Club which developed during a disco at The Glencarn Hotel in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, on July 15, 2002, during which a number of hotel stewards were attacked and injured.

    Garda Sergeant Paul Carroll, Castleblayney, told an earlier hearing the "mini-riot" developed after the group had been drinking heavily earlier in the day following a GAA match before attending a disco at the hotel. The trouble erupted when one of the accused men brought a bar-stool out on the dance floor for a lady who appeared to become weak. When told by a steward that such seating was not permitted on the dance floor, the fracas developed in which several of the accused became involved and a number of stewards were punched and kicked.

    "It was a particularly harrowing experience for the nightclub staff on the occasion," the garda said. "What took place on the occasion was totally out of character - they have regretted it very much since and are prepared to accept responsibility," she said.



    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    The Dogs










    Truth is Stranger than Fiction

    Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them colour-coded aliases (Mr Orange, Mr Pink, Mr White) to conceal their identities even from each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception and betrayal.

    As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption, and Jackie Brown is about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogs is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:12 AM

    Sunday, January 23, 2005

    January 2005 Funny GAA Pics

    The Grassy Knoll










    Ken McGrath Assassination

    Ken McGrath was assassinated by a lone Kerry lunatic during the Munster Final 2004 against Cork. For millions of Waterford people, this event was a long-remembered sorrowful experience.

    Fr. Horan (of the Silverstone and Olympics fame), arrested in a movie theater at 1:50 pm was charged at 7:00 pm for killing a Tippperary Ban Garda by "murder with malice", and also charged at 11:30 pm for the murder of Ken McGrath. Five days after McGrath was killed, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern created the Thurles Commission, chaired by Chief Justice Wiggan, to investigate the assassination.

    Many people dispute the claim that Horanwas an assassin, or, the sole assassin. Investigations, scientific testing, and recreations into the circumstances have not, in the Waterfor public's view, settled the question of who plotted to kill him. A 2003 "RTE tv news" poll showed that 32 percent of them who expressed a view believe that McGrath was killed by 3 Corkmen.



    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    What are they looking at

    It is a well known fact that no one, I mean no one read Pat Spillane's 2004 GAA Joke Book. Why, because in it was plagurised from the Internet. Pat discovered Google or was told by his Kerry (remedial) students about it. What Joke could be sharing with Eamonn. Check out the Pat Spillane Quotes on this site.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Give me that feckin burger!

    Taken after the Senior Leinster Fottball final Replay in 2004 against Laois, it takes half a dozen Westmeath boys to hold back Paidi hungerin for a batter burger. Or is it burgers hes after. It may well be the photographer's valubale camera. Would amke a fine Christmas present for his missus.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    ________

    Funny Piss Take of Marty

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:39 PM

    Friday, November 26, 2004

    Holidays in the Sun

    Holidays in the Sun

    Its holiday time again for GAA teams. December and January are the most popular months for GAA teams around the country to take leave of these shores.


    Westmeath
    Leinster Champions Westmeath are off to South Africa with Paidi. Kerry and Kilkenny have been there previously.

    Wateford
    Waterford will also set off for South Africa in January.

    Wexford
    Wexford will hit Phuket, Thailand in January 2005.

    Derry
    Derry are going to the Gran Canaria on Saint Stephens Day.

    Kerry
    The Kerry footballers are been treated to a break in Cancun, Mexico as well a few days in Las Vegas. That's an expensive trip. I wonder where there hurlers are going. Ballybunnion, I suppose.

    Mayo and Fermanagh
    They have decided not to go any where. Fermanagh have also decided to postpone any trip fort the time being.

    Cork
    Cork hurlers were in Vietnam last year. This year they are heading to New Zealand.










    Corkmen on Tour

    Jesus, they are going to foreign fields this year. I don't know if the locals will understand the lingo .. feens, beors, Cove,- its like, eh, boy - grand.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 10:46 PM

    Tuesday, November 02, 2004

    GAA Banners

    Some GAA Banners


    Kerry for President, Mayo for the All Ireland
    Kerry go heavy on the Mayo


    A SAM with no Mayo
    is Maughan WE CAN TAKE !


    1998 Offaly v KK
    "We'll tickle your Pussy"

    1985 Dublin v Kerry
    "Brian Mullins lays on more balls than Joanne Hayes" (referring to Kerry Babies scandal)

    1980 Roscommon Banner
    "After sex, Roscommon we love you the best!"

    1975 Dublin v Kerry
    "Brian and Barney will beat them back to Killarney!"

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:27 PM

    Wednesday, May 05, 2004

    Effin Eddie's Sound Clips

    Effin Eddie is Comedy GAA Commentary. If you want to buy the Comedy video with the clips as heard beloe and more, please don't contact me but the good people at effineddie@o2.ie. He has a website.

    Download a few clips from a GAA match -
    this is some of the above clips combined (560 kb)


    Download all the clips in one zip file (apart from GAA match) - 1.5 mb

    Update: July 2006: Up the Deise has done a cool soundboard with all Eddie's clips.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:25 PM

    Tuesday, May 04, 2004

    Westmeath County Jokes

    Boylan, you've won nothing since drug testing came in! - Westmeath fan in 2003

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:46 PM

    Monday, May 03, 2004

    Louth County Jokes

    Sorry, One of only two counties, I have to find jokes for. If you have one, email me at michael(at)gaa.irish-guy.com

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:43 PM

    Sunday, May 02, 2004

    Down County Jokes

    Profile of Down GAA

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:40 PM

    Saturday, May 01, 2004

    Referees

    Referees by John B. Keane

    There is a daring breed of men whose exploits have never made the front pages of newspapers, whose heroics forever remain unsung, whose visages will never be seen on our television screens and about whom no songs are made. Be that as it may, what matters is that this breed of man is common to every generation and no matter what abuses or tortures the breed suffered in a previous generation it will always bob to the surface in this present one. It will show itself to be unsullied and untainted by previous wrongs and it will carry on with the job regardless.

    I refer, of course, as if you didn't know, to that dauntless band of gentlemen, none other than those heroes who referee junior football matches. Now don't get me wrong. There are few of us who loved the game who did not at one time or another find ourselves with a whistle in the hand when the appointed referee failed to turn up. This is all very well but, while we may have acted the part once, nothing on this earth could induce us to do so again. We did it and we wrote it down to experience. -We were grateful to escape without injury and those who suffered physically were even more resolved never to be caught again with a whistle in the hand.

    The hero to whom I refer is he who comes out Sunday after Sunday to do the needful in the matter of refereeing. Often his task is easy and pleasant but only where one team is so much better than another that a referee is not needed at all.
    His life is in danger however when there is nothing between the teams. Then in the eyes of the partisans his every decision is riddled with prejudice and no matter what way he points the finger he is greeted with a storm of catcalls and booing. To these he is impervious and he takes them for granted.

    It is when he makes the genuine mistake that he is in serious trouble. Nothing will convince the injured party but that it was deliberate. First the ball is flung at the referee. Then he is abused with a wide range of choice epithets.
    At this stage experienced referees go to where the ball is, sit on it and wait till the whole thing blows over. The worst he is likely to suffer if he chooses this course is a belt of a cadhrawn or a scraw. However, if he attempts to hand the whistle to one of his tormentors it is felt by one and all that he is stepping outside the part and is no longer, as it were, in sanctuary.

    Acts like this are regarded as impertinence. Once he ignores his enemies he is more or less ignored himself but once he takes them seriously he is asking for trouble. After the game is over is the worst time. There is no police protection and it is quite true to add that the game may have been contested in a village where there never were police. His best bet here is to pick out the biggest man in the vicinity and to open a conversation with him. Those who are out for his blood can never be sure but 'tis his brother or maybe his uncle he is talking to.

    A referee who togs out in white is taken far more seriously than a referee who does not tog out at all. Like a singer who appears on stage wearing a dress suit, he has a headstart over those who treat the occasion lightly. The referee who merely stuffs his trousers inside his socks and hands his coat to his girlfriend is asking for trouble.

    Whatever way one looks at it, it is a hazardous occupation. Referees for the most part are even-tempered men who do not court trouble. This, however, is no protection and the good referee must know a few tricks if he is to survive. Before I close I would like to recall one of these tricks as I saw it.

    The match was a junior semi-final. All went well and our friend staggered around without falling. What saved him was the fact that he did not blow the whistle. Then following a long bout of booing he blew, and having blown could not remember why. The pitch was invaded but, completely in command, our friend raised his hand and announced that he had blown the whistle in order that two minutes might be observed. Nobody asked who was dead. It wouldn't do to exhibit such ignorance.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 10:44 PM

    Friday, April 16, 2004

    GAA Sponsorship Deals


    GAA Sponsorship Deals

    Following hot on the heels of the announcement of a free boots deal between Dublin and Adidas, comes news of another GAA sponsorship. The newly revived Newbridge Cutlery firm has agreed a 5-year arrangement with Limerick County board that will see each Limerick player, in both codes, from juvenile level upwards, equipped with a top of the range knife. Players will be able to select a knife of their own choosing from the wide Newbridge range. A straw poll amongst the hurling and football panels last night showed a strong preference emerging among the footballers for the 8" fish filleter, though some of the backs favoured the cleaver. Among the hurlers, the strap-on bayonet was a clear favourite, most seeing its potential for improving the effectiveness of butt-end rib jabbing.

    GAA top brass have hinted that this is just the start of an expected avalanche of sponsorship deals with the advent of the liberalising presidency of Kerryman Sean Kelly. Already there are whispers of talks between officials in Kelly's own county and Fota Wildlife Park that will see the Kerry menagerie spend their non-playing weekends behind cage bars at Munster's biggest zoo. Fota chiefs are said to be quietly confident of closing the deal and securing the biggest animal attraction in the country. Other deals rumoured to be in the offing are tutus and ballet pumps for the Kildare squad (though there are suggestions that Martin Lynch is negotiating a solo deal with a scuba gear company and a reported arrangement between Armagh and Portaloo.

    Talks are said to be at an advanced stage between Galway and Vanity Pocket Mirrors Ltd. of Cappataggle, while Mayo are being courted by the Wide-Angle Lenses division of Kodak ("get the picture, no matter how wide the shot" is their famous slogan).

    Observers of the sports sponsorship market have been indulging in speculation over other obvious possible arrangements, such as Wicklow and Ifor Williams Trailers (for bulk referee transport) and Donegal and Budget Travel ("let your best players take a break between matches"). Meanwhile, Meath County Board have strenuously denied rumours of approaches by various companies, including Muggers-R-Us (Everything for the committed robber"), Sports Music Publishers Ltd. (who made their name with the massive 'hit' - pardon the reference - "Take me Out of the Ball Game") and the National Lottery ("We have draws every week").

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:11 PM

    Thursday, April 15, 2004

    Hurling Explained

    Hurling Explained!!

    "Coming from Meath, I don't know much about any sport other than football. I've seen handball once. I've heard tell there's a game called 'rounders'and I'm even told that there's a women's version of gaelic football, where they're allowed to pick the ball off the ground and a point is worth three goals. But all I knew, until recently, about the other sport administered by the GAA was that it involves the use of weapons and that only Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork are allowed to play it. (For the information of football people, Kilkenny, apparently, is a county in Leinster).

    I've never met people from Kilkenny or Tipperary because those places are very far in off the main roads, so the only hurling fans I've ever met were from Cork. (I can understand why Cork people follow hurling, because I've seen their football teams). Anyway, these people told me (without being asked) that hurling is "de fastest field game in de world (boy)" and "de most skilful sport of 'em all (like)". So I decided that I should plug this gap in my education and rented a few tapes of big matches to try and figure out how hurling works. I was immediately surprised to find out that, unlike most field games, hurling doesn't involve the use of a ball. Look as closely as you like at any game of hurling and you'll see no ball. At first, I thought the ball must be too small and travelling at too great a speed to be visible to the naked, non-Corkonian, Kilkennian or Tipperarian eye. But I quickly realised that hurling is, in fact, a stick-breaking competition, in which the object of the game is to break your weapon, a thick ash stick, either against your opponent's stick (like the reverse of the principle of conkers) or, failing that, against his limbs, torso, head etc. While the weapon remains unbroken, it is used to weaken the opponent's resistance and thus make it easier to chase him down and improve your chances of a successful break.

    The stick is called a hurley and there are three parts to it - the warhead, which is the heavy end of the weapon, usually reinforced with steel bands. It is used for cudgelling, bludgeoning and inflicting contusions, concussion and localised damage to the head and body of the opponent;- the blade this is the sharpened, curved part of the device, just above the warhead area, which is effective in slicing through fleshy tissue and in routine amputation applications;- the butt, which is the stabbing end of the apparatus, used for tenderising the opponent's rib cartilage. The only protective equipment used is the helmet. Helmets come in a variety of styles.

    Many players wear knee-pads tied to the tops of their heads, some stick their heads up through the bottom of a canary-cage and one lad from Cork wears a deep-fat fryer. The headgear also comes in various colours because, apparently, no two players on any team are allowed to wear the same colour. The game starts with two players from each side standing, fully armed, in the middle of the field. On a signal from the referee, they start to beat each other about the ankles with their sticks until the referee blows a whistle. When he blows it again, other sets of combatants lay into each other, trying to break their sticks, either overhead against their opponent's weapon in a sort of aerial fencing (known as "the clash of the ash") or on the opponent himself (the gash of the ash).

    When a player succeeds in breaking his stick - a smash of the ash - a huge roar goes up from the crowd, the player waves his broken stick above his head in triumph and immediately he is thrown a replacement weapon from a store that is kept on the sideline (the stash of the ash). The crowd roars at other random occasions also, in what appears to be a side competition between the two sets of supporters, because when they roar, a man in a white coat holds up a white flag, in the manner of an umpire in football.

    If the roar is really loud, he waves a green flag. If a player manages to strike his opponent on the hand or in the stomach area, this is known as a "dirty pull" and is one of the principal skills of the game. The only form of violence not permitted is pushing an opponent in the back and referees deal mercilessly with offenders against this rule. On the other hand, crippling, mangling, maiming and disembowelling and all other forms of lash with the ash are quite in order. The contest continues until there are no spare sticks left and the referee declares a winner, presumably based on a combination of broken stick count and number of casualties which, considering the weaponry deployed and the ferocity of the conflict is usually remarkably few.

    As a result of this preliminary research, I came to a few obvious conclusions: Kilkenny must be disarmed - by force if necessary; weapons inspectors must be given access to Cork and Tipperary and there is finally an explanation for the fact that the Romans never came to Ireland.

    I discovered also that only teachers, students and policemen play the game. This makes sense, everybody else has work to go to. One final mystery remains: where are the Gardai when all this is going on?

    When will the blue lights flash on the clash of the ash?"

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:07 PM

    Sunday, April 11, 2004

    The Bold and not so Beautiful










    John Brogan

    He was aa superstar of te 80's up with Spillane. But this picture does him no justics. Its the haircut, the T-shirt, the vest beneath the T-shirt, the classes. In fact, everything.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Eugene Hughes

    Lets call hime "Fun Boy" for now. I'd say the pranks this fellow got upo to. Mad stuff, Im sure. A former All-Star and a good an, he just had aman hair day.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Seanie Leary and Ger Loughnane

    There is something not right about this picture. Ger, Seanie and the Ref. Still important figures in Public Life, Seanie was in all fairness a great player but always chubby. Ger looks quite pissed off. All that stress in later life shed his golden locks.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Pat Hartigan

    Great Limerick Player from the 70's/80's. Still Gaa men should stick to GAA. He looks like hes is going to burst a blood vessel.Maybe his shorts were too tight.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Johnnie Flaherty

    Offaly Hurler Johnnie Flaherty tries to market a new style of protective helemt. ... but finds take up low.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Linnane from Galway

    I would not mess with this man on any given Sunday.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Mike Sheehy

    Played Minor, under 21 and Senior for Kerry. Regular player for Kerry since 1974. But Jesus, a great player but the haircut was cat. I can imagine him in bellbottom flares and a loud shirt.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Pat "Arnt I great, lads" Spillane

    Thepride of Kerry. Superstar and RTE commentator ... goes his "Bosco" impression.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Who Else??

    Who else. Who should be in the top ten. Who should not be. Email me
    michael(at)gaa.irish-guy.com


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:49 PM

    Saturday, April 10, 2004

    The Bold and the Beautiful










    Christy Ring

    Any man who can inflame passions in men as equally as in Women deserves a place in the top Ten. Here, we see Nick O'Donnell give Christy Ring a wet one on the li[s after Cork Defeated Wexford in the 1956 All-Ireland Final. While the Caption says embrace, its more like sexual assault the way he has his hands around him. Christy didnt have much say in the matter. The lad looking on the Dali Lama hat seemes fairly shocked by the carry on.An emotional moment indeed.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Thomas Mulcahy

    Its not a Cork love it but with with Tom's movie Star good looks and his skill in hurling, he should have been the Jason mcAteer of the 90's, selling shampoo in ads and making lots of dosh.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Eoin "Bomber" Liston

    Another Munster Man and the Big Man of Kerry Football in the 80's. A man whose beard actually suited him.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Micko O' Dwyer

    The man that goes on and on. Can you call him an old man now... not to his face. At his best style wise in the late 70's


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Noel Ryan and Ger Cunningham

    A lovers tiff. Not the best looking men in the Top ten but a jilted love from a clare Cad deserves some sympathy. Touching!


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Jimmy Dennihan

    What is it with munster Men. Another man still in the News. The early 80's were Jimmy's style years with a brazen John Travolta look.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Jimmy Barry Murphy

    Sublime dual player, the first Skinhead GAA player, great Manager... 6 foot two, eyes of blue, JMB, Cork still loves you.. Need I say more. Still, he needs a haircut these days.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    John Connolly

    John Connolly. Star and pride of Galway. The "Judge Dredd" jawline and lots of crusty bread led to this fine cut of a man.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Who Else??

    Who else. Who should be in the top ten. Who should not be. Email me
    michael(at)gaa.irish-guy.com


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:12 PM

    Saturday, April 03, 2004

    The GAA and Funny Pictures










    Muhammad Ali Plays Hurling

    Taken on the 19th of July 1972

    He doesnt look too bad with the hurl. Muhammad Ali, the greatest and certaintly the most volorful boxer of all time fought Al "Blue" Lewis at Croke park on July 19th, 1972. Ali won when the fight was stopped in the 11th round. This pictures features Ali and Eddie Keher of Kilkenny. Still, If Ali was eligible like theO'Halpin's Down in Cork, I doubt he would play for the cats!


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    It takes Balls to Play GAA

    Pretty self Explanatory.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    RTE Stayes Ahead of the pack

    Jesus, these are some rabid fans. They are really to devour this 10 inch Black and White TV. Ger Canning has probably just made one of usual feck-ups. If you think you know what county they are from email me or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Down Win a Game

    Before Robbie Jeane and his celebrations, was Pat Donnan of County Down.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size














    Down Up for the Cup

    Mayo captain Martin Carney didnt have pocession for the cup (as usual) for very long after the Connacht Final.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Christy Ring

    A hnad injury to Christy Ring forced hime to retire early in the 1957 Munster Semi-Final played at Limerick. Here he receives a word of advice (send your captions to me) from umpire Mick Mackey! A famous picture.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Smithwicks is bad for you

    Smithwicks is waiting for you at the pitch. I never heard of Croke park having it. Maybe Smithwicks drinkers. I dont know. I wish they have Smithwicks Hurling Championships instead of Guinness.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    ______
    Funny Video
    Wost Free Taker Ever!!!!



    ------------
    Piss Take of Marty M

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:08 PM

    Friday, April 02, 2004

    Monaghan County Jokes


    That Feckin’ Eejagh!

    Many moons ago when The Sunday Game decided to do a feature on the GAA careers of famous Irish people Mick Hand told a story about a visit to Inniskeen he made at the behest of RTE. Hand was instructed to assess the locals memories of the poet Patrick Kavanagh. A couple of local ould lads soon opened his eyes. They remembered Kavanagh not for his poetry but for his ineptitude in the goal. They described Patrick as a ‘f****n eegah’ and described the scene of a crucial game which occurred on a particularly hot day. With play at the opposite end Kavanagh spotted an ice cream vendor and trotted over to indulge himself, in the mean time however the opposition raced up the field to score the winning goal. Kavanagh’s name was synonymous with infamy in Monaghan thereafter.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:20 AM

    Thursday, April 01, 2004

    Carlow County Jokes


    You’re Off!
    Changes in GAA refereeing legislation always ensure pandemonium. 1999 saw the introduction of the modern red card/yellow card ‘cautioning’ system. The interpretation of Cork ref Niall Barrett left a lot to be desired in a Leinster championship tie between Carlow and Westmeath. Barrett dished out fourteen yellow cards and gave six the line, four from Carlow.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:17 AM

    Friday, March 26, 2004

    It could only happen to a junior footballer.


    It could only happen to a junior footballer.


    From AnFearRua.com

    In the modern world of the GAA much space and media coverage is devoted to the kings of our sport, those god-like possessors of mental and physical strength, skill and endurance, who grace the green sod of Croke Park with their majestic and decisive presence as summer warms around us…

    There’s Fitzgerald, Carey, Giles, Leahy, Tohill, Whelehan, Canavan, Cloonan and Donnellan. Sporting Gods who fill the headlines on the back pages with their latest attempt at deity; an on, (or off) field indiscretion or photos that reveal our heroes cutting through the air ball in hand, their Spartan bodies a testament to years of physical conditioning and denial.

    They are household names, faces recognizable almost anywhere in the thirty two counties. They are the heroes to whom our children look for inspiration, the elite of our wonderful games.

    Yet they all began on roughly the same level as the rest of us. Into the back of the Master’s Datsun estate on a Saturday morning for coaching down at the park. Endless hand-passing drills, tedious practice of picking the ball up properly and your first attempt at a solo run, more an exercise in ‘catch and kick’ than anything else, as the ball rose high above your head before the loving cradle on the chest. Patiently following the Master’s instructions, awaiting the hallowed call of ‘Right lads, pick two teams!

    And then those training games which seemed to last forever, amidst shouts of ‘Pull on it!’, ‘On your chest!’ or ‘Use your toe!’ No video to capture your finest hour, but sure who needed it when you could replay that winning score in your head or against the gable wall for the rest of the week. Great days and great memories. Maurice did it, DJ did it and Trevor did it, just as surely as you or I. And just as surely as the entire cast of our Junior C football squad at home.

    Did you ever wonder how it happened? DJ probably got the exact same opportunities at nine years of age as the rest of the lads down in Gowran, yet for every DJ, there’s someone ploughing a lonely furrow at corner back on a Junior C team. These boys will never grace Croke Park, they won’t even get a mention in the Club notes in the local paper, let alone the back page of the Star. Yet they are the heartbeat of the GAA. They are the ones who play it for the sheer hell of it, for the craic, for the beer, for the slagging and often, just so they won’t let the parish down.

    A few years ago An tImreoir received an injury before the start of the county football championship. He didn’t play for six months and by the time the new season kicked off, he discovered (to his horror I might add) that he was in fact eligible for the Junior C team for that year’s league. Did we have a Junior C team? Damned if I knew. Anyway, thus it was that on a typically wet and blustery Saturday evening in March your scribe found himself joining the underbelly of the GAA world as he sampled first hand the life of a junior C footballer.

    Now there are many types of junior C footballer. At the high end of the scale, there are the young bucks who have just graduated from the U-16 team and are hopeful of promotion to at least the Junior A ranks, while some harbour dreams of a place on the Senior Panel itself. They usually keep to their own corner of the dressing room, tog out in the sponsored togs and socks from the local secondary school, and chat loudly among themselves on topics as varied as Robbie Williams, Friends or who Spots Flanagan is asking to The Debs. They usually play in the forward line, are annoyingly keen and possess a NIKE kitbag which boasts of hair gel, deodorant, flip flops and a freshly washed towel.

    At the middle end of the age scale, there are three distinct groups. Group one still live in the area and are not particularly well possessed of the finer footballing skills. Opportunities for enhancement were severely curtailed by their decision to make the farm first love and football second. Quiet but amiable, they are mechanically minded, can drink for Ireland (Guinness only), and will walk out of the pub after twelve pints as erect and dignified as when they first entered. Restricted to corner or occasionally wing back, they won’t let you down and possess the mental strength more usually found at the higher end of the footballing scale. In sharp contrast to the U-16 graduates, they do not possess a kit bag per se, but arrive with boots in a Mace plastic bag and the same damp towel that served at last week’s game.

    Group number two are the Boozers. These boys anecdotally have talent to burn and all have scored six goals in an U-14 game against someone or other in the distant past. They live their lives to the tune of “if only”, are always at full or corner forward and can easily score three or four points a game One of their number will be the free taker, and after a good performance, they can frequently be heard in the pub threatening a comeback to training on Tuesday night.

    However. this never happens and the Boozers chances of being the next DJ or Micheal Donnellan ended the day God created women and put screw off caps on bottles of vodka. Despite both reputation and name, the Boozer could never drink as much as the Farmer in his wildest dreams, but he talks a good game and dressing room banter will inevitably focus on how “scuttered” said individual was at the previous night’s disco.

    The final group of the twenty somethings no longer lives in the area. They sampled the bright lights of Dublin/London/New York many moons ago and are now only occasional visitors to the area. These may have been promising players as minors, and misfortune at losing their services will regularly be cursed in the local. They are not possessed of a kit bag at all and are only at the game because Bernie Micheal met them in the pub last night and asked them if they’d fancy a game.

    Whilst togging out they will speak fondly of the old days and reminisce with the Boozers and the Farmers about “the time we played this crowd that yer man got sent off and the game was abandoned”. May be deployed literally anywhere on the field. Will impress for twenty minutes before pulling a muscle and signaling wildly to the line that they need replacing. Afterwards will regale the Farmers with wonderful tales of the night life in Dublin/London/New York and the money that can be made if they ever fancy a start.

    Finally there are the Boys of the Old Brigade. These lads first pulled on the club colours sometime in the 60’s and there are team photos of long haired youngsters in the pub to prove it. They do not take part in the pre-match banter and every game is treated in the same no nonsense manner, as though they were taking the field in Croke Park itself. They are all selectors on the team and speak only to each other, and occasionally in grunts to their fellow team mates. If they don’t have a son among the U-16 graduates it’s only a matter of time until they do.

    Their drinking habits most closely resemble those of the Farmer, and they resent the boastings of the Boozers, occasionally commenting that they “often spilt more on me tie than they’d drink in a night”. Are easily identified on the playing pitch due to their lack of hair, unmatched socks and a unique style of leg bandaging which requires the dressing to gradually peel away from the leg as the game wears on, giving them an even more fierce some look, as if that were required. Their best days are behind them and they usually retire at least half a dozen times before the decision takes effect.

    Thus it was as I took the field for the Junior C’s, and thus I’m, sure it is for Junior B and C teams all over the country. They really are the heartbeat of the association. Unwittingly they combine the dual aims of social and sporting enjoyment that make Gaelic culture so special. Unwittingly they manage to reflect the whole male cross section of an area.

    Who knows, had Maurice broken the pledge he might have joined the Boozers, had he preferred the land he might have been one of the Farmers. Maybe it was natural talent, maybe it was luck. But somewhere down in Cahirciveen there’s a long forgotten Junior player who can boast something the rest of us cannot. He can say he played with Maurice Fitzgerald, that he was there when it all began. And sure, isn’t it as fine a boast as any???

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:23 PM

    Wednesday, March 24, 2004

    A poem of a great team


    A poem of a great team.



    We've often heard the legends of warriors fierce and drall,
    Of great deeds done in history, of men that dare not fall,
    But we have our unsung hero's, whose valour never known,
    From the village of Glengooley, who hurled with stick and ball.

    Who fought through all divisions of the Senior county ranks,
    From the people of this Parish, to the men now we say, "thanks",
    Since the Parish club was founded in the year of 1899,
    By the single greatest man in Ireland Father Canon. Cormac Ryan.

    If he had been alive that day, to see his dream come true,
    On the fiftieth anniversary, what this little club could do,
    So many years of waiting, had finally come to pass,

    When the team and their selectors assembled for first mass,
    The congregation gathered there, heads bowed on bended knee,
    "God bless you Father Slattery for your blessed plea",
    "Oh God go with ye Gooley Boys as ye march into the fray,
    and may a Junior County title be with ye on this day...Amen".

    The day,..oh the day, the day it was a dirty one, the rain and sleet came down,
    But it didn't stop the exodus from our little town,
    Traps and bikes thronged the road, all along the way
    Them around, that had a few pound, they hired a hackney for the day.

    The team arrived to tog out, above at Mossy Walsh's Bar,
    Doctor Keane checked the lads out, and stood them all a jar,
    A few pints on, in single file, they marched up to the pitch,
    Half way there, when nature called, they had to go inside the ditch!

    The atmosphere was electric, t'was more than some could stand,
    Mike Dan Power got a weakness as the team paraded with the band,
    The referee threw up a shillin', no one made a sound,
    The Gooley boys had won the toss, they'de play with fall of ground.

    The players took up positions, Glengooley versus Bally,
    When a thunderous roar came from the crowd, "C'mon boys give 'em sally!"
    The ball is in, the game is on, there's no more we can do,
    Than to leave it to those fifteen men, who wear the green and blue.

    Mike Pat Slattery, and his brother Joe, known affectionately as 'Snail'
    Was first to get the ball, stick, hit and pass the ball to Reale,
    But, Reale he couldn't hould the ball, no! he had to give the ball away,
    And the Bally boys they siezed their chance and made the boys from Gooley pay,

    Now, all was not in jeopardy, the game had just begun,
    But the Gooley boys would want to tighten and put Bally on the run,
    No sooner was the ball pucked out, than here they come again,
    And before we had time to blink an eye, they stuck another one in !

    "Well, fuck ye bunch of useless whores, will ye mark ye're fucken men,
    Who the fuck put Reale on?, take him off and put on Big Dan!",
    Young Ryan pucked out the ball, a lovely long ball at that,
    t'was collected by his brother Mickey known as 'The Rat'

    'The Rat' he darted from his man like a greyhound from the trap,
    and percision, pace and accuracy put one straight over the lat,
    Now that's ye're stuff Glengooley, ye've the beatens of them yet,
    get in around the house now boys and stick one more in the net.
    As play resumed, the ball dropped on the 45,
    the 'Snail' was first to greet it, and send a bullet down the line,
    Mike Pat Slattery and his brother Joe, whose father came from Youghal,
    left the corner-back a mile behind and crossed an almighty ball,

    "Now that's yer stuff Glengooley", as the roar came from the crowd,
    "Saint Jude of Hopeless Cases, Lawrence Kiely's on the ground!"
    "Did Anyone See What Happened...T'was that Long Pup Number 9,
    C'mon now Ref get out your Book and Show that Pup the line!",

    As Kiely was attended to, the Parish said a Prayer,
    Were their dreams of County glory to end in just despair?
    But Kiely, he arose again like Lazarus from the dead,
    With a blood stained number 14 on, and a bandage around his head.

    This put fire in their bellies now, the Gooley Boys saw red,
    the challenge lay before them and the road was straight ahead.
    Young Ger Ryan pucked out the ball, a lovely long ball at that,
    T'was collected by his brother Mikey, again, known as 'The Rat'

    Young Ger Hogan, whose father came from Youghal,
    left the corner back another mile behind and crossed another mighty ball,
    And the crowd they gasped in disbelief as that ball soared through the air,

    Would it land between the uprights or descend into the square?
    The roars and shout they faded out, and a deadly silence fell,
    And the only sound that was heard around was the toning of a bell,
    The seconds seemed like hours as that ball soared through the air,
    And the fifteen men from Glengooley assembled in the square,

    When suddenly the clouds were broke, with a blinding flash of light,
    and that ball returned back down again with ferocious speed and might,
    The Bally Boys just stood there perplexed by what they'de seen,
    Could this be really happening or was it all a dream?

    When suddenly the silence broke with "C'mon we can't be beat!"
    And fifteen men from Glengooley, put the one ball in the net!

    *In Memory of the great Bullock Doody who lost a leg in the final,
    but played through the pain with a stump and a half!

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:21 PM

    Monday, March 22, 2004

    The GAA Bizarro World

    The GAA Bizarro World.

    For all the seriousness involved in the sporting world the odd dose of the unusual is a welcome one.

    Here’s My Top Twenty Bizarre GAA-Related Moments!

    1.
    The Day The GAA Woz Robbed.
    Shortly after half time on the day of the Munster Hurling Final between Cork and Clare (1977) three men armed with revolvers opened the unlocked door of the counting room in Semple Stadium, Thurles; one of the men held three officials and a nine year old boy at bay while the others helped themselves to the cash and made off with £24,000 approximately. One scallywag later remarked that had the armed men asked the officials to empty their pockets they have made off with a lot more. Theories concerning the brains behind the operation abound to this day.

    2.
    Where’s My Hurl?
    As the 2001 All-Ireland Club Hurling Final raced to its conclusion the boys from Graigue-Ballycallan began to wobble and Athenry sensed it. Athenry would eventually win the day in extra time but in a grandstand finish in normal time Eugene Cloonan scored the equalizing goal. Only moments later, and with the benefit of the action replay, did everyone realize that in the struggle to secure the three points Cloonan had wrestled the hurl of the opposing full back away for him to deliver this killer blow.

    3.
    When Cork Shagged Off To The Train Station!
    A Dublin v Cork Football League Semi-Final (1987) which ended in a draw. Over the PA it had been announced that extra time would be played. Cork however headed for the train station insisting that they had their tickets bought. Dublin lined out for the extra period, the ball was thrown in and Dublin sauntered down the field was the easiest goal Barney Rock ever scored. For once Frank Murphy failed to get his way in the smoky committee rooms.

    4.
    Kerry & Bendix.
    A week before the 1985 All-Ireland final the Kerry panel stripped off, wrapped themselves in towels and posed around a Bendix washing machine in a Tralee dressing room. The following Sunday, several newspapers carried a full-page advertisement of the scene with the accompanying slogan: ‘only Bendix could whitewash this lot.’ It was intended to mark the beginning of a three-year campaign with Bendix which would generate funding to improve the GAA grounds in Kerry. The deal caused absolute ructions.

    5.
    Jimmy Cooney’s Lost Minutes.
    The 1998 All-Ireland Hurling Semi-Final between Clare and Offaly. As the Clare men clung to a three point lead, Galway referee Jimmy Cooney blew the game with two minutes of normal time remaining. By the time he realized his mistake he had been ushered from the field. The Offaly fans staged a sit-in and won the replay in Thurles.

    6.
    When Tipperary Invented The Media Ban.
    The now defunct Irish Press ran a photograph on the front page which recorded a dust-up in the league final between Tipp and Kilkenny in 1968. The headline underneath asked: ‘is this sport?’ Later in the year as Tipp prepared for their All-Ireland final against Wexford, certain journalists were banned from Tipp training sessions. In response the NUJ instructed its members not to refer to the Tipp players by name in reports.

    7.
    The Three Stripes Affair.
    Before the Munster Football Final (1976) Cork were generously offered a set of Adidas jerseys. The sight of the logo sent county board officials into convulsions and with a mere twenty minutes before the throw-in tape was being attached to the cloth while officials pleaded unsuccessfully with the players to wear the traditional blood and bandage.

    8.
    You’re Off!
    Changes in GAA refereeing legislation always ensure pandemonium. 1999 saw the introduction of the modern red card/yellow card ‘cautioning’ system. The interpretation of Cork ref Niall Barrett left a lot to be desired in a Leinster championship tie between Carlow and Westmeath. Barrett dished out fourteen yellow cards and gave six the line, four from Carlow.

    9.
    Two Yellows You’re Off!
    All-Ireland Minor Football Semi-Final (2000) Cork v Derry. Cork midfielder Kieran Murphy received two yellows but Roscommon referee Gerry Kinneavy neglected to send him off. Quick to notice the mistake the Cork bench substituted Murphy and proceeded to win the game. The miss was of course highlighted to the referee in the aftermath, Frank Murphy however arrived into the Cork dressing room and instructed them not to worry about anything and to prepare for the final as best they could, and he would ‘sort it out.’ The Cork minors went on the win the All-Ireland.

    10.
    The Maverick.
    The Roscommon keeper Shane Curran has built himself quite a reputation. As legend has it while on trial with Manchester United the Connacht man assured Alec Ferguson that if the Scot thought he had trouble with Paul McGrath he was now in for something entirely different. Curran’s most enduring claim to fame however comes from the Connacht Minor Final (1989). As the game against Galway drew to its conclusion Roscommon trailed by a point, crucially they were awarded a penalty. Curran, lining out at wing forward, was more than enthusiastic about taking it. After a brief conversation between those interested another player lined up to take it while Curran hovered nearby. At the very last moment however Curran sprinted past and blasted his shot home. Reputably Curran had a comment to make as sprinted to the placed ball: ‘I told you I was f*****g taking it.’ The ref involved blew the whistle immediately, Roscommon assumed they had won and headed off to collect the cup. The Galway boys agreed to a replay, which Roscommon won.

    11.
    Get Off For God’s Sake!
    The All-Ireland Football Final 1995. Dublin’s Charlie Redmond was sent off by Tipp’s Paddy Russell against Tyrone. Obstinate to the last Charlie stayed on the field for the next few minutes before Russell spotted him and corrected the oversight. Tyrone lost by a point and to their eternal credit made no official complaint.

    12.
    The Kerry Family Jewels.
    The Munster Football Final between Cork and Kerry and centre back Conor Counihan takes it upon himself to feel up Jack O’Sé’s privates, Vinny Jones style, and on live TV too. A near riot ensued with the Bomber Liston distinguishing himself with the haymakers he delivered in the ensuing melée.

    13.
    The Day Enon Gavin Brought The House Down.
    The Connacht Football Final (1992) between Mayo and Roscommon. In the excitement Enon took it upon himself to swing out of a crossbar only for it to give way and come crashing down. Apparently Enon still gets the traditional ribbing about the whole affair to this day.

    14.
    The Battle Of Aughrim.
    Laois v Wicklow (1986). Laois to their delight had just won the National League and considered their first round clash with Wicklow a minor detail. Carthage Buckley from Offaly was the unfortunate referee. Wicklow didn’t stand back to admire the ambitions of the Laois men. The Laois players got a little frustrated with the whole affair and three of same got the line. The Laois fans chased the referee from the field at the final whistle which of course greeted a famous Wicklow win.

    15.
    That Feckin’ Eejagh!
    Many moons ago when The Sunday Game decided to do a feature on the GAA careers of famous Irish people Mick Hand told a story about a visit to Inniskeen he made at the behest of RTE. Hand was instructed to assess the locals memories of the poet Patrick Kavanagh. A couple of local ould lads soon opened his eyes. They remembered Kavanagh not for his poetry but for his ineptitude in the goal. They described Patrick as a ‘f****n eegah’ and described the scene of a crucial game which occurred on a particularly hot day. With play at the opposite end Kavanagh spotted an ice cream vendor and trotted over to indulge himself, in the mean time however the opposition raced up the field to score the winning goal. Kavanagh’s name was synonymous with infamy in Monaghan thereafter.

    16.
    The Meath Calamity?
    Meath v Kerry All-Ireland Semi-Final 1986. Brian Stafford is dispossessed out the field. Ogie Moran drills a hopeful ball forward. Mick Lyons, Joe Cassells and Mickey McQuillan all decide to go for the one ball. Roguishly Lyons tries to push Ger Power (Kerry) out of the way, but collides with the advancing McQuillan while Cassells is tripped by Lyons outstretched leg. The ball bounces helpfully into Power’s path and the resultant goal decides the course of the encounter.

    17.
    Why Paddy Cullen Has Such A Good Sense Of Humour!
    Dublin leads Kerry (1978). Cullen advances off his line to deal with an easy clearance. He collects and fists to Robbie Kelleher but brushes off Kerry’s Ger Power on his way back to the house. Kildare ref Seamus Aldridge blows for a free. The gentleman he is Kelleher hands the ball to Mikey Sheehy while Cullen argues with Aldridge. A realization hits Cullen. The Dublin publican later described that he could ‘see in his face what he was going to do.’ But perhaps Con Houlihan made a better description: ‘Cullen raced back to the goal not unlike a woman who could smell something burning in her oven.’ Kerry went on to win by seventeen points.

    18.
    Ken Hogan’s Boob.
    The 1993 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tipp v Galway. Although only trailing by two points the Connacht men were making little headway and as Michael McGrath lobbed a hopeful ball forward, which would drop short, Ger Canning was already bored. The current Tipp manager Ken Hogan must have taken pity on the tribesmen. The weak looping effort bounced in front of the Lorrha man and instead of coming off his chest and down to his hurl as intended it struck him on the shoulder and trickled home. Galway won.

    19.
    Anyone Seen Sam?
    In 1959 Kerry won their 19th All-Ireland, and the great Mick O’Connell must have been bored with the whole affair. After hammering Galway that September day O’Connell as captain was responsible for Sam Maguire but left it in the dressing room. O’Connell had been married the previous day and perhaps there was something else on his mind. Sam rested among the kit bags for a few hours before someone asked about its whereabouts.

    20.
    Get Me To The Match On Time!
    The Longford footballers had their patience well and truly tested in 2001. Forty minutes before their big day out against Dublin in Croke Park there was no sign of the team bus. Luckily they thumbed a lift off the Na Fianna Camogie team. When they arrived at Croker, kit on shoulders, security asked them some harsh questions. Bizarrely a mere six days later in the qualifier series against Wicklow they were again stranded. At the team hotel the panel waited out front while the bus waited out back. Again they lost.

    Notable absentees would include the Effin Eddie phenomenon, Paul Donnelly throwing James McCartan’s boot into the crowd during an Ulster Championship clash, and a referee finding himself in the boot of a car after a contentious Wicklow club football match.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:39 AM

    Sunday, March 21, 2004

    Longford County Jokes

    Letter from a Longford kid to Mum and Dad.

    Dear Mum & Dad,

    I am well. Hope you are. Tell big brothers Sean, Paddy and Mick that the
    Army is better than working on the farm - tell them to get into the Army
    quick before the jobs are all gone.

    I was a bit slow in settling down at first, because you don't get outta bed
    until 6am. I like sleeping in now, but all you do before brekky is make
    your bed and shine your boots and clean your uniform. No cows to milk, no
    calves to feed, no feed to stack---nothing.

    Men must shave, but its not so bad, coz there's hot water and a light to
    see what ya doing. Breakfast has cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no
    fillet steaks or sausages. You don't get fed again until noon, and by that
    time all the city boys are buggered because we've been on a 'route march',
    just like walking to the well in the meadow.

    This will kill Sean and Paddy with laughter. I keep getting medals for
    shooting - dunno why. The bullseye is as big as a bloody bull's head and it
    doesn't move and its not firing back at you like the Murphys did when our
    bull got their cow pregnant before the Granard show. All you gotta do
    is make yourself comfortable and hit the target - piece of piss. You don't
    even load your own cartridges - they comes in boxes and you don't have to
    steady yourself against the rollbar of the tractor when you reload.

    Then you gotta wrestle with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz
    they break easy - it's not like fighting with Sean, Paddy, Mick and all the
    other local fellas all at once like we do.

    Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either and it looks like I'm the best the
    platoon's got, and I've only been beaten by this guy from Dublin - he's 6
    foot 8 and 120 kilos and I'm 5 foot six and 65 kilos, but I fought to the
    end. I can't complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before word
    gets around how good it is.

    Your loving daughter,

    Christine.

    -----
    Get Me To The Match On Time!The Longford footballers had their patience well and truly tested in 2001. Forty minutes before their big day out against Dublin in Croke Park there was no sign of the team bus. Luckily they thumbed a lift off the Na Fianna Camogie team. When they arrived at Croker, kit on shoulders, security asked them some harsh questions. Bizarrely a mere six days later in the qualifier series against Wicklow they were again stranded. At the team hotel the panel waited out front while the bus waited out back. Again they lost.


    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 11:33 AM

    Saturday, March 20, 2004

    Lonely Planets description of Hurling!

    This is the Lonely Planets description of Hurling!


    Hurling, Ireland
    Hurling isn't what the Irish do when they've had too much Guinness (well, not always). It's actually a mad kind of aerial hockey invented to make the English feel embarrassed about tiggy-touchwood soccer. If you haven't had the twisted pleasure of seeing this example of man's inhumanity to man, head to the Emerald Isle - but keep your head down. This 15-century-old activity pulls no punches.

    A hurling match is perhaps the fastest spectator sport in the world (with only ice hockey matching it for up-close frenzy). From a distance it resembles a roaming pack-fight between men with thin pale legs and names like Liam and Sean. At ground level it's much more frightening, a kind of 15-a-side escape from the asylum. Hurling is rapid, breakneck and rambunctious. The game moves too fast for the novice to understand anything but the most basic rules, but you can start by imagining an egg-and-spoon race with a pack of enormous angry stick-wielding roosters charging the leader. The aim is to hurtle a pellet-hard ball called a sliotar into goals using a stick with a paddle at its end (hurley). The players balance the sliotar on their hurley and then run, hit or bounce it forward, sometimes with all limbs attached.

    It's when the ball falls loose into a pack that the bravery (or
    stupidity) of the combatants becomes clear. The running game becomes like a stationery game of no-rules hockey as players run in swinging their hurleys in the manner of a lumberjack on speed. Whacks to the shins are common, as is the occasional broken hand as some poor soul actually tries to pick the sliotar up out of this chaos.

    The best place to see hurling is the atmospheric Croke Park in Dublin.
    It's the home of the GAA - hurling's governing body - and the Scene of high-attendance finals matches. For those with an interest in the game's long history, Croke Park also hosts a high-tech museum. Of course, with the Irish being such great travelers, there's probably a game going on near you this weekend too.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:25 PM

    Thursday, March 18, 2004

    Golf V Hurling


    When I see lads swinging sideline cuts over the bar I always think of millionaire professional golfers wigglin and jigglin and holdin their heads still and addressing the ball and all that malarkey while some lad holds up a big sign sayin "Silence" in case anybody would talk and put him off and how many times do they hook it into a river or something?

    A man like Adrian Fenlon can just take a race at it with a lump of an ash plant and thousands of mad ho*rs screamin at him and he lamps it between the posts well over 50 yards away, no bother and he's not holdin out his hand for a big cheque for it.

    That reminds me of the story about the big golf tournament that was on the telly when Tiger or someone had a 30 foot putt to win the thing. He sank it and the place went wild. Some fella turned to the GAA fan beside him to say 'wasn't that amazing' and the response came - 'tis aisy enough when dere's no wan markin' yew'."

    Where else would you get it?

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:10 PM

    Wednesday, March 17, 2004

    Wexford County Jokes


    "We've won one All-Ireland in a row" -- Wexford Fan in 1996.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:08 PM

    Tuesday, March 16, 2004

    Cavan County Jokes

    (Cavan people will have heard this before)
    It was a Cavan league game a few years ago. Cathal Collins was making his debut for the Blues. A well-known Cavan supporter when asked his opinion on the debutant was heard to say on the way out the gate, "Bejaysus, they shot the wrong fuckin Collins"
    -----
    'They have a forward line that couldn't punch holes in a paper bag' -- Pat Spillane on the Cavan football team

    --------------










    I shot a Cavan Cow

    I do not know what the hell they are doing up in Cavan.. but mistaking a cow for a fox or rabbit is unforgivable. Its not as if they were city folk (as they dont even ahve downs in Cavan) so its must have been a druken mistake. Anyway its a laugh.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size






    ---------------------

    A Monaghan Footballer (no not a woman!), a meath Footballer and a Cavan Footballer (obviously played in the 50's!) were out fishing on Lough Sheelin one day when Jesus walked across the water and joined them in their boat.

    The boys were gob-smacked! "Jaysus" was all they could say in dumb harmony!

    The monaghan man said humbly (Yeah right!) "Jesus, me back's been at me ever since I played U16 football against Meath many moons ago. Can you do anything for me? Jesus touched his back and he was relieved of the pain for the first time in 44 years.

    The Meath man, sporting a pair of thick black rimmed glases with milk-bottle-end lens, "I haven't seen the stout in front of me since I got a hit in the 1965 under-21 championship match against Dublin. What can you do for me." Jesus gently removed the antique glasses and flung them into the lake and immediately the Meath man could see as far as the Tower of Lloyd in Kells.

    Jesus then turned to the Cavan man who leapt to the back of the boat and cried "Don't put a finger on me - I'm on a disability pension!"

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:39 PM

    Sunday, March 14, 2004

    Laois County Jokes

    I mentioned this a year ago or so about a barrell of a man who was very much involved in Laois GAA and at a junior football match in Abbeyleix one noight he went on just to make up numbers, remember seeing the jersey pulled on and playing with the socks around the trousers and someone elses boots? Anyway he was running around but the low stature was telling and one of the lads shouted at him, "For Fcuks sake Sabu (his nick name) will you go up for the ball to which the reply was "sure I'm not a fcuking eejit, won't it come down to me"

    Another one was when a player at a hurling match went to handpass the ball out to one of his half-backs and the opposing forward nipped in and stuck it in the net. The shout from the line went "For Jaysus sake, why don't you try and pass it to one of your own?" to which the player responded "Oh, we have a fucking comedian in the crowd" only to be told "We don't need a comedian in the crowd there are fifteen you ye out there!

    ----------
    Laois Minors getting very hot and bothered

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:38 PM

    Friday, March 12, 2004

    Offaly County Jokes

    Eugene McGee: Well, what happened
    Offaly player late for training: Oh, the wheel fell off my mobile home.
    -----
    Some of ye may know the announcer in Tullamore a few years ago (Not sure if he's there now) but at the County final a few years ago just after the band played the National song and all that they were heading off the pitch. So the tension is begining to rise witht he crowd getting a bit vocal and the announcer comes on the speaker, all ready yo get into action, and says "For God sake will the band ever get off the pitch the games about to start".

    Same lad another day during a National league game at a similar time but this time not as into the game comes on and says "Ref, Ref hold the game there for a second, the ladies toilets are down here on the right etc". Priceless when yer there and that lad comes on.
    --------
    Sheep in a heap' -- Babs Keating description of Offaly in 1998

    --------
    'We're taking this match awful seriously. We're training three times a week now, and some of the boys are off the beer since Tuesday' - Offaly hurler quote in the week before a Leinster hurling final vs. Kilkenny

    ------------
    Lovely enigma that is Offaly.
    By Tom Humphries

    This is a funny business. In theory, there is no cheering in the press box, but things colour your prose some colour other than purple. Some teams you detest. Some teams you respect. Some teams you develop such a big soft spot for that it makes your keyboard go mushy if you aren't careful.

    Every journalist I know likes the Offaly hurlers. If you've a romantic bone in your body you'd have to. Take yesterday. Fed up to the gills with Babs Keating pulling across their shins with his accusation that they have nothing filling their jerseys number eight to 15, they go out and make an ape of Babs by demonstrating they'd nothing from numbers one to eight. Only Offaly would have the sense of humour to do it.

    It was an Offaly hurler, indeed, who told me in response to a question once that, yes indeed, he had come from a GAA-orientated family: he had an uncle who played for Galway. And what was his name, I asked. Pen poised. Uncle Frank he said.

    I think it's because things in Offaly are so dishevelled that we like them. We've had All-Ireland press nights down there where the players have wandered out onto the field like 15 black sheep, taken a look around and ambled back in again. There's never a press ban or a shortage of good talkers; it's just a question of finding the lads in the right mood.

    In the era when the fitness Nazis run hurling, Offaly is the only county where an exasperated player will grab you by the lapel and say, listen, we've been training two nights a week for this and some of the lads are off the drink since Tuesday.

    It was a strange experience watching them be dismantled by a Kilkenny team which seemed to grow an inch taller with every ball that hit the net yesterday. Offaly are a team with no medium setting. They either run full throttle or they don't run at all. Yesterday they didn't really run at all, but their crowd in the sun-kissed stand were hoping till well into the second half that somebody somewhere would flick a switch.

    Nobody did, and in the last five minutes the Offaly people got the message and decided to make the best of it and leave early to beat the traffic. The old hatreds that consume other teams wash over this Offaly side. Most teams are at their best when it's payback time. Offaly are at their best when they feel like it.

    Yesterday's second half had little spells of listlessness which allowed the mind to wander. Looking across at Hill 16 it scarcely seemed 19 years since I stood there with my best friend watching Offaly win their first Leinster title in a mostly empty stadium.

    We had just done the Leaving Cert and were waiting for the results to detonate our lives. My mate had captained the school hurling team to a Dublin championship not many weeks previously, and I remember him looking across as Offaly got the cup and wondering what it must be like to end a famine like that.

    That was the end of schooldays and pretty much the end of going to matches together. The hurling world changed pretty much as drastically as our own after that. I can remember myself and same mate blagging our way into the Cork dressingroom after the 1977 All-Ireland and executing a pincer movement on Jimmy Barry-Murphy in order to beg, steal or borrow one of his hurls from him.

    I'm not sure how much dumb gall it took to climb through the barbed wire which fenced off the terraces and get into the Cork dressing-room, but on my part at least the charm offensive on JBM was slightly hypocritical. He was a superstar whose eminence raised him above the business of county affiliations, which was lucky because I had come to Croke Park as an ardent Wexford fan that day. If JBM had just yielded his hurl or his jersey I would have gone home happy in the knowledge that I had the souvenir of an icon and that Wexford would be back.

    It was that sort of perspicacity which cut me out for my present profession.

    After Offaly shook the world three years later – or the 9,500 or so of its population who bothered to turn up – my mate and I went home like satisfied young men who had seen something freaky at the circus and never expected to see such a thing again. But Offaly never stopped coming back, and the eight Leinster championships they have filched since that day put an end to the notion of there being a big two in Leinster.

    You could have taken us for a fair few shillings that afternoon if you told us that Offaly and Kilkenny would be meeting in the last Leinster final of the millennium, as All-Ireland champions playing Leinster champions, and we wouldn't see Wexford win another Leinster title until 1996.

    By then I'd come to respect the unlikely sophistication of Offaly civilisation. I lived two years in Ranelagh in a flat below three Offaly men, and I remember the night of the 1985 All-Ireland final as being full of brutal reminders about how highly evolved society was in Offaly and how Neanderthal we Dubs were. The point was amplified by the means of a drunken puc about on the middle of Beechwood Avenue. Great men.

    It seems fitting – if baffling for Darwinians – that out of the hard-working, mullocking team of the 1980s that Offaly should have bred the lithe wonders who populate the present team. On the days when they feel like playing there is no team in the country like them. Picking those days is like winning money against a three-card trickster.

    Last summer I found myself in Johnny Pilkington's office just outside Birr listening to him yarning on about hurling and its Offaly hinterland. Pilkington should have his own radio programme; he's one of those characters you could listen to all day.

    Anyway, I had it in my head to explore the issue of the Offaly team's cordial relationship with the demon drink. In the era of fitness fanaticism, Offaly have a nuanced standpoint on this business. Johnny has thoughts on this matter which should give dieticians bad hangovers. In short, he feels that he plays an amateur game and there are some things he'll sacrifice for that and sometimes a couple of pints might be one of those things and sometimes not.

    Ain't nobody's business but Johnny's, of course, but that doesn't make good copy, so I pressed him until eventually he asked, not unreasonably, if the piece was going to be more about my attitude to drink than his. And I apologised and said sure the theme on fitness etc had gone off the rails and Johnny sat back, waved his hand and said no, not at all, don't worry. And with a little grin he lit up a fag in the afternoon sun.

    Yesterday was a little jolt for Offaly, but the dressing room was open for callers as usual and the chit chat was about what was further down the road.

    Maybe they'd ride their luck and get Antrim in the quarter-final. And lo, it came to pass.

    Jaysus, you'd have to like the hoors.


    ------------











    Offfaly Hurlers

    Taken during 2006

    Notice the ibred similarity .........




    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:33 PM

    Thursday, March 11, 2004

    Sligo County Jokes

    Paddy McCormack (digging a hole along the ground with his boot): You're young Kearins, from Sligo. I presume you expect to go back to Sligo this evening. Mickey Kearins: Hopefully.
    McCormack: Well, if you don't pass the mark, you have a fair chance of getting back.

    -------
    He wouldn't see a foul in a henhouse. Frustrated Sligo fan's judgement of the ref after the 2002 Connacht final.

    There are two things in Ireland that would drive you to drink. GAA referees would drive you to drink and the price of drink would drive you to drink. Another Sligo fan at the same match.

    --------
    At a Roscommon-Sligo FBD game a couple of years ago the ref was about to throw in. Realising there was no football in the middle of the pitch he shouted over to the Sligo dugout 'Sligo..Sligo..a football' to which came the roar 'Ara ref..sure everyone knows there's no football in Sligo'


    -------
    Micheal O Muircheartaigh Masterpieces

    "I saw a few Sligo people at Mass in Gardiner street this morning and the omens seem to be good for them, the priest was wearing the same colours as the Sligo jersey! 40 yards out on the Hogan stand side of the field Ciaran Whelan goes on a rampage, its a goal. So much for religion."

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:26 PM

    Wednesday, March 10, 2004

    Tyrone County Jokes



    -------------


    Red card mayhem sparks GAA probe
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Martin

    Breheny

    GAA chiefs woke up with another violent headache today.

    Dublin and All-Ireland champs Tyrone are likely to face a major disciplinary probe after the serious outbreaks of violence that marred the National Football League tie in Omagh against Dublin on the 5th of february 2006.

    Four players - two from each side - were sent off while nine others were booked in a game that spun out of control. Tyrone midfielder Colin Holmes was dismissed but referee Paddy Russell later sent off Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill and Dublin's Denis Bastic. The ugly atmosphere prevailed all the way to the finish of a match Dublin won by 1-9 to 1-6.

    "God Almighty couldn't have refereed that game," said Tyrone manager Mickey Harte

    Pictures from that match here

    -----
    I warned the boys they couldn't go through the league unbeaten, and, unfortunately, they appear to have listened to me! - Tyrone's Art McRory after losing a league match.

    ------

    My Dad told me you were the man that lost the All-Ireland for Tyrone! -Young fan to Iggy Jones.

    ------
    Tyrone need to link Sam to proud past.
    By Keith Duggan
    September 27th 2003


    It was a Co Tyrone man, William Gentles, a private stationed at Fort Robinson in Nebraska, who was officially listed as having slain the most revered of all the Native Americans, Crazy Horse.

    This was in 1877, when the US army had all but succeeded in fencing off swathes of the prairie lands from the Plains Indians so that even the most independent of chiefs, like Crazy Horse, had brokenly agreed to live out their days on the army-controlled agencies.

    The Oglala Sioux leader was coaxed into Fort Robinson on the promise of holding a meeting with the general in charge there, Luther Bradley, but once inside, he was escorted to a guard house, his first and only time in a confined room.

    Pandemonium followed; the Indian panicked and tried to slash his way out with a knife he had secreted under his blanket, hundreds of Agency Indians had gathered outside the jail, a Captain Kennington screamed orders to strike the prisoner down and Crazy Horse was bayoneted, falling backwards with the words, "He has killed me now."

    It was hardly Gentles's fault. The presence of Crazy Horse, even in life a mythical figure who routed Custer's Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn a summer earlier, meant that what would have been a routine escort became a highly-charged incident.

    Today, a simple plaque marks the point where the Sioux legend fell. Fort Robinson is a state park now and in winter is bleak and sparse country. A couple of years ago I stood at the plaque on a midweek afternoon and it was impossible to have ever imagined such commotion having taken place against a landscape where nothing seemed to move.

    Even in this cyber age that corner of Nebraska feels achingly lonely. So how utterly removed from home, from his memory of Tyrone, it must have been for William Gentles, whose name would have gone unrecorded by history but for his posting that day.

    A year after Crazy Horse fell, Gentles died of asthma at the age of 48 and possibly because of that, he was conveniently identified as the key man in the messy circumstances. Yet he must have had a spirit of adventure close to that of Crazy Horse, this William Gentles, to have made the crossing from his village in Tyrone to end his days during an American frontier period so loud and colourful and often terrible that it simply cannot be exaggerated.

    Of course, Tyrone folk were no strangers to making imaginative and physical leaps across the big pond. Thomas Mellon left the county to make his fortune in the US and his son Andrew was one of the key figures behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Ulysses S Grant, leader of the Union army in the Civil War and the 18th president of the USA, visited the ancestral home of his grandfather John Simpson in Ballygawley in 1878. The homestead still stands outside Omagh.

    Woodrow Wilson, president of the US during the first World War was also acutely aware of his Tyrone lineage; his grandfather had been a printer in Strabane. And it was a Tyrone man, John Dunlap, who officially printed the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.

    Not that we have to point in far-flung directions in order to stumble on auspicious Tyrone men; this newspaper's title has become synonymous with the Myles Na Gopaleen column that first appeared in the 1940s, which were of course the work of Strabane's Flann O'Brien.

    There are countless more examples of Tyrone spirit and bravery and industry. And yet has there ever existed such a sense of self in the county as prevails this weekend? Has Tyrone ever felt so special, so alive? For all its famous and charismatic forefathers, nothing will complete Tyrone's sense of self as much as an All-Ireland senior football title.

    That mad and beautiful fact is a reflection on the championship as much as the county. In the past five years, the All-Ireland football championship has become a beast, an epic, congested sporting contest spanning five months and consistently drawing crowds matching anything in Europe.

    What makes it so wonderful is that it has no sense of its own scale, no respect for boundaries or population. It simply should not be enticing the numbers it does week in, week out.

    I think there is a great symmetry in the fact that the bigger and bolder it gets, the more parochial it becomes. Armagh against Tyrone is as local as a row over a girl outside a chipper.

    The initial scepticism about a pairing that was openly labelled the "Final from Hell" earlier this summer has ebbed and the country at large has slowly become intrigued when neighbouring counties famed for their squabbles in the hothouse of Clones get the big stage all to themselves.

    This will be the third time in as many decades that Tyrone will attempt to solder a link between itself and the Sam Maguire. Although 1995 will be remembered for the doomed virtuoso attempts of Peter Canavan, it is Tyrone's 1986 final against Kerry that captured the imagination.

    That game and Tyrone's presence in it mattered to all of the Ulster counties and, one imagines to virtually all of Connacht as well. Daring to take on Kerry back then was like walking a tightrope without a safety net. Reality seemed suspended during that first half when Tyrone - a team that was lean and, given the drizzle that fell continuously over Ireland from 1981-87, inexplicably tanned - ran at a great, if aged, Kerry team with a pure and cavalier spirit. (Incidentally, Crazy Horse was perhaps the only great Native American never photographed, as he believed the camera flash imprisoned the soul. He believed the spirit was incarnate and that he would return in other guises. It seems abundantly clear now that the dude ultimately came back as Plunkett Donaghy).

    Such was the steep Southern tilt of the All-Ireland football championship then - it was as if a magnetic force prevented the cup from venturing any further north than Dublin - that Tyrone's valiant push challenged the accepted order.

    And, of course, the accepted order prevailed and Tyrone's disintegration during the second half made the possibility of an Ulster breakthrough more remote than ever.

    Now, of course, Ulster has busted out for good. Ulster will fight and Ulster will be right. The particulars of tomorrow's final could not be more loaded or potentially sweet for Tyrone. A victory means that not only do they at last pass through the gates of GAA heaven, they get to deny their neighbours on the way through.

    Smiling through gritted teeth as Armagh enjoyed the unsurpassable elation of a first All-Ireland was one thing. Having to share the same field and ground on the day they may capture their second would be a new low entirely. So the scene is set for a county with many famous sons to take its place among football's elite.

    Lore has it that after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, one of the Sioux observed that the fight lasted "about as long as it takes a hungry man to eat his dinner".

    Tomorrow, it may take a little longer.


    ---









    Peter The Great



    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:19 PM

    Monday, March 08, 2004

    Derry County Jokes

    We're taking you off but we're not bothering to put on a sub. Just having you off will improve our situation. - Manager to a club player in Derry.

    -------

    Hurry up and make a decision, ref. I have to go home to bale the hay! The late Michael Young during a club game in Derry as the ref dithered about whether to award a penalty.

    ---

    When Joe Brolly is winning, he's objectionable. When he's blowing kisses, he's highly objectionable. - Cavan fan


    ---
    A Day in the life of a Kerry pundit on RTE

    Another Monday, another cheque in the back pocket from RTE thanks to my witty, outrageous and controversial 'Monday Feedback' corner on the Monday Game. The moneys good but it would want to be - dragging me up to this shitheap everyweek away from my beautiful Kingdom. On the upside though, I was backstage in 'makeup' this evening, when who should walk in but Sharon Ni Bheoilan,the chick from the News. I wouldn't mind goingup for a 50/50 ball with her-if you catch my meaning. I think I'll give her a signed copy of my excellent autobiography -that usually has the babes begging for some Kingdom-Love. I don't know why I have to go into makeup anyway,they usually sit me beside those gobshites O'Rourke and Lyster in the studio - sure no makeup could clean those two cunts up -especially O'Rourke, the fuckwit looks like some horrible genetic experiment gone wrong.I read through my emails, phonecalls and letters - you know I don't like Clare fuckers but that psycho Loughnane made one good point in his life - its only nutters that bother ringing into these programs -they should get a life - in fact I think I'll bring that into my rant this evening. Joe Brolly is the other guest tonight, the nordy cunt. Thinks he's as outspoken as me, what the fuck would he know - with only one All-Ireland tohis name. Lyster, that smarmy bollix seems to like him though -I don't trust that fucker. Apparently Brolly is a barrister, what kind of nordy Catholic is a barrister? an orange one, I'd say. He'll take some watching.

    -------

    At at Reserve game in county Derry one team who had only the bars fifteen trotted off at the break getting pretty badly beaten and Johnny at full forward was having a nighmare...here is part of the have time talk.

    Manager - Johnny, your coming off

    Johnny - but we only have the bare 15.

    [short pause]

    Manager - come on off anyway

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:18 PM

    Sunday, March 07, 2004

    Armagh County Jokes

    That's the first time I've seen anybody limping off with a sore finger! Armagh's Gene Morgan to 'injured' teammate Pat Campbell.

    -------------

    I cant find any Armagh GAA Jokes
    An old man living alone in South Armagh, whose only son was in Long Kesh Prison, didn't have anyone to dig his garden for his potatoes. So he wrote to his son about his predicament. The son sent the reply, "For HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig the garden up, that's where I buried the guns!!!!!" At 3 AM the next morning, a dozen British soldiers turned up and dug the garden for 3 hours, but didn't find any guns. Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what had happened, asking him what he should do now? The son sent the reply: "NOW plant the potatoes!"

    --------

    New casino opening in Crossmaglen called Oisins Eleven.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:18 PM

    Friday, March 05, 2004

    Fermanagh County Jokes

    Fermanagh has such a small playing base. Half the county is made up of water and half of the remaining half are Protestants. - Fermanagh fan bemoans the paucity of talent.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:58 PM

    Thursday, March 04, 2004

    Clare County Jokes


    THE LEGEND Matthew McMahon, Clare FM MATTHEW McMAHON began the cult. It was McMahon's verbal antics during Clare's All-Ireland winning year of 1995 which propelled him and his profession into the limelight. Nine years on and some of the phrases still call neck hairs to attention. "It's all over ... Clare are ... Jeeeesus!!" - the Mills man exploded after the Munster final win.

    Better was to come for both the county and the commentator on All-Ireland final day at Croke Park. "The cigarettes are being lit here in the commentary box. The lads are getting anxious. It's a line ball down there to Clare and who is to take it? ... Will ye put 'em out lads! Ye'll choke me." The voice is still kept busy - working weekends with Clare FM while selling cattle through the week for marts across the Banner county.

    "Oh yeah, people still remember me covering the '95 campaign," he laughs. "I am told it will be on my headstone!"

    McMahon had been spotted five years earlier during his day job by Marty Morrissey, who was then working for Clare FM. His first game was, ironically, a county football final and his fondest early memories of the job are all related to the big ball.

    "I went to Croke Park for a ladies' All-Ireland final in the early 1990s and it was like going to Mars. It was just such a strange experience to be commentating on a Clare team winning an All-Ireland final in this huge stadium. Then, of course, there was 1992 and the Munster final win over Kerry. In Clare, we had always hoped that the hurlers would come good but there was never such hope for the footballers.

    "But to win and to be Kerry doing so ... and they came very, very close to winning that semi-final."

    But it was hurling, not football, where McMahon felt most at home. A lifelong supporter, he brought all such emotional baggage to listeners around the world. That was crucial.

    "Nothing would equal winning the Munster final for the first time in 1995. I had followed Clare since 1967. I was going to all those Munster championship games as a Clare hurling supporter and I remember the pain and the hurt and the disappointment.

    "I love the game and those who play the game. Then I found myself lucky enough to have a microphone in front of me. So I think I was voicing the emotions of each and every Clare supporter who had endured all those years of hardship."

    But he is not without his critics. Water off a duck's back to McMahon.

    "I have been criticised for saying 'I call it as I see it' - but that is what I am doing. You cannot please all of the people all of the time and if you try to, you are sunk. If they weren't giving out about me, they would be giving about someone else. The biggest criticism I get is for not giving the score often enough. Funnily enough, I had someone complain about that after the Munster club hurling game between Kilmaley and Mount Sion, which the Waterford champions won well. "But then he said: 'I knew by the sound of you that it wasn't good.'" And maybe that is the mark of a great commentator.
    -------
    "I'm not giving away any secrets like that to Tipperary. If I had my way, I wouldn't even tell them the time of the throw-in" -- Ger Loughnane.

    ------
    'Ger Loughnane was fair, he treated us all the same during training-like dogs' - anonymous Clare hurler

    'Any chance of an autograph? Its for the wife...she really hates you' - Tipp fan to Ger Loughnane

    ----------
    'And as for you. You're not even good enough to play for this shower of useless no-hopers' --Former Clare mentor to one of his subs after a heavy defeat

    --------

    The Banner Files - a case for Mulder and Scully?
    You think it all started last year when they couldn't beat us in hurling -
    priests, councils, Presidents, media and 31 counties all against us? Just the
    tip of the iceberg. This has been going on for centuries. Ever since Brian Boru,
    took on the Vikings at Clontarf. Yes Brian, the first legend of the Dalcassians, fought
    valiantly and bravely for his beloved country.

    Mysteriously, but not if you're from Clare, he was allowed to be killed
    just as the battle was been won. The first attempt by a vast conspiracy to
    get Clare and its people. This vast anti Clare conspiracy has been going on for
    ages. Throughout the struggle for Irish freedom, there were great rebellions stretching
    from Tir Chonaill to Wexford and Kinsale to Dublin.

    No-one ever bothered to ask Clare. We had our own and we did fine, winning
    an historic election in 1917, in East Clare,(you know who's country - GL).
    De Valera came along (elected in Clare), and did great, but again this anti-Clare
    conspiracy saw fit to blame him for this and that.

    And so the years passed by and the hurlers of Clare came to bear the brunt
    of this conspiracy. Everything was done to beat us. They made us play the great
    powers every year. If we beat Cork then we had to play Tipperary. They often
    shared players, to try and beat us. And when we beat both like in '55, the
    conspirators made it rain and upset our game plan, against Limerick.

    What did Mackey say to Ring in that famous photo - "Anti-Clare conspiracy
    meeting in Thurles tonight". And then we produced that wonderful team in the
    seventies. About to beat Cork and the conspirators went and sent off our full back
    for nothing. And again, the year after when they conspired to move the goal
    posts every time our forwards tried to score.

    A total set up. The 1980s saw someone make a big hole in the ground, just
    as one of our forwards was about to score a winning goal. (You had to be there).
    And when finally our footballers reached the promised land in 1992, the anti Clare
    conspiracy contrived to have a perfect goal disallowed.

    And why did Nicky laugh in '93? Because he knew about the anti-Clare
    conspiracy, when none of us did. But we beat them all in '95 and '97,
    the conspiracy got Ollie in '96 in order to open up the middle of the
    Gaelic Grounds for Ciaran to run through.

    And then '98. A new conspiracy committee was established. And you see what
    they did? Everything.

    -Only video evidence to be used against Clare.
    -If they're winning near the end, stop the game.
    (Did you know that certain fans had a secret drill on a Thursday about invading a pitch).
    -Ban their best players for doing nothing.
    -Make them so tired that they can't play.
    -Stop their managers from talking to the players.

    Well roll on '99. Don't be surprised if you see a NATO plane bomb Shannon
    (by complete accident) just as the Clare team are about to embark on another
    glorious voyage. Yes, they're in it too, as are the UN, the Iraqi's (won't buy our
    beef) and even the Russians............this is only the tip of the iceberg
    regarding the anti-Clare conspiracy.

    -------

    The Day I Met Ger Loughnane.
    I have to say that I was surprised when I actually met the man yesterday at my local petrol station. I really thought he would be as obnoxious as I have always expected him to be. But he wasn't. I have to say that I found him most charming, erudite and well-spoken, almost modest in his ways, I would suggest.

    We talked hurling for about half an hour as he filled his car with petrol. He said he was looking forward to the replay on Monday and that he felt Offaly and Clare would once again be fighting it out for the McCarthy cup. I asked him what he thought of Kilkenny’s challenge and he said they might struggle with a poor backline.

    But how did he feel about last years controversial championship? I really wanted to know.

    "I'm really really proud of this Clare hurling team," he said in that thick Clare accent of his. "It's was all the fault of those 3 priests, Waterford and the Munster Council."

    So did he think Colin Lynch and co. were a little over the top at times?

    "Are you looking at my wife?" he asked, suddenly fired with anger.

    No, I told him, wanting to talk hurling.

    Then he started swinging his fists and falling over. "Yah bbb-b- bastard!" he screamed. "Come on! I'll f-f-f-fucking kill the f-ff- fucking lot of yee, yez basssturdz. Lookin at my wife, ye dirty f-f- fucking basturd."

    I suggested that perhaps he had had a little too much to drink at lunchtime.

    "Drink?! Drink, is it? I will tell you this, boy. Yer f-ffucking bollix. F-f-f-ffuck offf!!"

    I grabbed hold of him and tried to stop him driving away as he was clearly incapable. "You're not safe to be behind the wheel," I suggested.

    "F-f-ffuck you, you f-f-ffucker! I drive b-b-better when I've hic! hic! when I've had stout. Nah f-ffuck off b-b-before I deck ya."

    Then he threw up all over a patio set in front of the garage.

    "Bleeeuurrgghhh! Get out and walk, ye bastard!" he cried. "F-f-ffucking chips and curry. Where am I? Ugghhh! I've pissed in me pants again."

    And as the police came and ushered him into his car, sending him on his way home without even breathalysing him, I thought to myself: What a nice man.

    I did hear later that he ploughed into a bus stop full of kids on their way home from a school trip, and that the survivors are being prosecuted for damaging the front wing of the great man’s car.

    -----------










    Time to Stop

    There was a time when Clare were getting a bit arrogrant and de Paper in cork (examiner) got letters in to say Clare were no great shakes. This is one of them.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    ----------

    Diseased Dog...
    A fanatical Clare supporter was walking his scabby little mangy diseased dog on the Monday after the defeat by Waterford. As he strolled along the beach full of despondancy, he saw a bottle which was quite unusual lying on the strand. He poked the bottle with his toe and low and behold out pops a genie.
    'Your wish is my command,' said the Genie.
    Startled, the Clare fan said, 'I wish this scabby little mangy diseased dog of mine be turned into a greyhound that would win The Laurels and The Derby.'
    The genie took one look at the mangy little mongrel that was on its last legs and shakes his head, saying, 'That would be very difficult. Is there any other wish you have?'
    The Clare supporter thought and his eyes lit up for an instant... 'I wish that Clare will win another 'All-Ireland' in the near future!!!'
    The genie looked a bit taken aback for an instant. He then rubbed his beard and said...
    'Would you ever give me a second look at that dog?'


    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, humour, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 1:56 PM

    Saturday, January 24, 2004

    All that is Best in GAA Women.

    AFR's Patent Guide to All that is Best in GAA Women.
    July 16th 2003.

    After many years of patient 'hands on' research, so to speak, in many parts of Ireland, An Fear Rua is pleased to announce his Patent Guide to All that is Best in GAA women:

    'Are ya sure ya've had enough to drink, love?

    ' 'Shouldn't you be down at the club with yer mates?

    ' 'That was a mighty fart! Do another one!'

    'I've decided to stop wearing clothes around the house. I hope ya don't mind. '

    'You're so sexy when ya're hungover.'

    'Now don't you dare lift a finger! You just relax there until yer mates call round. '

    'Yer mother is much nicer than mine. '

    'Will I drop yerself an' yer mates off at the lap dancing club? '

    'Why would I need more than three pairs of shoes? '

    'No, that's OK, love. You use the phone an' I'll just chat to my friends whenever I see them.'

    'I only need one small suitcase. Sure we're only going away for a week'

    'Ah God no. Mindless celebrity gossip doesn't interest me. '

    'I hate all those tight curls. I'm clean shaven! '

    'Darling, I 've signed up for Yoga classes so that I can get my ankles behind my head, just for you. '

    'I'm so glad ya switched from that oul hospital 'soap' I was watching an' put on 'Ard San Aer'

    'Omigod, if I don't blow ya soon I swear I'm gonna explode. '

    'C'mere! I make enough money for the both of us. Why don't ya retire forty years early? '

    'Let's subscribe to 'Playboy'

    'Ah no, it's OK, love. I'll take the car to get the oil changed. '

    'I love it when ya play football or hurling on a Sunday'

    'Ah, c'mere love. The new neighbour's daughter is out sunning herself again. Have a look. '

    'Come an' we'll go over to the shopping centre an' ya can check out the women's asses. '

    'I'd rather watch the Qualifiers on TV with you an' drink a few beers, instead of goin' shoppin'

    'Listen, do me a favour. Forget that stupid Valentine's Day thing an' get yerself a new pair of sneakers.

    ' 'I'd love to go on a nudist holiday for a change.'

    'Of course, I understan'. Our anniversary happens only once a year an' ya go out with yer mates. It shows ya're loyal.'

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:52 PM

    Friday, January 23, 2004

    As the Summer begins . . . things you love ‘bout the GAA

    As the Summer begins . . . things you love ‘bout the GAA.

    The way Michael O’Muircheartaigh pronounces Colm O’Rourke.

    The noise in Croke Park when the teams come out.

    The few pints in Quinn’s before the game.

    The anticipation filled days coming up to a big game.

    Banter between supporters.

    The stories about players from a bygone age.

    Every player, no matter how good, always has a younger brother that would have been better but for the booze/women/emigration/job/incarceration etc (delete as appropriate).

    On any one summer Sunday more people would attend club and county fixtures across the country than would attend soccer and rugby combined all year long.

    Old blokes with transistor radios who are always more interested in the radio telling you about u-21 hurling down in Limerick than the game they’re watching in Croker.

    Ringing up people you haven’t spoken to in twelve months telling them to keep you in mind for a ticket, then getting a complete shock when they come up with the goods. Then telling everyone that asks you for a ticket to feck off – do you not know how hard it is to get tickets.

    The crack in the pub after a big win.

    The OOOOOOOO of the crowd when there is a bone crunching shoulder.

    Those days when you’re playing out of your skin and you can do no wrong, you just know before the keeper kicks the ball out, you’re going to catch it clean.

    Championship football on a warm summers evening, the hard sod, quick ball and the roar of the crowd.

    Pints in the town after winning a club championship match.

    John 3:16.

    Beaches in July when all the fathers are inside their cars listening to the news from Clones or Thurles.

    Interviews with the players and you hear the real accents of the places they come from.

    Bringing the cup around to schools in the months after the All-Ireland.

    Pubs with All-Star posters on the wall.

    Johno’s car or van filled to the roof with under 12’s on the way to a match. Then, on the way home he stops at a shop and buys them all ice-cream, all from his own pocket.

    The one line comment from some wit in the crowd that gets both sets of supporters laughing the cheering.

    The last bars of Amhran Na bhFiann lost in the mighty roar.

    Cars parked in every gap in the hedge and every farm yard at local championship matches.

    Not caring about the splatters of cowshite caked on the ankle of your trousers because of the day that’s in it.

    Young wans playing their own championship behind the goals at the county final.

    “Anyone buying or selling a ticket?”

    The anticipation of the first club challenge match of the year.

    Wee Mickey on the school team being the first player from the club to get a provincial medal – boys but he’s going to be some footballer.

    The same wee Mickey getting caught by his Da taking a pint after he scores 1-6 on his championship debut at 15 – bought for him by the club captain – who’s Da caught him in a similar situation 15 years earlier.

    You shake hands with the guy you’re marking before the match, then proceed to kick seven sorts of s**t out of him and abuse his mother for 60 minutes, and shake hands with him again after.

    Being lifted over the turnstiles by your Da when you were a kid.

    Having something to talk to your Da about.

    Gives you a sense of identity, where you come from, something you will have till the day you die.

    When you’re a young lad after coming home from Croker, you, cousins and neighbours play out match again until The Sunday Game (your Mick Lyons and your cousin’s Colm O’Rourke).

    The pure heart and love for the game that makes a lad want to die going for the ball as opposed to the pros in soccer that show no emotion.

    The local newspaper supplements in the week of a big match.

    Straw hats (why are they confined almost exclusively to Galway and Mayo supporters?)

    The combination of professionalism and naivete – Larry Tompkins, one of the best prepared and most professional footballers ever, missed a Munster final because he got sun burned on his feet! The most professional sports organization in the country runs one of the few truly amateur sports left – and sends out Danny Lynch to deal with the world’s media!

    The consolation that no matter how bad things go . . . there’s always next year.

    Saying that DJ wasn’t really that good . . . just that he was given too much space!!!!

    Wearing your county jersey because you love it, not because it is a fashion item.

    Hearing people in the crowd going on about will so-and-so start? I heard he’s on the beer, I heard he crashed the car during the week, I heard he’s too busy chasing skirt to be bothered his arse training etc. Giving out about him for the whole game and then he ends up being the hero by scoring the last minute winner and they turn around and say I knew he’d do it, what did I tell ye?

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:48 PM

    Thursday, January 22, 2004

    Reasons Why The GAA Is Better Than Soccer

    101 Reasons Why The GAA Is Better Than Soccer.

    1. No soccer player can say this quote ever..."It's definitely, probably the, one of the greatest days in Aherlow, in GAA circumstances."

    2. Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney on a sunny day is one of the loveliest sights in sport.

    3. Bribery scandals.

    4. Because the championship has always been the Championship. The League of Ireland has had more new improved formulas than most washing powders. Indeed it's not even the LOI anymore.

    5. Because by and large GAA heroes don't turn into villains overnight. One week this column would have happily borne Eric Cantona's children. The next week Eric was playing with Manchester United and this column wouldn't give him the time of day. Same old Eric both weeks though.

    6. Most GAA players lead fuller lives than your average pro soccer player, thus they have more to talk about and fewer clichés to use.

    7. The PA announcer at Landsdowne Road soccer internationals need to be shot. We hate the Mexican wave.

    8. Bohs never in anything anymore.

    9. The offside rule can be really tedious.

    10. Andy Gray.

    11. Jimmy Hill.

    12. Micheal O'Murchearaigh.

    13. No GAA team would ever wear a strip as vile as Chelsea's away strip last season (1994 - 1995).

    14. Nobody sings "you'll never beat the Irish" at GAA games.

    15. When Jurgen Klingsmann did his witty diving celebration at the start of the English season every lame brain in the game did the same thing for three months. Why?

    16. Since Dalymount decayed, professional Irish soccer has no place to call home despite two World Cups and a Euro Championship.

    17. RTE would never foist Brendan O'Carroll on the GAA viewership.

    18. There is no piece of sporting equipment available anywhere that is as lovely as a well crafted hurley.

    19. Vinnie Jones would bawl like a baby if he ever came up against Brian Mullens (Brian McGilligain, Brian Corcoran..) And that's just three Brians that spring to mind.

    20. If something goes wrong the GAA always comes up with some excuse. "The crowd arrived too early" "The cat was sick" In soccer nobody is ever to blame. Rioting in Landsdowne Road can be put down to what insurers call an act of God.

    21. The GAA may not appreciate its women as much as it should but at least we all know who Angela Downey is. The most famous woman in English soccer is Dani Behr.

    22. It's hard to feel passionate about any sport that John Major feels passionate about. Plus David Mellor never made love to anyone while wearing a GAA jersey.

    23. "Clash of the Ash" was a lovely film about hurling. "Escape to Victory" was a soccer film with Pele and Sly Stallone in it.

    24. Here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Here we go.

    25. Spivs. Who asked DISC to ask Wimbledon to move to Dublin anyway.

    26. People working for Irish soccer clubs who double as scouts for English clubs. Some mistake surely.

    27. No soccer manager was ever as warm and as entertaining as Eamon Coleman.

    28. No segregation at GAA matches.

    29. No naff furry hats on men who should know better at soccer matches.

    30. No naff jewellery on men who should know better at GAA matches.

    31. There were 15,154 fans at Irelands last home World Cup game pre Jack Charlton. Now you couldn't squeeze all the "real" fans into the Maracana with a shoehorn.

    32. The GAA player who performs in front of 70,000 at the weekend will be teaching your kids on Monday or he'll be selling you meat or fixing your drains or representing you in court. The soccer player who performs in front of 70,000 fans at the weekend will be moaning about too many games and trying to sell you his personalised brand of leisure wear.

    33. GAA players don't sell stories to the Sun.

    34. GAA players don't have stories that the Sun would like to buy.

    35. Bungs.

    36. Backpasses.

    37. Barry Venison's dress sense.

    38. Jack Walker can buy a league title. You can't buy an All-Ireland.

    39. Penalty shootouts. What was wrong with the old interminable FA cup replay sagas eg Leeds and Ipswitch 1975. Heartbreaking but memorable.

    40. Jack Boothman doesn't care if America doesn't like GAA. Joao Havelange loses sleep over it.

    41. Nobody ever proposed making GAA goals bigger. Not even Charlie Redmond.

    42. GAA nicknames are better: Sambo Hunter, Fat Larry, Babs, Bingo and so on. Soccer players just add a Y to each others surnames.

    43. The Munster Hurling Final.

    44. The Munster Football Final.

    45. Dublin vs Meath is a real local derby. What does Liverpool vs Everton mean to Jan Molby or Daniel Amokachi.

    46. You always remember what county your Irish teacher came from.

    47. We care so much about the weaker GAA counties that we sensitively refer to them as the "so called weaker counties". English soccer just makes the premier league smaller.

    48. How many soccer players does it take to change a light bulb? Eleven. One to stick it in. ten to hug and kiss him afterwards.

    49. Why can nobody agree on the size of the crowd at domestic soccer games.

    50. Under age players get to be part of the biggest days in hurling and football. The Irish U21 team are sadly neglected. The "real' fan seldom turn up to see them.

    51. Soccer players go to Rumours. GAA players go to the pub.

    52. If a GAA player ever jumped at a spectator like Eric Cantona did the rest of his team would join in. So would the rest of the crowd.

    53. You can't play a defensive game of football or hurling.

    54. Razzmatazz. OK the Artane Boys band may be boring but why does it take Sky 3 hours to show a 90 minute soccer game.

    55. Soccer players always describe the game they have just played in the same guarded way. There is nothing like a GAA player cutting loose "He ate the shite out of us" said an Offaly player of Eamon Cregans half time speech in last years All Ireland.

    56. The championship means summer. The FA (or FAI) Cup means winter.

    57. DJ Carey in full flight.

    58. Barry Fry, Ken Bates, Ron Noades, Robert Chase. Take your pick.

    59. Television runs soccer. Schoolteachers run the GAA.

    60. Vinnie Jones grabbed Gascoignes testicles. Paudie O'Se decked Joe McNally during the National Anthem. McNally learnt his lesson. Gascoigne just got worse.

    61. Joe Brolly in full flight, on the field or off it.

    62. Jimmy Barry Murphy was the coolest skinhead ever to grace a playing field.

    63. There's nothing like seeing the bonfires blazing when a winning team reaches it's home borders.

    64. The GAA season always leaves you wanting more. The soccer season leaves soccer people demanding less. Fewer games please.

    65. Three points for a win is a distortion of the games natural balance.

    66. "Soccer isn't a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that" isn't such a witty thing to have said.

    67. The GAA is just a part of life and death.

    68. Gaelic Games is harder to play. Niall Quinn and Kevin Moran got out and went to soccer. You never see anyone coming the other direction.

    69. GAA players run faster, hit harder and last longer. Nobody acts like a grenade just went off if they get tripped.

    70. Soccer is so subtle that Wimbledon can win the FA cup.

    71. There's no one quite so bitter as a soccer bigot.

    72. They think Ryan Giggs is the new George Best. Sure sign of decline.

    73. GAA teams are numbered one to fifteen, soccer teams read like the national lottery results.

    74. All soccer players wear shinguards. Some hurling players even wear helmets.

    75. Ever penny we put into soccer stays at the top. Most of what we spend on GAA trickles down.

    76. The GAA is about where you're from. Soccer is mainly about who you like.

    77. A scoreless draw in GAA would be quite a novelty.

    78. The GAA offer a journalist the chance to travel to Kerry regularly.

    79. The GAA won't sell us all out by starting a European SuperLeague.

    80. Under 13,000 fans attended the FAI Cup final. "Real" fans would rather watch Wimbledon play AN other at a new characterless stadium built by suits for suits.

    81. Old soccer players get testimonials, Old GAA players just slip down to junior. Dog rough it is too.

    82. Bubble perms never made it to Croke Park.

    83. Throw ins set the adrenalin pumping faster than tip offs.

    84. GAA fans never have time for the Mexican wave.

    85. Rupert Murdoch doesn't own the GAA.

    86. Ghosted soccer biographies.

    87. All of soccer works to filter the best players to the top teams. GAA sides always get to keep their heroes.

    88. Dual players still carry a certain romantic cachet.

    89. The Dergvate, Gay Priors pub, Tommy Tubridy's, The Bradog, The Drovers, MacGleogans, The Pound Bar, Mc Sweeney's.

    90. No soccer team has a name quite as lovely as that belonging to Fighting Cocks of Carlow.

    91. Danny Lynch. The thinking person's PR man.

    92. The InterToto Cup. The ZDS Date Cup, The Simod Trophy.

    93. Guinness ISN'T inscribed in large letters on the Liam McCarthy Cup. Carling IS inscribed in large letters on the Premier league trophy.

    94. Doubling on an overhead sliotar is a more beautiful thing than volleying a soccer ball.

    95. Roy of the Rovers was a prat.

    96. GAA goalposts cast nicer shadows on summer evenings.

    97. There are always two men in white coats behind each goal at GAA games. Very wise.

    98. The new Cusack stand. We call it space age.

    99. Sideline cuts, high catches, summer schools to define the tackle.

    100. The Kerry 4 in row teams.

    101. The Championship is here again.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:40 PM

    Monday, January 19, 2004

    GAA club members explained.

    GAA club members explained.

    JUST as footballers can be classified as either defenders, forwards or goalkeepers, so fans can be categorised into certain broad stereotypes. After years of painstaking research the results of a 20-year study are revealed today in a world exclusive. The study has shown that supporters can be categorised into one of six large groups:

    The Cloth Cap Brigade: These are a band of men who enjoyed their heyday at the turn of the century. They are avid supporters. The Cloth Cap Brigade are easily identified because they make a very distinctive call which sounds something like "giveherlang giveherlangferchrissakes". This means kick the ball as hard and as far down the pitch as you can. The Cloth Caps have nothing against the O'Dwyer revolution and the modern game. They just don't think it will work for their team. All Cloth Caps are waiting for their messiah. The 'chosen one' will be a seven foot tall full-forward with hands like shovels. Standing at the edge of the square the messiah will catch all those 'lang' balls and score enough goals and points to win that elusive county championship.

    The Crazy Women: The existence of the gangs of crazy women who attend gaelic football matches has not been very well documented. Needless to say, they exist, and they are extremely dangerous. Decades ago, the crazy women armed themselves with umbrellas which they used as weapons to assault players. Now that most pitches have perimeter fencing, the crazies have decommissioned their brollies but they have become equally lethal with the tongue. Referees are the favourites targets. Some of these women suffer from DMS (Doting Mother Syndrome) which is a strain of DFS. Women with DMS will attack referees who give decisions against their sons. More frightening still, is the common occurrence when a gang of crazy women defend each others' sons. The result: verbal carnage.

    The Loyalists: These men are the sixties generation, but you wouldn't think it to look at them. When other nations were entering the age of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll this squad were running around dance halls in Carrickmore, Kilrea and Belfast. The loyalists form the backbone of the GAA. By and large they are peace loving creatures, however they have been known to turn violent during the championship season. Loyalists come to all matches, rain, hail or snow. Some come to chat to friends, others to torture the opposition, while the majority have long since forgotten why they go to matches - it's just something they do on a Sunday.

    The Club Mascot: For mascot read lunatic, and there is one in every club. Indeed their reputation often goes before them. The mascot is a loner,though not by choice. No one knows if mascots actually enjoy gaelic football as they never applaud or praise their team. Rather for 60 minutes, the mascot, foaming and frothing at the mouth, curses the opposition, the referee, his own team etc. Most Mascots cannot drive, yet there is a goodly soul in every club who persists in bringing this person to away matches.

    The Drinking Crew: The drinking crew are sons of the Loyalists and some have grandfathers who are Cloth Caps. The drinking crew tend to be in their twenties or thirties and they are very single. Often they don't turn up until half-time. Sunday is not a good day for the crew. Attendance at the match serves two vital functions. The first of these is to establish what happened on the previous night. The second is to watch the match. There is a further reason why the crew turn up late. Some of their comrades from the previous night (who also downed a copious number of pints) are out on the pitch, so the crew know well in advance that there is little chance of victory.

    Teenage Posers (female): This group only appear at championship matches with big crowds. Again they are easy to recognise. Posers can be seen walking around the pitch, on the loose gravel, in high heels, looking out at the crowd and largely ignoring the ongoing match. This practice is known within the sisterhood as 'circuits'. Posers tend to drift away from gaelic football, unless they hook up with a member of the Drinking Crew.

    If you have read this article and failed to identify yourself, read it again this time more honestly.

    Club Footballers Explained...

    Physio's Friend: Four words can sum up the playing career of a typical physio's friend and they are: 'lame for every game'. Pulled hamstrings, severed ligaments, sore groins, you name it, and he has had it. Physiotherapists dream about getting one of these players on their client list. He is the ideal customer once a physio's friend has signed up, all financial worries can be forgotten. With a guaranteed two trips a week, for injuries, either real or imagined, the sick one will pay bills, mortgages and put children through university.

    The Male Model: It's easy to spot the male model at training sessions. He's the player wearing the Cork jersey on Monday, Meath on Wednesday and Dublin on Friday. Not only will he have the jersey, he'll also have the accompanying shorts and socks. Male Models normally sport a healthy tan for about six months of the year. He is the one player in the changing room guaranteed to bring hair gel, shampoo and deodorant. After his liberal application of deodorant, he can be difficult to see, as he will be enveloped in a cloud of sweet smelling mist. The Male Model despises the fact that he must share his toiletries every week with some spongers. However, he realises it is a necessary evil if he is to leave the changing room looking and smelling his very best.

    County Star (Club Hero): He is the heartbeat of the team. This man sends himself to sleep at night by counting O'Neill's footballs floating over a crossbar. Despite huge commitments to the county panel, he will be a regular attendee at club training sessions. The Club Hero is highly valued, primarily for his talent, but also for the example he provides other players. Club heroes watch what they eat, go easy on the drink and refrain from cigarettes. If they have one weakness, it's women. For some misguided reason they are under the illusion that women are not detrimental to your health.

    County Star (The Invisible Man):This other type of county footballer enjoys a love/hate, though mostly hate, relationship with his club's supporters. They love him when he turns up for matches because he can be the difference between winning and losing a match. They hate him because they think he is a bigheaded poser, who seeks only personal glory through his county team, while abandoning the very club that taught him how to play the game.

    Hard Ground Specialist: Just as there are racehorses that cannot cope with soft ground, so there are footballers that feel ill suited to early season training. Hard ground specialists consider the dedicated winter trainers to be mere point-to-pointers, whereas they are the genuine flat-race thoroughbred. With the recent good weather, they will have started to appear at training sessions throughout the country in their droves.

    The Schoolboy: The schoolboy has only one thing in his head: football. Carrying absolutely no weight, the schoolboy runs just for the fun of it. Older players in the team are jealous of schoolboys as they represent their lost youth. Junior football is the traditional sacrificial ground where balding corner backs regularly obliterate frisky teenagers for no apparent reason. Schoolboys are best advised to stay clear of these ageing veterans if they wish to stay clear of serious injury.

    The Student: The transformation from schoolboy to student is as pronounced as that of the caterpillar to butterfly. Where once he was a schoolboy whose only ambition was to get on the senior team; the student discovers the pleasures of wine, woman and song. Football is put way down the agenda. For the first six months of his fresher year the student will have a silly looking smile permanently attached to his face. A potbelly will start to develop in his midriff. He will give the excuse of either assignments or exams for his continued absence at training, yet there will be repeated sightings of him in The Bot, The Fly, The M Club, Lavery's, Renshaws, Duke's Hotel (Belfast -so replace with Stables, Hurlers, The Lodge, Nancy Blakes, . . as appropriate!); you get the picture. The club hero will try to lecture the student about the error of his ways, but it is hopeless, he will be a lost soul for the next four years.

    Due to space constraints these are all the players that can be described today. Other players, which could not be included, were: Team Talker, Psycho, Mr Excuses, and the Nearly Man. Others would include the one more year man.... brought on with ten minutes to go to rapturous roars from the crowd, never won a medal, jersey clinging to the belly, socks up around the bandaged knee. Subject to rushes of blood to the head, which guarantee a ball to be ballooned into the stands after a headless thirty yard, run driven on by the crowd. The Horse ... who has no football whatsoever, but is there on pure brute strength alone, and would spend a full training session lining up for a crack at either the Model, the Schoolboy, the Student or the County Star.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:39 PM

    Sunday, January 18, 2004

    Hurling for Dummies

    Hurling for Dummies.


    The two main games of the GAA (gahhhhh) are "football" and "hurling", the chief difference being that in football, the fights are unarmed. There is also "camogie," which is like hurling, except that in fights the hair may be pulled as well.

    Here we deal with hurling!

    HURLING FOR FOREIGN DUMMIES.

    Howryez! Welcome to the The O'Byrne Files © easy-to-follow, comprehensive online cut-out-and-keep guide on how to follow the sport called "hurling". It's full of handy advice to make even the most clueless person into an avid hurling fan in only a few centuaries. I should let you know first that hurling had a major role in the legend of Cuchulainn, who was a sort of Herculean or O'Byrne -type hero in early Irish politics and was apparently related to the country's latter day greatest villain, C. J. Haughey. I should also mention that in Scotland the natives practised "shinty", the Scottish form of hurling, alone in the hills of the Highlands (it was a solo game there for obvious reasons) and around St Andrews. This led to the creation of golf. Hurling also reached Nova Scotia in the early 1800s and was picked up by the Micmac Indians, to create the multimillion-dollar sport known today as "Ice Hockey". Now, where were we? Oh yeah, the lessons.

    Lesson #1:

    "What the feck is Hurling?"

    Hurling is an ancient game from the Ice Age, but it didn't get official recognition until approximately 1889 or thereabouts. As Liam Griffin, the former Wexford hurling manager and amateur poet, once described it: "Hurling is the Riverdance of sport."

    NB: This doesn't mean that it involves loads of tap-dancing by poncy blokes in black mini-skirts (or girls either). Hurling is actually a venerable outdoor activity, a traditional game of immense skill in which people of all ages beat the crap out of each other with quite big sticks. It also involves a ball (called a "Sliotar"), two goalposts (shaped like a "H", or a "h" if they need repairing), and a very muddy field named after a dodgy bishop.

    The ball is about the same size as a tennis ball, only much heavier if you get whacked with one. If you get the ball over the bar but between the posts (as if they extended infinitely into the air), you get one point.

    When you do this, you get a damn big cheer and people slap you on the back and say "Fair play". If you get it under the H, you get a goal. This is worth three points. So you get three times as much cheers. More about cheering techniques in lesson six or seven.

    There are 15 players in each team, until several of them are sent off. The players' sticks are called "hurleys" (after which Elizabeth Hurley's family gets its name). These sticks have a broad bit at one end called the bas (boss). The rest is called "the rest".

    Incidentally, one of Ireland's former taoisigh (but not Jack Lynch) was also known as The Bas, and also sometimes called The Crook.

    Fair play to ya! You've reached the end of lesson one! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until the next lesson.... ...and we are outta here. Remember: In case of doubt, just make what you think you know sound convincing.

    Lesson #2:

    Now, where were was I? Oh yeah.

    "GETTING A STICK"

    A hurling stick or "hurley" is essential for every hurling fan. They are available at your local sports shop, usually next to the Liverpool and Chelsea shirts, for a very modest sum. But if you're from abroad you can easily make one yourself. All it takes are the following readily available items:

    * 1 large ash tree

    * 1 axe/saw

    * 1 plane

    * 2-3 other tools

    * 1 good carpenter (or "chippy")

    Well done! Now that you have a hurley, it's time to pick your team. This is normally not required, because you are simply stuck with the parish/town/county you were born in. You are also stuck with a geansai (jumper or jersey) of a particular colour and shape. But for The O'Byrne Files many overseas readers this may not be an option. So you will have to plump for either Wexford or Kilkenny - because these are good hurling counties but brutal at football (let's keep it simple) - or Cork if the worst comes to the worst.

    Fair play to ya! You've reached the end of lesson 2! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until taking the next lesson.

    Welcome back to the The O'Byrne Files © easy-to-follow, comprehensive online cut-out-and-keep guide on how to follow the sport called "hurling".

    Lesson #3:

    "Going to your first match"

    For this you will need the following equipment:

    # A decent coat

    # 1 umbrella

    # Several wire coathangers

    # 4 washing up liquid bottles

    # An assortment of beer-mats

    # 1 roll of Sellotape

    # 1 pair of wellies

    # 1 cap

    # A good bit of cash (at least £30-£40*)

    (* It is often necessary to bring more money than this of course, e.g. you might have to survive for a week in a strange town if you are up for a big match such as a provincial final, or if you go on something called an "All Ireland Almight Bender".)

    On arrival at the ground, make a rough assessment of the players' ages. If they look like they're under 18, you're at a "Minors" match. Any older and you're probably at a "Seniors". Unless, that is, they are Under 21s. To complicate things, though, some players could be playing both Senior and Under 21. Then again, others simply give up playing. And sometimes they are actually picked for an important game and though they are on the pitch they aren't actually playing. Seasoned match-goers often refer to this condition by its old Irish terms (either "Arafeck yalayzee bollicsya" or "Getuptha fieldya cunchya").

    For the first few matches, keep as quiet as possible: listen to the other fans nearby, and if asked a question, answer as briefly as possible and never smile. It is always better to communicate with a quick nod or shrug of the shoulders rather than actually talking. Remember to clap when everyone else claps or jumps in the air.

    Then in the pub afterwards, you might be asked to re-create the finer moments of the game you have just witnessed. The Fairy Liquid bottles make an ideal bottom of the goalposts, and construct the rest of the posts with the coat hangers and sticky-back plastic. Get a sharp Stanley knife (always ask an adult to help you) and cut the beer-mats into the shapes of each member of both teams, in order to create that vivid action replay in full colour.

    Fair play to ya! You've reached the end of lesson 3! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until the next lesson....

    Lesson #4:

    "Cheering"

    The most important part of hurling is knowing how to cheer. All cheering phrases begin with a "Grrrr" sound, and almost all end in a "yahh!" sound. You will also need to lower your voice as far as it will go. Practise this voice in the bath and on your kids/little sister/pet dog. Remember that even if your team scores a point or three, your voice must always sound a bit angry and growly.

    Next you have to get the accent right. The accent can be easily picked up at a local pub or Spar supermarket. To cheer properly you will also need one of the following multi-purpose phrases so you can fit in properly.

    * Come on ya!

    * JAYssis yafeckya!

    * Come on now yaboya!

    * Clatter dafecker!

    * That's the ball yafeckineejitya!

    * Pull!

    * Take him down!

    * Oh Noooooooooooo!

    Fair play! You've reached the end of lesson 4! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until the next lesson....

    Lesson # 5:

    "Shorts"

    In English premiership football, due to the inclement weather you will find many teams togged out in shorts that stretch down to their knees, and in the style of Accrington Stanley circa 1880. But in hurling (and Gaelic football too), there's no mucking about: shorts live up to their name. They are much shorter. In fact the shorter your shorts are when playing hurling, the more you will distract your opposition, and the more likely you are to win. Who needs skill!

    Fair play! You've reached the end of lesson 5! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until I find out more and get around to telling ye....

    Lesson # 6:

    "Junior hurlers"

    You know you're a junior hurler when.....

    You spend all winter on the beer speculating on who will be brought in to manage the junior hurling team next year.

    The hardest tackle you will make all year is in an indoor soccer match in January.

    When you break your borther-in-law's leg.

    There are 35 at training under lights on a bitter February night (unfit but enthusiastic) - the average for Augsut is 7 (unfit, sick of training, reading Teagasc manuals and making silage).

    The club treasurer spends some time at the AGM lamenting the yearly cost of running a club and especially the bill for hurleys; a month later, the team is being urged to "give 'em timber lads - we have plenty of hurleys on the sideline..."

    When you go for a pick-up, you tap the ball at least twice on the hurley before you fumble it.

    Ground hurling is for juveniles and camogie players.

    The full forward has his son and grand nephew in the corners.

    The grand nephew is two years older.

    For a 2.30 throw-in, you start packing your gear bag at 2.40 and still manage to be on the field before the referee even arrives.

    You can get a match called off because your star player is playing divisional under-16 the following week

    Your tight marking corner back never gives an inch - except of course, when the ball gets inside his own 50 and he charges out after it with all the other backs, forgetting that the other team are even on the field.

    Your goalie lets in a sitter every second game - this usually happens after you have scored 5 points from play to reel in a difficult half- time deficit.

    Or in the first minute if it is a final.

    Your full-forward can't score but "he's a good man to bust up the play".

    Your centre-forward can't score either but "he'll stop a good man from hurling".

    Your championship is either a round robin that requires you to play six league games to eliminate one team, or a knockout starting in October.

    Any members of your panel who claim to have back injuries are either lazy or completely daft. Unless you can see blood, bruises or bandages, they are making it up.

    Before every match, the forwards are told to stay wide and not bunch - but this is not what happens. The only time any forward goes wide is to take a sideline cut or if they are looking for water.

    Your backs play from behind waving a hurley with one hand while resting the other on the forward's back - this is why all your scores and all their scores come from frees.

    You can't field a team during the fortnight of the Leaving Cert.

    The more people instruct you to "let fly if you don't get it up the first time", the more you ignore them.

    Your left-corner-back plays at No.4 because he can only strike off his left side.

    Ditto No.7.

    Your star player always has one other brother "that was even better but he couldn't stay off the drink".

    Fair play! You're a junior hurler, and you've reached the end of lesson 6! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until we have our next lesson....

    Lesson #7:

    "Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh"

    This is probably the most difficult lesson in the entire series, particularly if you're from abroad. There is probably no more famous name in Gaelic Games than Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh. Well, apart perhaps from Tommy Semple, Jason Sherlock, Master McGrath, Cusack Park, Bibi Baskin and Lana Bus.

    "Micheál" is Irish for, well, "Micheál". A rough translation into other European languages is "Mikhail" or "Michelle". All of Ireland's greatest broadcasters have the first name of Micheál, with two notable exceptions: Gay Byrne and Gabriel Byrne. And Ó Muircheartaigh is a good South Kerry name. In English it roughly translates as Moriarty.

    Broadcaster Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh became famous from Ireland to Timbuktu for the special language he developed for people to talk about Hurling in all its glory. Micheál also covers major greyhound meetings, and beneath that genial exterior is a man of steel and a fierce competitor on the golf course.

    Fair play! You're a junior hurler, and you've reached the end of lesson seven! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until we have our next lesson....

    Lesson #8:

    "Heroes Of Hurling History"

    The first hero of hurling history was Cuchulainn, who was a sort of Herculean hero in early Irish politics and was apparently related to C. J. Haughey. We also forgot to mention in Lesson 1 that clansmen practised "shinty", the Scottish form of hurling, alone in the hills of the Highlands (it was a solo game there for obvious reasons) and around St Andrews Golf Course. This led to the creation of golf.

    Hurling also reached Nova Scotia in the early 1800s and was picked up by the Micmac Indians, to create the multimillion-dollar sport known today as "Ice Hockey". Hence the famous ballad "Micmac Paddywhack Give A Dog A Bone".

    Fair play! You're a junior hurler, and you've reached the end of lesson eight! Now turn off your PC and memorise all this until we have our next lesson....

    Lesson #9:

    "Talk the Talk"

    An essential part of hurling is knowing how to talk the talk. While there are significant regional variations in this way of speaking, many of the key terms are much the same from county to county. Take how they talk the talk in the west. For example, try getting your teeth into the unofficial "Galway GAA Glossary"...

    According to the glossary, here are the main VERBS you'll need:

    Welt - swing at.

    Bata - eg "I gave it bata" - I put a fair bit of effort into it.

    Warp - hit something hard as in "I'll f*ckin' warp you."

    Horsed - bout of rough play or intimidatory tactics as in we horsed them out of it. Sometimes referred to as kicking/batin' the shit out of the opposing team.

    Leh-it-in-ta-fuck-weddya - Full forward's appeal to a midfielder for a more timely delivery of the pass.

    Yabollixya - Corner back's formal recognition of a score by his esteemed opponent.

    Namajaysus - What was that for, referee?

    Next we come to the essential ADJECTIVES:

    Stomached - surprised eg. "Jaysus when he came up behind me I was awful stomached."

    Mighty - very good.

    Mantach - missing front teeth eg. Mairtin Staunton is mantach.

    Bullin' - angry. eg. "the centre half back was bullin' after I lamped him".

    Bull thick - very angry.

    Bushted - broken, e.g. "Jayz me arm is bushted."

    Blast - A great amount of anything.

    Rake - Also a great amount of anything, usually pints of Guinness (as in "a rake of pints").

    And finally there are ALL THE OTHER BITS that go between the adjectives and verbs:

    Hames - a right shite - eg. "he made a hames of that clearance".

    Timber - intimidation of a hurling opponent.

    Lamp - a good thump.

    Schkelp - another good thump.

    Joult - a push.

    Joshel - a shoulder push.

    The Comm-it-eeee - Local GAA bullshitters in general.

    A Crowd - Eg. "that crowd from Ardrahan are a right shower of shites".

    The Bomber - a very popular nickname for a GAA player.

    A hang sangwidge - consumed with tay on the sides of roads after matches in Croker or Thurles.

    Citeog - he hit it with his citeog. ie. left handed/footed.

    A Shamozzle - a group of players shkelpin' one another but not exactly hittin' anyone at the same time!

    Flakin' - usually goes on for a whole game..... eg. "Jayz Paulie Cooney gave Pateen Og an awful flakin' below in Loughrea on Sunday". To "flake" a lad for a whole game usually starts off with a bit of the aforementioned "joshellin'" and "joultin'" and develops into a bit of "weltin'" and may even result in a good "lampin'" for the victim especially if he gets "bull thick".

    Mullocker - untidy or awkward player.

    Horse - another untidy or rough player. There's one in every club.

    Burst the C**t - Common exhortation also referred to as the Turlough roar.

    Row - Fight involving four or more players swinging hurls like lunatics.

    Massive Row - Row involving both team, substitutes and supporters jumping fences.

    Running Row - A massive row that continues out in the parking area and or dressing room areas.

    Fair play! You can talk the talk like a Galway hurler, and you've reached the end of lesson 9!

    Hurling is regarded as a culchie game until Dublin win a match when it suddenly becomes "Hooorlin', da fastest field sport in da bleedin' wooorld".


    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:37 PM

    Saturday, January 17, 2004

    Tipperary County Jokes

    When Galway Trashed Tipp in the 2006 Allianz League, BABS KEATING launched an astonishing attack at his under-achieving Tipperary hurlers, admitting: “Our lads are dead, only to wash them.”




    ------
    A man had great tickets for the Tipp v. Cork Munster Final. As he takes his seat another man comes along and asks if anyone is sitting beside him.

    "No" he says, "it's empty". "This is incredible!" said the man.

    "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Munster final, a Tipp/Cork one at that, and not use it?"

    He says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. My wife was supposed to come with me, but she passed away. This is the first Tipp match we haven't been to together since we got married."

    "Oh ... I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else - a friend or relative, or even a neighbor - to take the seat?"

    The man shakes his head. "No. They're all at the funeral."
    -------------



    Facts on the Tipperary breed.

    1 - Tipperary people tend to bring sandwiches to the big games so as not to support local industry, i.e. chip vans etc.

    2 - The most common drink drunk by Tipp fans is cold tea.

    3 - Tipp led by 9 points at half time in the 1996 Munster Final. But as Limerick came back, with the scores level with 4 minutes to go a cry could be heard from the terrace "wrap up those sandwiches & put them in the deep freeze from the replay".

    4 - The loudest cheer of the day from Tipperary fans is upon the arrivals of the first fans to the staduim who then proceed to take the tin foil off the sandwiches. This is an ancient territory marking ritual.

    5 - 48% of Tipperary fans paint their cars blue & gold.

    6 - 49% of Tipperary fans believe John Leahy is the new messiah.

    8 - Almost all Tipperary Priests use Finches orange instead of wine to celebrate mass.

    9 - All Tipperary farmers use hurleys to hunt their cattle.

    10 - Amazingly, hurling is not the most popular sport in Tipperary. It is in fact "tinny", the practice of throwing balls of tin foil from old batches of sandwiches against a friends head, & laughing uncontrollably.

    11 - almost all of the Tipperary fans buy the match day program even though they are in the main illiterate. Many can be seen reading an upside-down program. Apparently, the pictures in the program do not help the Tipp faithful, as most action photos of Tipperary hurling involve somebody "getting capsized".

    12 - The driver to the disco on a saturday night drinking spree is allowed to drink & drive by Tipp gardai as long as he wears a hurling helmet.

    13 - Contrary to popular belief, Tipperary men do not have somebody else as their ventriliquists. Although they appear not to be talking, they are talking, but their lips are not moving. This is a trick learned early in the young Tipp man's life, allowing him to talk about hurling at Sunday mass, but never get caught.

    14 - 24 is the biggest number in Tipperary arithmetic. They like to call themselves "The premier" county even though, with 24 All-Ireland's, they are 3rd in the roll of honour, with Cork on 28 & Kilkenny on 26.

    15 - Most Tipperary fans believe that because the GAA was founded in Thurles that they own the GAA. The fact it was founded by a Clare man, who also was partial to sandwiches & cold tea, cannot change Tipp views.

    16 - The most common birthday present in Tipperary is a lunchbox, to carry match day sandwiches.

    17 - Sex in Tipperary has now been restricted to 90 seconds, the same amount of time it takes for John Leahy to go on & come off again. Many Tipp women have welcomed the length of time trebling, (as well as some Lenister girls)

    18 - Tipperary hurling fans are not allowed to buy flags, hats & scarves anywhere apart from Thurles. Pity the poor souls who went to Cork the night before the clare match but had to return to the hallowed Thurles turf to buy a flag. But rules are rules.

    19 - Tipperary were against the new blood substitution rule from day one. They cited how they "opened" Brendan Lynskey in the 1989 All_Ireland semi-final & how it led to them baytin' (translation - "Beating") Galway thus win the All-Ireland.

    20 - There are no showers in Tipperary. Instead, the practice is for the father of the house to fill a bath on a Saturday evening & have a nice bath, followed by the mother of the house, follwed by the eldest son etc. (all using the same bathwater). So the question now is: "are your tickets for the Munster final in the Tipp or Limerick end ?


    A Corkmans Perspective.

    2001 will go down as a great year for the coffers of Parc Ui Chaoimh.

    Sadly, Cork's exit from the championship was premature, but it gave us time to reflect, ponder and philosophise on the hand fate dealt the rebel county. But, sure isn't it great to see the weaker counties progress and God knows we can't be winning everything: with the focus taken off the true Munster champions, it gave the red army a chance to take a step back and observe the differing characteristics of the hurling enthusiasts from the other counties, cheer on their respective teams, in their own unique way. I must apologise in advance to the folks from the other Munster counties, for concentrating the analysis on Tipp alone, but there's only so much to say, so little time etc etc.

    A large portion of those gate receipts at the park came from the premier county, as the faithful supporters had to make the trek southwards on more than one occasion. Unlike their Cork counterparts, Tipp fans, without admitting it, expect to have an early exit from the championship and so the attendance for each of the games was quite high. These trips to Cork assume the stature of a sacred pilgrimage, providing a reason to live for the Finches. The trips were etched even heavier in the calendar this year, after the foot and mouth scare curtailed the social mingling of the wellywearers at the marts. This was coupled with the heightened sense of adventure associated with "travellin' abroad" across the Cork border.

    The psychological barrier if inferiority caused many Tipp folk to equate it with an international border, and didn't they pack the passport -- just in case like -- and sure would you blame them for the excitement.

    As I write, the next trip from Tipp will be against Limerick on July 1st and no doubt, the ritualistic preparations for the big day out, will be repeated eight across Tipperary:

    Into the Cortina the following items will be flung together for the trip southwards:

    1) A large flask of tae, 20 bottles of cider, 30 bottles of porter and fifty cheese sandwiches wrapped in tin foil, to cater for the 30 or so yahoos packed into the backseat and trailer on the way down. Perish the thought of having to hand over your hard earned cash to those Cork feckers for the sake of something to ate and drink.
    2) A map written in crayon on a ten pound note, in order to direct the driver over the maximum number of humpback possible through bandit country in an effort to a) avoid the other traffic b) avoid the border police c) produce as many choruses of 'YAHOO' from the hurling helmet clad occupants each time a bridge is negotiated.
    3) A statue of John Leahy, blessed an' all, to keep the occupants safe from all harm. This particular item is not flung into the mechanically propelled vehicle, but rather carefully positioned on the centre of the bonnet and secured with an adequate supply of bailing twine; something akin to a mermaid guiding a tall ship of yester year through treacherous waters.
    4) The Babs Keating book of excuses -- this provides a healthy array of original/bizarre observations, which provide an armoury of match post-mortems for the Tipp fan before a sliotar is even struck in the game. This book assumes the mantle of the hurling Cathecism for the journey to Cork, with the classic Babs gems being learned off by heart on the trip down.

    The Cork folk will know well when the mass exodus from Tipp begins, for we have a Garda scout strategically placed in the bushes on the outskirts of Mitchelstown scanning Kilbeheny and beyond for signs of frantic scurrying, manifesting itself in a cloud of dust heavily laden with the aroma of cow dung. At the border the Red Cross will again hand out markers and blank placards to the Finches, in order to furnish them with the means to provide subtitles when communicating.

    The journey to Cork will end with a screech of brakes in the centre of the Jack Lynch tunnell and straight on with the hazards. The Cortina and trailer will be abnadoned in order to experience a leisurely stroll to the park and of course to keep the Cortina dry -- the beginning of which is rudely interupted with the inexplicable furious hooting of car horns further back in the tunnel.

    The result of the match may produce two reactions -- this is where a degree of unpredictability enters into the equation, making it slightly interesting for the locals. If Limerick prevail, it is because Tipperary was robbed; specific incidents in the match that only Tipperary people saw or can recall will be cited as examples. The fact that Limerick used two sliotars, fielded 34 players, had kidnapped the family of the referee and had the slope of the field in their favour will also be mentioned.

    If Tipp come away with the victory, all hell will break loose; the greatest team on the planet will be forever remembered in newly created ballads; tales of extraordinary heroism will be shouted from the hills, sales of glow-in-the-dark John Leahy statuettes will go through the roof and more specifically we won't hear the end of it in the canteen for weeks to come!

    Whichever way it goes, the physical aftermath will be the same:
    (i) the pond outside the Parc will have to be dredged to remove the mountains of Superquinn bags filled with empty porter bottles recently deposited there.
    (ii) the traffic chaos at the tunnel will get worse with people attempting to reverse the trailer back out the tunnel in order to get a clear run of the road on the way home.
    (iii) Aughanish Alumina will be contacted to deal with the phenomenon associated with copious amounts of rolled up tin foil deposits appearing after a championship match.

    For the red army of hurling supporters and hurlers alike, it will be a time to recharge the batteries and regroup for the next campaign, safe in the knowledge that a championship without Cork . . . "is a bit of a sham all the same, boy!"


    'Tipperary: The Movie -- Film Review.
    [*I trawled this piece of inspiration from the Internet. Unhappily it's gifted author remains an unknown quantity, which is a great pity. Nonetheless read on and behold its genius.]

    Rumours have been flying about recently that a new movie is about to be released in Hollywood. "Tipperary: The Movie" will hit box offices everywhere from August 1st 2001.

    The film chronicles Tipperary hurling fortunes from 1971 onwards, although there will be an hour long break during the film to accomodate the years between 1973-83 when Tipperary failed to win a single championship match, many top actors have signed up to the new film.

    One of the most notable being Marlon Brando who plays Paul Shelley. Lyle Lovett, who plays Nicholas English is said to be thrilled about his part. "The directors told me I'm playing a star who was a hero in 1989 when he was so good that he got two players sent off."

    The film begins with the 1971 Munster Final when Tipperary beat Limerick with Babs Keating's famous dry ball incident. Kevin Spacey, who plays the youthful Babs Keating says: "I'm delighted to be playing the part of the barefoot wonder, but why were so many of the extra's eating sandwiches?"

    The next game is the 1971 All-Ireland Final when Tipperary beat Kilkenny 5-17 to 5-14. Spacey again playing the part of Babs Keating had to play barefoot in some of the close ups as Keating did in that final.

    After some minor 1972 footage, the film then takes a one hour break for the 10 years of no wins. This allows the eager cinema-goer a chance to go to the popcorn stand for some tin foil wrapped sambo's, mikado biscuits and flasks of cold tea. Unfortunately for Tipperary film viewers though, the prices are not 1972 prices, but today's ones.

    The blockbuster then re-starts with Tipperary's 1983 win over Clare at Limerick. Kurt Russell plays the part of the legend-in-his-own-pint-glass Donie O'Connell. Russell sees it as a 'big move' to play such a local hero. In a strange twist of fate, Steven Segal plays the part of 1984 Tipp goalkeeper John Sheedy. Segal had to spend four weeks of intensive training on blocking down balls going over the bar for opposing forwards to score goals just like Sheedy did for Seanie O'Leary of Cork in the 1984 Munster Final. If anyone has forgotten, Tipp led 3-14 to 2-13 with four minutes to go, but Sheedy's errors made it 4-15 to 3-14 for Cork. Segal says: "I spent 8 hours a day for three weeks doing it before I could even do it badly. What sort of a turkey was this Sheedy guy?"

    The film reaches a high note when Tipp win the 1987 Munster Final. Keifer Sutherland who plays Richard Stakelum had to fine tune his accent for that famous line: 'the famine is over'. Sutherland, who had to lose a stone for the film had an intensive diet of ham sandwiches and tea for three months prior to filming.

    David Jason, who plays Babs Keating the manager, says: "I get to play this very arrogant guy. His team have not won the top prize since 1971, but already on the train to the match over a cup of tea and a kimberley mikado biscuit, he's talking about his team doing a four in a row." Jason, who had to put on over two stone to do the part, reputably ate a stone of potatoes every day. "I guess bacon and cabbage is part of the Tipperary life," he says.

    There is a very sad scene from 1988 where the youthful Tipp players of John Leahy (played by Russell Crowe) and Declan Ryan (Liam Neeson) are crying at the end of the All-Ireland Final. "I just don't cry," said Russell Crowe, "so they managed to douse my eyes in Tipperary spring water and that made me look sad." Crowe, who looks nothing like Leahy was apparently chosen after his prowess with a sword became evident in Gladiator. "There's a time in the film where I have a bad dream," he explains, "I take a glass and break it and then almost rip some guy's face off with the glass."

    Neeson took the role but did not read the fine print, whereby he had to put on five stone between the years chronicled 1988 and 1992. "Declan Ryan is one big man," he said with typical Northern wit. Neeson who has now already lost two of the five stone in the three weeks since filming ended, thinks Ryan would do well in the WWF. "He could make a lot of money," said Neeson.

    The film reaches unbearable tension when filming of the 1989 All-Ireland series takes place. Lyle Lovett playing English has to take a few blows as part of a scene where the Galway players flatten him. "Apparently nobody touched him on the day," says Lovett, but he got those boys sent off and his team brought home the bacon, bacon that was used for sandwiches," said Lovett humourously. To film the scene at the end of the 1989 final, directors placed a sign outside a Tipperary cinema saying 'free willy'. Hundreds of local ladies turned up and were disappointed when they found (a) it wasn't a film and (b) there were no males willing to offer a free servicing. The ladies were then taken by bus to Croke Park to film the pitch invasion. One local lass, Betsy Ryan, said: "twas a grate thrick but to be involved in an All-Ireland final was grate."

    There's many more incidents to be enjoyed in this film. Take for example Michael Cleary's flukey goal that won the 1991 All-Ireland Final. Cleary, played by Tom Cruise is portrayed as a hero, even though Cruise had to receive several blows to the head and let the wounds heal in order to play Cleary's part. McAuley Culkin too had to wear a set of huge mock ears and wildly overgrown false teeth to play George Frend. But one of the best scenes is at the end of the 1997 All-Ireland Final when Russell Crowe, playing John Leahy has a chance to win the game for Tipp but lashes the ball at the Clare 'keeper. "I'm the only Tipp man invited to Anthony Daly's wedding," says Crowe, "as I gave Clare two presents that year, a Munster and an All-Ireland." Obviously Crowe had done a lot of research for this role.

    The last scene filmed is Tipperary winning the 2001 All-Ireland. They destroy all before them to take the title. In what could land the directors in hot water though, the pitch invasion is taken from a battle charge in Braveheart. Those who remain on the terraces and stand all throw their sandwiches into the air.

    "It's tinged with tragedy though," explains Russell Crowe. "One poor man is so overcome with emotion, he throws his flask up in the air instead of his sandwiches. The flask lands on his wife hospitalising her. This could be a springboard for a sequel though."

    'Tipperary: The Movie' will be available in cinema's from July 1st.
    --------

    A Thurles Guide - For outsiders looking in

    Certain Preliminaries need to be observed in order to gain maximum
    enjoyment
    out of your stay.

    1. Thurles people like to regard their home as unique indeed for
    the greater Thurles hinterland it is the centre of the universe, this can be
    hard to accept on first glance, however if you throw in quips like " Moi
    Jaysus, It' s bleedin' grate to be in the hoem of hurlin'" you'll get on
    fine. Acceptance of Thurles's status as the capital of the GAA is an
    essential part of acceptance as an equal.

    2. Michael Lowry can do no wrong in these peoples eyes, he is the
    messiah who parted the Red Sea, he is The Prophet Elijah, The Liberator
    of Palestine and Good King Solomon all rolled into one. Never question this
    eternal truth. Taking the name of the Great One in vain will cause you an
    awful lot of hassle from the locals.

    3. Everything in Thurles happens around Liberty Square (d'squaarur), you'll never be able to drive round it, unless you're the long lost cousin of Bo and Luke Duke so forget it. When walking up d'squaaur you will be accosted by a local with the salutation "Well ?" In Dublin this is usually followed with the greeting " are youse startin' somethin'" In Thurles "Well" is the common greeting, In fact a whole conversation can be built around the word

    "Well" ?
    John Ryan: Well
    Wille Ryan: Well
    John Ryan: ( leaving Willie) Well
    Willie Ryan: ( waving good bye to John) Well

    4. The local newspaper is the Tipperary Star ( d'staarr) It's
    probably best described as a Blue and Gold Edition of An Phoblacht. When D'Staar comes out, Thurles people huddle around in corners of the d'squaarur
    trying to find out what Culbaire says this week. Culbaire is a bon vivant
    and GAA critic, the Thurles equivalent of Eamon Dunphy, what he says goes, he will
    pass a judgement in all likeliness on the Dublin v. Kerry game, if you
    don't like his prediction you'll have to lump it.

    5. On the Social Front Thurles boasts three niteclubs. D'Ragg is
    about two miles at of town heading for Borris-Illeigh. D'Ragg is basically
    a large function room and Bar laid down in the middle of a sheep-field.
    The common phrase that best describes the place would be " are you going to
    the D'Ragg for a shag", you'll have to get a minibus out to it. Gerry " The
    Yank" Ryan provides the most comprehensive of public transport systems with
    his fleet of Ford Transits. In Thurles they don't speak of the Dart, but
    basically of "Getting Gerry D'Yank"

    6. The Munster Hotel is where you'll find your jail-bait, unless
    you want to be paying child-support on foot of a Mid-Western Health Board
    Order, I'd avoid the place. The other option is the controversial Hayes's
    Hotel .

    7. If someone offers to drive you to a party in Littleton, do not under any circumstances accept.

    8. Wearing a Clare Jersey around Thurles is a serious fashion
    no-no.

    9. Supermacs in d'squaarur could be a bridge too far for your
    digestive system, During one of the final Feile's I saw a Hell's Angels
    dude eating a Snack-Box in there, he spat most of the contents out, and left
    the rest, a Crusty with hawkish eyes and the style of a vulture swooped down
    at ate the remainder of the Snackbox, I've never eaten a snack-box in there
    since. Bon Appetit

    10. Finally be enjoy the game, Semple Stadium is a marvellous
    venue, the fact that it's a Big Ball encounter will mean a certain Je ne
    Sais Quoi will be lost, but fear not, you'll have had a memorable weekend win,
    lose or draw.

    -------
    'Babs Keating was arrested in Nenagh for shaking a cigarette machine, but the gardai let him off when he said he only wanted to borrow twenty players' -- Waterford fan after 2002 Munster final

    ------
    'Babs keating 'resigned' as coach because of illness and fatigue. The players were sick and tired of him' -- Offaly fan in 1998
    -------
    'You can't win derbies with donkeys' - Babs Keating before Tipp played Cork in 1990
    -----------
    A Corkmans Perspective.


    2001 will go down as a great year for the coffers of Parc Ui Chaoimh.

    Sadly, Cork's exit from the championship was premature, but it gave us time to reflect, ponder and philosophise on the hand fate dealt the rebel county. But, sure isn't it great to see the weaker counties progress and God knows we can't be winning everything: with the focus taken off the true Munster champions, it gave the red army a chance to take a step back and observe the differing characteristics of the hurling enthusiasts from the other counties, cheer on their respective teams, in their own unique way. I must apologise in advance to the folks from the other Munster counties, for concentrating the analysis on Tipp alone, but there's only so much to say, so little time etc etc.

    A large portion of those gate receipts at the park came from the premier county, as the faithful supporters had to make the trek southwards on more than one occasion. Unlike their Cork counterparts, Tipp fans, without admitting it, expect to have an early exit from the championship and so the attendance for each of the games was quite high. These trips to Cork assume the stature of a sacred pilgrimage, providing a reason to live for the Finches. The trips were etched even heavier in the calendar this year, after the foot and mouth scare curtailed the social mingling of the wellywearers at the marts. This was coupled with the heightened sense of adventure associated with "travellin' abroad" across the Cork border.

    The psychological barrier if inferiority caused many Tipp folk to equate it with an international border, and didn't they pack the passport -- just in case like -- and sure would you blame them for the excitement.

    As I write, the next trip from Tipp will be against Limerick on July 1st and no doubt, the ritualistic preparations for the big day out, will be repeated eight across Tipperary:

    Into the Cortina the following items will be flung together for the trip southwards:

    1) A large flask of tae, 20 bottles of cider, 30 bottles of porter and fifty cheese sandwiches wrapped in tin foil, to cater for the 30 or so yahoos packed into the backseat and trailer on the way down. Perish the thought of having to hand over your hard earned cash to those Cork feckers for the sake of something to ate and drink.
    2) A map written in crayon on a ten pound note, in order to direct the driver over the maximum number of humpback possible through bandit country in an effort to a) avoid the other traffic b) avoid the border police c) produce as many choruses of 'YAHOO' from the hurling helmet clad occupants each time a bridge is negotiated.
    3) A statue of John Leahy, blessed an' all, to keep the occupants safe from all harm. This particular item is not flung into the mechanically propelled vehicle, but rather carefully positioned on the centre of the bonnet and secured with an adequate supply of bailing twine; something akin to a mermaid guiding a tall ship of yester year through treacherous waters.
    4) The Babs Keating book of excuses -- this provides a healthy array of original/bizarre observations, which provide an armoury of match post-mortems for the Tipp fan before a sliotar is even struck in the game. This book assumes the mantle of the hurling Cathecism for the journey to Cork, with the classic Babs gems being learned off by heart on the trip down.

    The Cork folk will know well when the mass exodus from Tipp begins, for we have a Garda scout strategically placed in the bushes on the outskirts of Mitchelstown scanning Kilbeheny and beyond for signs of frantic scurrying, manifesting itself in a cloud of dust heavily laden with the aroma of cow dung. At the border the Red Cross will again hand out markers and blank placards to the Finches, in order to furnish them with the means to provide subtitles when communicating.

    The journey to Cork will end with a screech of brakes in the centre of the Jack Lynch tunnell and straight on with the hazards. The Cortina and trailer will be abnadoned in order to experience a leisurely stroll to the park and of course to keep the Cortina dry -- the beginning of which is rudely interupted with the inexplicable furious hooting of car horns further back in the tunnel.

    The result of the match may produce two reactions -- this is where a degree of unpredictability enters into the equation, making it slightly interesting for the locals. If Limerick prevail, it is because Tipperary was robbed; specific incidents in the match that only Tipperary people saw or can recall will be cited as examples. The fact that Limerick used two sliotars, fielded 34 players, had kidnapped the family of the referee and had the slope of the field in their favour will also be mentioned.

    If Tipp come away with the victory, all hell will break loose; the greatest team on the planet will be forever remembered in newly created ballads; tales of extraordinary heroism will be shouted from the hills, sales of glow-in-the-dark John Leahy statuettes will go through the roof and more specifically we won't hear the end of it in the canteen for weeks to come!

    Whichever way it goes, the physical aftermath will be the same:
    (i) the pond outside the Parc will have to be dredged to remove the mountains of Superquinn bags filled with empty porter bottles recently deposited there.
    (ii) the traffic chaos at the tunnel will get worse with people attempting to reverse the trailer back out the tunnel in order to get a clear run of the road on the way home.
    (iii) Aughanish Alumina will be contacted to deal with the phenomenon associated with copious amounts of rolled up tin foil deposits appearing after a championship match.

    For the red army of hurling supporters and hurlers alike, it will be a time to recharge the batteries and regroup for the next campaign, safe in the knowledge that a championship without Cork . . . "is a bit of a sham all the same, boy!"

    ---------
    When Tipperary Invented The Media Ban.
    The now defunct Irish Press ran a photograph on the front page which recorded a dust-up in the league final between Tipp and Kilkenny in 1968. The headline underneath asked: ‘is this sport?’ Later in the year as Tipp prepared for their All-Ireland final against Wexford, certain journalists were banned from Tipp training sessions. In response the NUJ instructed its members not to refer to the Tipp players by name in reports.

    ----------------
    Ken Hogan’s Boob.
    The 1993 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tipp v Galway. Although only trailing by two points the Connacht men were making little headway and as Michael McGrath lobbed a hopeful ball forward, which would drop short, Ger Canning was already bored. The current Tipp manager Ken Hogan must have taken pity on the tribesmen. The weak looping effort bounced in front of the Lorrha man and instead of coming off his chest and down to his hurl as intended it struck him on the shoulder and trickled home. Galway won.

    ------
    I'll let you know when it happens...
    Man, "My dog watches all the Tipperary games on TV. Everytime they lose, he lies down and cries his eyes out."
    Friend, "That's incredible. What does he do when they win?"
    Man, "I don't know, I'll let you know when it actually happens."


    -------------











    Tipperary Hurlers

    Taken during training for the Munster Final 2005

    The Tipp Boys are well known for their fondness for the auld sauce and this picture of Eoin Kelly during training says it all.






    Click on the picture to see it in its original size



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:30 PM

    Thursday, January 15, 2004

    General GAA Jokes

    The GAA Virus
    The Internet Viruses Council has just issued a warning which should be taken very seriously concerning viruses which may strike during the summer months - in Ireland in particular. This group of nasty viruses are referred to as "GAA computer Viruses" and are named and described as follows:-
    The Meath Virus: Throws you out of Windows.
    The Clare Virus: Memory forgets everything before 1995.
    The Kilkenny Virus: Guaranteed to hit 5 times on the 11th of September 2000.
    The Tribesman Virus : Appears and disappears on one Sunday in August.
    The Kerry Virus: Five years of hard work wiped out by undetected Offaly mail.
    The Waterford Virus: Not due to strike again for another 40 years.
    The Colin Lynch Virus: Boots up some Waterford computers and carries on as if nothing happened.
    The Ger Loughnane Virus 1: Virtually impossible to rid your PC of this one.
    The Mayo Virus Family: Always billed as harmful, but really are nothing to worry about.
    The Mick O'Dwyer Virus: Attempts to install lots of foreign programs to replace existing slow-running applications.
    The Limerick Hurling Virus: Causes problems for 65 minutes then disappears never to be seen again.
    The Babs Keating Virus: Enters a PC, attempts to delete all existing programs and reformat hard drive; when detected and removed it generates weekly log files citing errors in bits 8 to 15.
    The John Maughan Virus: System crashes in September.
    The John Leahy Virus: A particularly lethal virus. Users are advised to tie down the monitor as a precaution before approaching.
    The David Forde Virus: Hasn't been seen since the "Michael Duignan Virus Killer" was invented.
    The Michael Donnellan Virus: Attacks operating system and timekeeper and then deletes all records of this ever occurring.
    The Offaly Virus: Often looked on as a benign irritation but strikes your OS as you are about to shut down. Often results in the firing of the General Manager of your PC manufacturer.
    Ger Loughnane Virus 2: A continuous whining sound emitted from speakers, keeps generating data corruption messages, PC blows up but it won't accept any blame.
    The Martin Lynch Virus: Computer pretends to go down, but then boots back up and is OK.
    The Kieran McDonald Virus: The lights on you PC are all on but nothing works.
    The Rebel Virus: Cheats your PC at vital time, plays outside the rules every chance it gets. Anti Viral solution being worked on by Loughnane Ltd. Rebel Virus to be put down 9/7/00.

    Some useful phrases to help you understand the game of football and hurling

    Báite - eg "I gave it báite" - I put a fair bit of effort into it

    Stomached - surprised eg. "Jays, when he came up behind me I was awful stomached"

    Mighty - very good

    Hames - a right mess - eg. "he made a hames of that clearance"

    Timber - intimidation of a hurling opponent

    Welt - swing at

    Lamp - a good thump

    A Crowd – e.g. "that crowd from Ardrahan are a right shower of shites"

    Schkelp - a good thump

    Bullin' - angry. eg. "the centre half back was bullin' after I lamped him"

    Bull thick - very angry

    Joult - a push

    Joshel - a shoulder push

    The Comm-it-eeee - Local GAA bullshitters in general

    Bushted - eg. "Jayz me arm is bushted"

    Bomber - a very popular nickname for a GAA player

    A hang sangwidge - consumed with tay on the sides of roads after matches in Croker or Thurles.

    Citeog - he hit it with his citeog. ie. left handed/footed

    Warp - hit something hard as in "I'll f**kin' warp you"

    Blast - A great amount of anything.

    Rake - Also a great amount of anything, usually pints of Guinness

    A Shamozzle - a group of players shkelpin' one another but not exactly hittin' anyone at the same time!

    Flakin' - usually goes on for a whole game..... eg. "Jayz Mike Murphy gave Tony Delaney an awful flakin' below in training on Sunday". To "flake" a lad for a whole game usually starts off with a bit of the aforementioned "joshellin'" and "joultin'" and develops into a bit of "weltin'" and may even result in a good "lampin'" for the victim especially if he gets "bull thick".

    Namajaysus - What was that for, referee?

    Ya-bollix-ya - Corner back's formal recognition of a score by his opponent

    Leh-it-in-ta-fuck-would-ya - Full forward's appeal to a midfielder for a more timely delivery of the pass

    Mullocker - untidy or awkward players

    Horsed - bout of rough play or intimidatory tactics as in “we horsed them out of it

    Horse - untidy or rough player. There's one in every club ( The Legendary “Horse” Delaney)

    Row - Fight involving four or more players swinging hurleys like lunatics

    Massive Row - Row involving both team,substitutes and supporters jumping fences

    Running Row - A massive row that continues out in the parking area and/or dressing room areas

    ** Here's a few more you'd hear around Gurtagarry or Ballymackey **:

    "Come up ta F*ck"- A corner back back trying to rise the ball .

    "Lord Lantern Jaysus.." - "The next time you do that I'll f**kin kill ya"

    "a hape" - A big quantity (Heap)

    "in the paw" - To catch the ball.

    "a Brawl" - A collection of bodies in disagreement with each other.

    "a Dinger" - Usually a fast wing forward who can leave his opponent "for Dust".

    "a right C*nt" - The Ref was a bit biased towards the other team. 










    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:27 PM

    Wednesday, January 14, 2004

    Limerick County Jokes

    A new arrival in Hell was brought before the devil. The devil told his demon to put the man to work on a rock pile with a 20-pound sledge hammer in 65 degree heat with 95% humidity.
    At the end of the day, the devil went to see how the man was doing, only to find him smiling and singing as he pounded rocks. The man explained that the heat and hard labor were very similar to those on his beloved farm back in Limerick.
    The devil told his demon to turn up the heat to 120 degrees, with 100% humidity. At the end of the next day, the devil again checked on the new man,and found him still happy to be sweating and straining. The man explained that it felt like the old days, when he had to clean out his slurry pit in the middle of August on his beloved farm back in Limerick
    At that, the devil told his demon to lower the temperature for this man to -20 degrees with a 60 mph wind. At the end of the next day, the devil was confident that he would find the man miserable. The man was instead singing louder than ever,twirling the sledge hammer like a baton. When the devil asked him why, he was so happy, the man answered,

    "Cold day in hell, Limerick must have won the All Ireland.

    ----------------------


    Taken from the Examiner ... the day after the draw with Tipp on the 10th of June 2007
    Their manager Richie Bennis said afterwards that was where they rallied: “We knew the character of this team. If you’d been in the dressing room at half-time you’d see that. They made me want to hurl and I’m 62 years of age.”

    Limerick Supporters at the Munster Final 2007




    Memory Man

    An Irishman was touring the USA on holiday and stopped in a remote bar in the hills of Nevada. He was chatting to the bartender when he spied an old Indian sitting in the corner with his tribal gear on, long white plaits, and an incredibly wrinkled face.

    "Who's he?" said the Paddy.

    "That's the Memory Man." said the bartender. "He knows everything. He can remember any fact. Go on, try him out."

    So the Irishman goes over, and thinking that he won't know anything about hurling, asks "Who won the 1996 Munster Semi Final played in the Gaelic Grounds?"

    "Limerick," replies the Memory Man.
    "Who did they beat?"
    "Clare," was the reply.
    "And the score?"
    "15 points to 1-13."
    "Who scored the winning point?"
    "Ciarán Carey," was the old man's reply.

    The Irishman was knocked out by this and, when he returned home, Told all his friends and relatives about the amazing Memory Man.

    Five years later he went back to the USA and tried to find the Impressive Memory Man again. Eventually he found the bar and there, sitting in the same seat, was the Indian, looking older and even more wrinkled.

    The Irishman was delighted to see him, and, deciding to greet the Indian in his native tongue, approached him with the greeting "How".

    "Solo-run out of the half back line." replied the Memory Man.

    ---








    Burger King in Limerick City


    -------

    Limerick Again

    A scout for Patrickwell GAA club were sick of Cork Club success especially the likes of Sean Og and the Fijean connections.. He went looking for new talent in the war-torn Bosnian Region in Yugoslavia. Maybe an Irish peace keeper had taught an illegitimate son a bit of stick work, On watching a football match there one day he spots an amazing talent and resolves to take him to Ireland to play for Patrickswell and maybe Limerick. The youngster, dying to get out of his horrible existence, agrees.

    Back in Ireland that year Patrickswell and their arch rivals in Cork, Newtownshandrum are neck and neck, entering into the semi of the club championship.

    To make matters more tense, they are playing each other in the last game.

    At 15 points each going into the last minute of the game the ball drops to Slavan, Patrickswell new Bosnian prodigy, who runs past 3 Newtown players to score the winning goal. Soon after there are wild celebrations as Patrickwell celebrate their win.

    Slavan is hailed as a hero and invited by the manager to guzzle back champagne back in the dressing room with the rest of the team. But before doing this, Slavan insists that he be able to ring his mother at home to tell her the good news.

    On the phone to his mother, he says "Guess what mum, you won't believe what happened here today, we won the game and I scored the winning goal and I'm a hero....."

    His mother interrupts ".....you selfish ba*tard", she says "you are always thinking of yourself. Do you have any idea what happened to us today. Your father has been killed, your sister was taken away from us and given a good seeing to, and our house has been burnt to the ground!".

    "But Mum, your not being fair. You're acting as if all this was my fault", says Slavan.


    You're damn right it is", she replies. "It was your fu*kin' idea for us to move to Limerick....!!!"

    -------
    Open Letter Regarding Gang Warfare In Limerick
    Dear Independent,

    I do not buy your newspaper, in fact i think it is ****, but I have to agree with your recent assessment of the Limerick gang wars.

    I was born in Cork, but brought up in Moyross, one of the most notorious wastelands in Europe (weekly mortality rate 34%, apparently). According to a recent study by "The Weekly World News", it is the third most likely place in the world where you could be the victim of an alien abduction. The same article, on which you clearly base most of your information, states that "one council estate in limerick has a nuclear arsenal surpassing that of the US, Russia, and the UK combined."

    There is no question that the recent gang wars are a prelude to something greater. On the grapevine (obviously the same one as you lot are on), I have heard that one of the rival factions has a 40km2 training camp in a secret location near Fedamore. In addition, two members of the St Mary's Park gang recently visited Kazakstan and swapped 75 tons of cocaine for three nuclear warheads and a jar of smallpox.

    If I were you, I would definitely print this tomorrow in your newspaper, it's a hot story, nearly as hot as the stuff that was in it today! Of course, some of the gangs, such as the one who abducted the two brothers last week, do this purely at random. According to one report from a Web Site that is about as reputable as your newspaper, the same gang abducted 3,748 Limerick residents from their homes last week, 1,211 of whom are still missing. The Limerick authorities have contrived to keep this quiet, frightened of the "bad press". This is inexcusable when newspapers as impartial as yourselves can be relied upon to report "the action" as it happens as reliably as possible.

    You may think that my bitterness toward Limerick is unwarranted, but my personal story will prove otherwise. Having lived in Moyross for 16 years, it is hard to remember a week in which I was not stabbed, shot, or lost a loved one. From an early age, balaclava-wearing, medallion- loving gang members roam the streets, murdering, pillaging, looting. Then they go home and eat their dinner before organizing a few drive-by shootings that evening.

    In one week in early 1997, I was shot five times in one day - twice in "the Lobster Pot" (that's a fast food restaurant, not a part of my body). It is because of this that plans are afoot to give free "woundcare" to everyone within fifteen miles of Limerick.

    I suggest you go to any hardware store in Limerick and ask them what their weekly turnover on knife sales is. Then, make up a figure that suits your story... Let's say $23.5 million (always sounds more credible in dollars, doesn't it?). Then, throw in a few Libyan guerrillas, those two leading Palestine separatists who are currently in Ireland, and mention the REAL IRA a few times (everyone in Limerick is a member of the real IRA, you can even put in a special paragraph about gang members getting discounts in local Chinese restaurants, but you probably knew that already), and bingo, it's a story. Don't forget to add in the most important keywords though, namely "local", "knife", "Southill", "Prospect", "St Mary's Park area", "Moyross", "gun", and my personal favourite (well, i'm cheating here because it's an expression), "city cordoned off".

    Limerick is clearly on the brink of extinction. I have only touched the surface... I can't say anymore because I am writing this letter from an Internet Café and I have to be home before dark (Police curfew, 5:30 p.m).

    -------

    Limerick's Live 95FM

    MAL KEAVENEY


    Most likely to say: "The most versatile sportsman of them all AN OTHER is a later withdrawal from the Limerick team."

    Least likely to say: "I think this dual player thing is blown out of all proportion."

    -------
    Heard this at Mass one Sunday.

    The priest was giving the sermon and the theme was happiness and a real mad hurling man Sean was at Mass. Anyway the priest was going around the crowd and making examples of happiness....He spotted Sean in the crowd and said that happiness for Sean Sweeney would be for "Llimerick to win the All Ireland" to which Seans stood up blessed himself and said out loud "Lord Graciously hear us".

    The whole place fell apart and the priest nearly couldn't say the rest of Mass.


    -----------------

    Star Wars - Limerick Style
    Chewbacca would look roughly the same except he'd only be about 6'6 tall, from "The Ciddy" and have no name .He'd have the same amount of body hair but would also have tattoos, would permanently smell of drink and wear a leather waistcoat. LOVE and HATE would be tattooed to his knuckles. He'd work as a bouncer in Kilmurry Lodge.

    Obi-Wan Kenobi would invariably be referred to as the Big Fella . People trying to start a fight with him would refer to his mother or describe him as "you big fucking knob".

    Darth Vader would referred to as 'Buckethead' or in moments of stress 'Bucket-Headed-Langer'. He would be a member of the McCarthy family.

    Princess Leia would be called Princess Leanne and would have her hair dyed blonde since she was 12. She and her 5 year old would live in the Chicken Hut and would be a prime catch.

    R2D2 would refuse to go out on the streets after 10pm because of the number of students who would try to puke into him or tie their bicycle to him, or take him home to decorate their sitting room in Elm Park. He would also refuse to go the Ennis Road for fear of being run over by a drunken Volvo driving Ralph Lauren clad rugby player.

    Although proficient in over 3500 languages C3P0 would still be unable to understand anything anyone who worked on the DELL line said. He would be referred to in the local vernacular as "a fucking queer".

    The Millennium Falcon would have alloy wheels, no hubcaps and would often be found abandoned near the Roxboro roundabout. It would have a 2FM Abrakebabra sticker in the back window and a Supermac's 'Up Limerick!' sticker dating from 1996 on the windscreen .

    Princess Leia would get captured by Darth Vader because it's hard to run very fast when you're wearing 5inch platform heels and a tiny silver mini-skirt which keeps hiking up over your arse every two steps. Especially through piles of puke outside Supermac's. And you really want to get caught anyway. They all do .

    The best way to destroy the Death Star would not necessarily be a desperate all out attack. Two easy ways would be leave it in a kitchen in a random house in Elm Park overnight. It will either be eaten by drunken students, be fed illegal substances or simply perish from the stench.
    OR
    Put it between the Residents Association and the Students Union on Thursday of Rag Week, Abandon it outside the Chicken Hut on a Saturday night .

    Lines from the film as they would be uttered in the vernacular:-

    Han Solo "I've got a real bad feeling about this"
    Limerickese: "I's shiitin' bricks boys"

    "Bring 'em on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."
    Limerickese: " Are you lookin for a fight ?"

    "There's no mystical energy field controls my destiny."
    Limerickese: "Force. I know I'm no Fuckin student but that's a load of bollix"
    "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
    Limerickese: "Fuck what that wanker of a priest says - a knife, boys that's all you need in this town to survive!"

    Darth Vader trying to shoot down Luke Skywalker - "The Force is strong in this one"
    Limerickese: "the mouldy little slippery bollix"

    "This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade."
    Limerickese: "This can of shit is gonna get us killed ya bollix lets go rob a car in Castletroy and use that instead"

    Admiral Motti - "Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader."
    Limerickese: "You think you're that hard, ya bollix Vader so you do. We're not Fuckin scared of you."

    ( the limerick vocabulary is quite limited)

    -------------











    Limerick - your not a lady

    I have nothing against Limerick. Nacy Blake's is a top spot but its reputation is fearsome. Enough said. They know where I live.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size






    --------











    Grand Theft Auto - Limerick Style

    Nice one . some one did a bit of work here (not a limerickman obviously).


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    ------

    A Limerick Man, A Clare Man and a Tipp Man were in a bar one night having a beer. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CLARE MAN DOWNS HIS BEER, THROWS HIS GLASS IN THE AIR, PULLS OUT A GUN AND SHOOTS THE GLASS TO PIECES AND SAYS "IN CLARE OUR GLASSES ARE SO CHEAP THAT WE DON'T NEED TO DRINK FROM THE SAME ONE
    TWICE".

    THE TIPP MAN IMPRESSED BY THIS, DOWNS HIS BEER, THROWS HIS GLASS IN THE AIR, PULLS OUT HIS GUN AND SHOOTS THE GLASS TO PIECES AND SAYS "WELL IN TIPP WE HAVE SO MUCH SAND TO MAKE THE GLASSES THAT WE DON'T NEED TO DRINK
    OUT OF THE SAME GLASS EITHER".

    THE LIMERICKMAN, AS COOL AS A CUCUMBER, PICKS UP HIS BEER AND DRINKS IT.
    THROWS HIS GLASS IN THE AIR, PULLS OUT HIS GUN AND SHOOTS THE CLARE MAN AND THE TIPP MAN AND SAYS "IN LIMERICK WE HAVE SO MANY FUCKING CLARE AND TIPP MEN, WE DON'T NEED TO DRINK WITH THE SAME ONES TWICE".


    -------------
    Ouch
    During the 1997 NHL campaign Wexford and Limerick were throw together in Enniscorthy,a re-match of the 1996 All Ireland. The National Anthem was sung by an out of tune lady(very bad). On the way out after the match a Limerick supporter was heard to say

    "You think in place this size they'd have a band to play the anthem!"

    A Wexford supporter remembering that the limerick team had broken early from the parade in Croker replied,

    "You want a band? You crowd want a band?, Ye's had the best band in Ireland in September and ye's wouldn't even walk behind them". Good point!


    ------
    Tourism chiefs hit out at prank ad ridiculing Limerick
    22/08/2007
    Tourism chiefs and political leaders today rounded on pranksters behind a bogus advertisement ridiculing Limerick as a polluted, lawless and trigger-happy backwater.

    The spoof Fáilte Ireland promotion lampoons the city as an ideal destination for sightseers to watch drive-by shootings, muggings and Piebald ponies crashing through housing estates.

    Kevin Sheahan, Limerick County Council chairman, branded those behind the internet broadcast, which is being passed around the country on mobile phones, as sick.

    “The people who do this have twisted minds and it’s a case of what mad notion will they wake up with tomorrow morning,” he insisted.


    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:24 PM

    Monday, January 12, 2004

    Galway County Jokes

    Another classic I've been told involves the Ballygar-St. Brendan's hurling club in Galway where a major dispute reared it's head at the AGM. The chairman is reportedly a straight-talking bachelor of questionable diplomacy. Amidst the row, a newly appointed priest took the floor commenting on how the GAA should be a focal point for the 2 parishes, not a source of argument. He continued on about how everyone should pull together for the good of the club and see the club as a unifying force.

    The chairman stood up and said: "Thanks a lot for that now Father, but that's the kind of shoite that sickens my hole."

    -------------------------------

    Loyal GAA Supporter ....

    A primary teacher starts a new job at a school in South Roscommon and, trying to make a good impression on her first day, explains to her class that she is a Roscommon fan.

    She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Roscommon fans. Everyone in the class raises their hand except one little girl.

    The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says: "Mary, why didn't you raise your hand?"

    "Because I'm not a Roscommon fan," she replied.

    The teacher, still shocked, asked: "Well, if you're not a Roscommon fan, then who are you a fan of?"

    "I'm a Cork fan, and proud of it," Mary replied.

    The teacher could not believe her ears. "Mary, why, pray tell, are you a Cork fan?"

    "Because my Mum and Dad are from Cork, and my mum is a Cork fan and my dad is a Cork fan, so I'm a Cork fan too!"

    "Well," said the teacher, in a obviously annoyed tone, "that's no reason for you to be a Cork fan. You don't have to be just like your parents all of the time. What if your mum was a prostitute and your dad was a drug addict and car thief, what would you be then?" "Then," Mary smiled, "I'd be a Galway fan."

    -----

    Galway Bay FM

    SEÁN WALSH


    Most likely to say: "I don't want to be biased but what was the referee at there?"

    Least likely to say: "And Galway have won their second All-Ireland title in-a-row."
    --------

    Another classic I've been told involves the Ballygar-St. Brendan's hurling club in Galway where a major dispute reared it's head at the Agm. The chairman is reportedly a straight-talking bachelor of questionable diplomacy. Amidst the row a newly appointed priest took the floor commenting on how the GAA should be a focal point for the 2 parishes, not a source of argument. He continued on about how everyone should pull together for the good of the club and see the club as a unifying force.
    The chairman stood up and said 'Thanks a lot for that now Father, but that's the kind of shite that sickens my hole'.

    ----

    Last year Cork Galway Hurling playoff in Thurles - the Rock was marking one Eugene Cloonan, and the Rock was giving it loads, facing off with Cloonan etc etc anyway Cloonan got away from Scully and a woman behind me roars "Jesus Christ Diarmuid, what are ya at bhoy? 'sur yer only marking a baby" - well ye had to be there


    --
    "Sylvie Linnane would start a riot in a graveyard" -- Tipp fan on the Galway legend.

    -----

    "Whenever a team loses, there's always a row at half time but when they win, it's an inspirational speech" -- John O'Mahony.


    --------


    posted April 26, 2004 02:08 PM
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Got this emailed to me today...dunno if ye have heard it before, well here it goes....

    ---------
    A young woman in Galway was so depressed that she decided to end
    her life by throwing herself into the Atlantic Ocean.

    She went down to the docks and was about to leap into the freezing
    water when a young sailor saw her tottering on the edge of the pier,
    crying. He took pity on her and said, "Look, you have so much to live for.
    I'm off to America in the morning, and if you like, I can stow you away on my ship. I'll take good care of you and bring you food every day." Moving
    closer, he slipped his arm round her shoulder and added, I'll keep you happy,
    and you'll keep me happy."

    The girl nodded Yes, After all, what did she have to lose? Perhaps a
    fresh start in America would give her life new meaning. That night, the
    sailor brought her aboard and hid her in a lifeboat. From then on, every
    night he brought her three sandwiches and a piece of fruit, and they made passionate
    love until dawn. Two weeks later, during a routine inspection, she was discovered by The captain.

    "What are you doing here?" the captain asked.
    "I have an arrangement with one of the sailors," she explained.
    "I get food and a trip to America, and he's screwing me."
    "He certainly is," the captain said. This is the Arran Islands Ferry."

    -----------------------


    Here is the tale of one Killererin corner forwards meeting with one
    Noel Tierney (Galways legendry three in a row full back) in a club match
    back in the sixties.

    Kilererin fella: "Well I was after scoring two points off me man and
    Tierney, who was full back didn't like it one bit. Tierney says anyways
    to the corner back "Will ya don't be lettin' him in like that again!" But
    byjaysus the next time I got the ball didn't I skin the corner back
    again.

    As soon as I was around him I remember Noel Tierney coming towards me
    with a shoulder. Next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital!"

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:22 PM

    Saturday, January 10, 2004

    Pat Spillane Quotes

    They have a forward line that couldn't punch holes in a paper bag. Pat Spillane on the Cavan Team.

    The first half was even, the second half was even worse. - Pat Spillane reflects on an Ulster Championship clash.

    You get more contact in an old-time waltz at the old-folks' home than in a National League final. - Pat Spillane

    Pat Spillane, Colm O'Rourke & Jarlath Burns...
    Pat Spillane, Colm O'Rourke, and Jarlath Burns are standing before
    God at the throne of Heaven.
    God looks at them and says; "Before granting you a place at my side, I
    must first ask you what you believe in."
    Addressing Colm O'Rourke first, he asks "What do you believe?"
    O'Rourke looks God in the eye,and states passionately,"I believe
    Gaelic football to be the food of life. Nothing else brings such
    unbridled joy to so many people, from the slums of East Tyrone, to the
    kingdom of Kerry. I have devoted my life to bring such joy to those
    people who stood on the terraces supporting their club and county"
    God looks up and offers Colm the seat to his left.
    He then turns to Jarlath Burns. "And you, Mr Burns. What do you
    believe?"
    Jarlath stands tall and proud, "I believe courage, honour and passion
    are the fundamentals to life, and I've spent my whole playing career
    providing a living embodiment of these traits".
    God, moved by the passion of the speech offers Jarlath the seat to his
    right.
    Finally, he turns to Pat Spillane. "And you, Mr Spillane. What do you
    believe"
    "I believe", says Pat, "that you're in my seat".


    ----------------------------------------
    Dabollix Spillane
    One of the top attackers of all time , a true wizard with both foot and mouth , as Michael O'Heir said "A bamboozling bit of football from Dabollix Spillane". Another great GAH author his first book "Shooting from The Lip" sold out all 15 copies in the first year mainly to members of the greatest football team in the history of sport of which Pat of course was a leading member. Has made a great career after he retired in analysising the 31 weaker counties in the championship. Shoots from the hip and lip. His mother is an Olympic sprinter and is in altitude training on Mt Brandon getting ready for Athens. A great medal hope , Maurice Green better pack the nappies. The only man in Kerry with a personalised PO box ,Dabollix Co Kerry . His second book "****eing from D'arse" is on hold until after the Olympics where there will be a special chapter about his ma.


    A certain Kerrymans diary
    Extracts from a GAA Pundits diary ( this is anentirely fictionalcharacter and any similarities with any individual, living or dead, are completely coincidental).

    Day 1

    Another Monday, another cheque in the back pocket from RTE thanks to my witty, outrageous and controversial 'Monday Feedback' corner on the Monday Game. The moneys good but it would want to be - dragging me up to this shitheap every week away from my beautiful Kingdom. On the upside though, I was backstage in 'makeup' this evening, when who should walk in but Sharon Ni Bheoilan, the chick from the News I wouldn't mind going up for a 50/50ball with her-if you catch my meaning. I think I'll give her a signed copy of my excellent autobiography that usually has the babes begging for some Kingdom-Love.

    I don't know why I have to go into makeup anyway-they usually sit me beside those gobshites O'Rourke and Lyster in the studio - sure no makeup could clean those two cunts up -especially O'Rourke, the fuckwit looks like some horrible genetic experiment gone wrong. I read through my emails, phonecalls and letters - you know I don't like Clare fuckers but that psycho Loughnane made one good point in his life - its only nutters that bother ringing into these programs they should get a life - in fact I think I'll bring that into my rant this evening.

    Joe Brolly is the other guest tonight, the nordy cunt. Thinks he's as outspoken as me, what the fuck would he know - with only one All-Ireland to his name Lyster that smarmy bollix seems to like him though I don't trust that fucker Apparently Brolly is a barrister . What kind of nordy Catholic is a barrister? an orange one I'd say. He'll take some watching

    Day 2:

    - a few days later Its great being a GAA pundit - spout some shite a couple of times a week and laugh all the way to the bank. Take today for instance, I was sitting in the jacks having a nice dump when all of a sudden I remember 'shit I have to have my Sunday Worst column submitted by this evening'. Its fucking demeaning to have to write for that rag, what do they know about the beautiful sport of Gaelic Football anyway the shower of jackeen bastards?

    Anyway, back to the column - I write a splendid piece of prose about how great the Munster Final is when its Cork and Kerry competing and those inbreds in Clare and Tipp are knocked out. I suppose I'll be getting death threats from the Clare cunts again - they're so fucking touchy. They know they have no right to be even on the same pitch as the mighty, majestic is provoke, to analyse, to spout shit - and I do it so well.

    Day Number 3 Back on the Monday Game for the 'Feedback' slot. No sign of Sharon in makeup, pity. Brolly comes into the studio - he's becoming a bit of a fixture around here. I start whistling 'The Sash' - I think it throws him off his stride a bit. Lyster brought up the subject of Offaly football. Offaly -those cheating bastards - I'll never forgive them for '82, scum - thats all they are.

    I tell the nation what I feel - shoot from the hip. Brolly tries to cut across me, tell him to shut up, he hasn't got enough All-Ireland medals to interrupt me. After the show, he won't talk to me - what would you expect from an Orange bastard?

    Day4 I met Micko the other day. Kildare are out (not fucking suprising really, the shower of cripples)and he's contemplating his future. All the papers were saying he was the greatest football manager of all time. In fairness its easy to be a good manager when you havethe greatest player ever to grace a sports pitch of any description on your side.

    I told his so aswell - I said'Mick, I'm the reason we won so much, not your fucking training routines and diets - what good did they do Kildare? You had to bring that useless garsoon offspring of yours up there with you and he was their best player'. We parted company - I meeting Micko, we have great chats.



    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:12 PM

    Friday, January 09, 2004

    Micheal O Muircheartaigh

    Pat fox has it on his hurl and is motoring well now...but here comes Joe Rabitte hot on his tail...Ive seen it all now: a rabbit chasing a fox around croke park. MICHAEL O MUIRCHEARTAIGH

    Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh masterpieces
    "Anthony Lynch the Cork corner back will be the last person to let you down - his people are undertakers"
    "... and Brian Dooher is down injured. And while he is, i'll tell ye a little story. I was in Times' Square in New York last week, and I was missing the Championship back home. So I approached a newsstand and I said 'I suppose ye wouldn't have the Kerryman would ye?' To which, the Egyptian behind the counter turned to me and he said 'do you want the North Kerry edition or the South Kerry edition?'... he had both...so I bought both. And Dooher is back on his feet..."
    "I saw a few Sligo people at Mass in Gardiner street this morning and the omens seem to be good for them, the priest was wearing the same colours as the Sligo jersey! 40 yards out on the Hogan stand side of the field Ciaran Whelan goes on a rampage, its a goal. So much for religion."
    Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. Its over the bar. This man shouldn't be playing football. He's made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn't kick points like Colin Corkery.
    "1-5 to 0-8.. well from Lapland to the Antarctic, that's level scores in any man's language".
    "Pat Fox has it on his hurl and is motoring well now ... but here comes Joe Rabbitte hot on his tail ...... I've seen it all now, a Rabbitte chasing a Fox around Croke Park!"
    "I see John O Donnell dispensing water on the sideline. Tipperary, sponsored by a water company. Cork Sponsored by a tae company. I wonder will they meet later for afternoon tae."
    "Teddy looks at the ball, the ball looks at Teddy"
    "Danny "The Yank" Culloty. He came down from the mountains and hasn't he done well"
    "He grabs the sliotar, he's on the 50......he's on the 40......he's on the 30..........................he's on the ground"
    "In the first half they played with the wind. In the second half they played with the ball". "He kicks the ball lan san aer, could've been a goal, could've been a point.............it went wide."
    "Stephen Byrne with the puck out for Offaly....Stephen, one of 12......all but one are here to-day, the one that's missing is Mary, she's at home minding the house.....and the ball is dropping i lar na bpairce...."
    "Pat Fox out to the forty and grabs the sliothar, I bought a dog from his father last week. Fox turns and sprints for goal, the dog ran a great race last Tuesday in Limerick. Fox to the 21 fires a shot, itgoes to the left and wide..... and the dog lost as well"
    "Sean Og o Hailpin.... his father's from Fermanagh, his mother's from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold"
    "Teddy McCarthy to John McCarthy, no relation, John McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation "

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:11 PM

    Thursday, January 08, 2004

    Cork County Jokes

    January / February 2008 - Strike Jokes

    The continuing controversy raging in the Rebel County took on a new twist today ahead of the now in doubt first National League match scheduled for this weekend. In an alleged statement released just after lunchtime the Cork Senior Inter County Footballers and Hurlers have indicated that they would retake the playing field in the red jersey if the following ten conditions were met;

    1. All inter-county players receive an apology from the Cork County Board for the embarrassment caused to the People of Cork for this "Laurel & Hardy" mess.

    2. That all Cork matches home and away are played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and no away supporters allowed admission to the ground.

    3. The GAA rename the Sam Maguire Cup the Jack Lynch Cup.

    4. The Kerry football team will play in the Ulster Championship instead of the Munster championship.

    5. The Cork Hurling team get automatic qualification to the All-Ireland semi-final every year, with the Leinster winner (i.e. Kilkenny) on the opposite side of the draw.

    6. The sixth condition has been omitted for fear of any future litigation proceedings....

    7. The government declare Cork city the official Capital of Ireland.

    8. All future managers of the Cork teams have to undergo rigorous Psychological Assessment & in-depth Personality Profiling to see if they are up to the job. (This will take the form of having to spend hours locked in a room listening to Donal Og Cusack & Sean Og OHalpin, if they survive this they will be considered)

    9. Each player is to get 4 packets of Walkers Cheese & Onion and 2 bottles of 7-up after each match.

    10. Frank M. is to keep his job if he desists with the embarrassing comb-over.

    The Labour Relations Chief Executive allegedly commented that "these demands seemed reasonable but that the only sticking point could be Frank M.'s hair"
    -----------------------

    Ross O'Carroll-Kelly was asked about the strike at the weekend and replied something like 'Roy Keane, Peter Stringer and now this shower, the only way they make sporting headlines nowadays is when they AREN'T playing'.

    ---------------------------
    the cork players released a statement thanking liverpool f.c for supporting their strike by not playing foootball during the month of janurary!

    ----------------------

    Frank Murphy was in hospital for a circumscision, the surgeon stopped after an hour saying 'there's no end to this langer'

    ----------------------

    The pope has declared Cork to be holiest county in Ireland.He was amazed when they even gave up hurling and football for Lent!

    ----------------------
    Field to let Summer 2008 for hay or silage. Contact Frank Murphy at Pairc Ui Caoimh.”

    ---------------

    According to The Said who provided the image it seems the Cork strike it affecting Corks youngest supporters the most.



    ---------------------------




    Cork Sportsmanship



    GIFT GRUB...WATERFORD V CORK
    Press Play Below -
    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RUNJA6RD



    share your files at box.net


    Taken from the front page of the Irish Times the Monday after the Cork V Kerry Championship Semi-Final







    Ouch. Seamus Moynihan bites while Brendan Jer O' Sullivan Gouges



    He's as useless as a back pocket in a vest. - Kerry fan on Colin Corkery.

    Colin Corkery is deceptive. He's slower than he looks. - Kerry fan

    --------




    The Scene: John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson sitting in car talking
    (Pulp Fiction music fades off...)

    S: Ok, so tell me again about the Corkonians

    J: Whaddya wanna know?

    S: Beastiality is legal there right?

    J: Yeah, its legal but it ain't a 100% legal. I mean you can't just walk into a field, pick up a sheep and start pumpin' away. They want you to shag sheep in your home or certain designated places.

    S: And those are valleys?

    J: Ok, it breaks down like this: its legal to buy a sheep, its legal to own a sheep and if you're a farmer its legal to sell or loan sheep, its ILLEGAL to **** sheep in public but...but...but that doesn't matter 'cos, getta loada this, the police in Cork are too stupid to notice you've got a sheep hanging off your dick. I mean that's the intellect the police in Cork DON'T have.

    S: Arrr man. I'm not goin', that's all there is too it, I'm never ****in' goin'.

    J: Nah man, you'd hate it the most. But do know what the funniest thing about Cork is?

    S: What?

    J: Its the little differences, I mean they got the same kinda people over there as we got here, but there they're a little different.

    S: Example.

    J: Ok. You can walk into a Movie theatre in Cork city and order a lump of manure, and I'm not talkin' about no paper cup, I'm talkin' about a LUMP of manure. And in Middleton you can buy manure in MacDonalds. Do you know what they call a 1/4 pounder with cheese in Cork?

    S: They don't call it a 1/4 pounder with cheese?

    J: Nah man, they don't have fractions, they wouldn't know what the **** a 1/4 pounder is.

    S: So whadda they call it?

    J: A (assumes Cork accent) -Hang end Cheese Sangwhichch-.

    S: A Hang end Cheese Sandwichch?

    J: That's right.

    S: And whadda they call a Big Mac?

    J: A Big Macs a Big Mac but there they call it a Big Mecc liiiiike(accent again).

    S: (immitating accent badly) A Bich Mechch liiiike?

    J: Ha ha ha

    S: Whadda they call a Whopper?

    J: I don't know, I didn't go into Burger King....... Do you know what they put on French Fries in middleton instead of ketch-up?

    S: What?

    J: Manure.

    S: Arrr man...

    J: I,ve seen 'um do it man, they ****in' drown 'um in that ****.

    ----

    Cork Valentine
    Oh my love, my sweet old doll,
    As I sit here with this glass of methanol,
    I think of the days you held my hand,
    As we fought together at Burgerland.
    The girl you attacked you fought with grace,
    So well with bottles you slashed her face,
    Stamped on her head with your shiny heels,
    Stole her money, lipstick and deals.
    My love for you is like a bomb,
    The way you gurn just turns me on,
    When you dance around my mates,
    I love the way your jaw rotates.
    Your gorgeous eyes, each like a balloon,
    The smell of vics and not perfume
    And when you black out, I'm always there,
    Rubbing your shoulders and massaging your hair.

    One perfect evening down Carey's Lane,
    My headphones whispered the Ball'n'Chain,
    You pushed me up against the door,
    You said 'come on!' and we hit the floor.

    But your gut fell out and it made me mad,
    'When did this happen and who's the dad?'
    'Well I guess' you said 'that could be tricky'
    'Cos it could be Blades, Dan, Mick or Dricky,
    Sully, Maca, Brick or Slasher,
    Sausage, Pudding, Eggs, or Rasher.

    Besides where do you think I got the cash,
    For all those crates and bales of hash,
    Oh I'm sorry I didn't realise,
    And in my heart I appologise,

    And for a second my heart, it skipped a beat.
    And using a Dunnes Bag for a sheet,
    We cuddled together 'till we heard a Postman say,
    "C'mere ye two !...ye're in me way !"

    But up you jumped and being so wise,
    You scratched his face and scrawled his eyes,
    Grabbed his bag, away you ran,
    Still clutching close your Bulmer's can.

    But now you're somewhere far away,
    I hope again we'll meet someday,
    Despite the conviction and doing time,
    I hope you'll still be my Valentine.


    -----

    Cork 103FM County Sound

    PAUDIE PALMER


    Most likely to say: "The fat lady can start singing"

    Least likely to say: "And the score line is.........."


    Cork 103FM County Sound

    JOHN CASHMAN


    Most likely to say: "The referee offers a shrill blast of the whistle."

    Least likely to say: "Liverpool are losing cross channel in the Premiership."


    -------

    Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh Masterpieces

    "Anthony Lynch the Cork corner back will be the last person to let you down - his people are undertakers"

    Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. Its over the bar. This man shouldn't be playing football. He's made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn't kick points like Colin Corkery

    "I see John O Donnell dispensing water on the sideline. Tipperary, sponsored by a water company. Cork Sponsored by a tae company. I wonder will they meet later for afternoon tae."

    "Teddy looks at the ball, the ball looks at Teddy"

    Sean Og o Hailpin.... his father's from Fermanagh, his mother's from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold"


    ."Teddy McCarthy to John McCarthy, no relation, John McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation "


    "He's like Lazarus; but Lazarus didn't have such a sweet right boot" -- Micheal O'Muircheartaigh on Colin Corkery.


    ------

    Bizare Moments

    When Cork Shagged Off To The Train Station!
    A Dublin v Cork Football League Semi-Final (1987) which ended in a draw. Over the PA it had been announced that extra time would be played. Cork however headed for the train station insisting that they had their tickets bought. Dublin lined out for the extra period, the ball was thrown in and Dublin sauntered down the field was the easiest goal Barney Rock ever scored. For once Frank Murphy failed to get his way in the smoky committee rooms.


    The Three Stripes Affair.

    Before the Munster Football Final (1976) Cork were generously offered a set of Adidas jerseys. The sight of the logo sent county board officials into convulsions and with a mere twenty minutes before the throw-in tape was being attached to the cloth while officials pleaded unsuccessfully with the players to wear the traditional blood and bandage.


    You’re Off!

    Changes in GAA refereeing legislation always ensure pandemonium. 1999 saw the introduction of the modern red card/yellow card ‘cautioning’ system. The interpretation of Cork ref Niall Barrett left a lot to be desired in a Leinster championship tie between Carlow and Westmeath. Barrett dished out fourteen yellow cards and gave six the line, four from Carlow.

    Two Yellows You’re Off!
    All-Ireland Minor Football Semi-Final (2000) Cork v Derry. Cork midfielder Kieran Murphy received two yellows but Roscommon referee Gerry Kinneavy neglected to send him off. Quick to notice the mistake the Cork bench substituted Murphy and proceeded to win the game. The miss was of course highlighted to the referee in the aftermath, Frank Murphy however arrived into the Cork dressing room and instructed them not to worry about anything and to prepare for the final as best they could, and he would ‘sort it out.’ The Cork minors went on the win the All-Ireland.

    The Kerry Family Jewels.
    The Munster Football Final between Cork and Kerry and centre back Conor Counihan takes it upon himself to feel up Jack O’Sé’s privates, Vinny Jones style, and on live TV too. A near riot ensued with the Bomber Liston distinguishing himself with the haymakers he delivered in the ensuing melée.

    ---------

    Quote from Donal Og Cusack
    It is a tight, clannish place. Big families were common in Cloyne one time and many of them didn't look beyond Cloyne to marry. "The way it is in Cloyne," says Cusack, "nearly everyone is related to each other some way."
    Don't believe it? Click here!

    Quote from Seanie McGrath
    "I never followed the Glen when I was growing up, but there was something mystical and magical about the name," McGrath says. "You hear people talking about the spirit of the Glen and it's all true. Like, it was great for me when I got to about 18 to be training with Tomas Mulcahy and Kieran McGuckian and John Fitzgibbon, all Cork players. I was a big John Fitzgibbon fan. I remember one night doing press-ups at training and Fitzgibbon was holding my legs. I nearly had an orgasm. It was unbelievable."
    ------------------------

    Southern Men on the march
    A word of warning to those disgusted by alleged Cork triumphalism: leave town. The men from the Deep South are on the way.

    In terms of ramblin', rovin', courtin', sportin' and suckin' black porter, the hurling fans are merely coy debutantes in comparison with the Cork football fan.

    The Cork hurling fans are mainly drawn from the city. They have managed to acquire a thin veneer of civilisation. The football fans are true Corkmen, drawn from the wider county and the Beara Peninsula in particular.

    We will be here next week and, let me tell you, we are determined to wrest the crown of most-hated county back from those halfbreeds from Meath.

    The question here is: why do Cork people get under your skin?

    Let's take a look at the place itself. The city of Cork is a double-sided, mixumgatherum sweep of humanity on the south coast. To look at it, you would think it was like any other town of comparable beauty and aspect. Monte Carlo, Florence or maybe Ancient Troy.

    Such architectural riches should not on their own account for the massive begrudgery shown to Cork.

    Nor should the beauty and character of its women though this is, it must be said, considerable.

    So what is it?

    The word arrogance surfaces again and again. Last week on the radio a Corkman went through the impressive list of recent plunderings.

    The All-Ireland, obviously, the All Ireland rugby league, the Rose of Tralee, the Tidy Towns, the UEFA Champions League.

    And you think this is arrogance? Nonsense! For heaven's sake he didn't even mention Montenotte's Patricia Carey, who last week clinched the All Ireland Garden Award!

    The anti-Cork feeling would seem to be - like many of history's most heinous diversions - rooted in nothing but misinformation and the false pleasure of fuzzy malice.

    "I hope ye're crowd don't win the double or ye'll be unbearable".

    I have heard that sentence - or similar sentiments - dozens of times since the proud Rebel Gael lowered the colours of the Pale's representatives last Sunday in the hurling final.

    Over the past 10 years quaint little counties such as Clare and Donegal have won All-Ireland titles. They are treated with indulgence. Rural halfwits entitled to a day out in the Smoke.

    When Cork win something we are expected to go back on the next train.

    The problem for Dubs is that Cork people don't treat them with the respect they think they deserve.

    Some poor slob from Carlow will come to Dublin and act like it's a strange place. He will be unsure of himself, know that he's an outsider.

    Someone from Cork will come and treat Dublin as the capital of his country. It belongs to the nation.

    That, to many Dubs, is a touch too familiar.

    The problem is not that Cork people are arrogant - their problems are far more complex than that, boy - it's just that Dubs have a leadership complex. They think because they have a Dart and a pipe to the Kinsale gas field they are born leaders.

    What amuses me most is the little Dub who considers that he has a greater historical claim on the capital than the Corkman.

    His forebears probably ran errands for the British army and tugged their scrawny little moustaches deferentially at their superiors, yet he thinks he owns the place.

    Let me not suggest that Corkmen are all made of good stuff. As the venerable Tom Barry, IRA general and master tactician, once said of the inhabitants of Skibbereen, "its inhabitants were a race apart from the sturdy people of west Cork. They were different, and with a few exceptions were spineless . . .

    "If Satan himself appeared in the Skibbereeen of 1920-21, the great majority would doff their hats to him, and if he wagged his tail once in anger he was sure to be elected high in the poll to the Skibbereeen District Council".

    But does the fact that Satan is a Skibbereen man not prove that God is indeed a rebel?
    ------------









    They killed KILL-Kenny

    Its a well known fact that every Cork man worth his salt hates Kilkenny.


    Click on the picture to see it in its original size















    Cork Slang

    I must add a few sites relating to Cork Slang. Beamish has a nice site. Another Good Site here and its excellent.

    Click on the picture to see it in its original size





    -----------
    Don't take the...
    A hurling fan is caught speeding on a motorway and when pulled over is asked to take a breathaliser test, he refuses and shows the officer a card with "asthmatic, no breath tests allowed", so the officer asks him for a blood test and once again, the man shows a card saying "diabetic, no blood tests allowed. Then, the officer tells him to take a urine test and the man pulls out a card sying "Cork Langer, don't take the p*#s!!!"


    -----

    Couldn't Risk It
    There were three men in the labour ward waiting room at the Hospital: a Waterfordian, a Nigerian and a Corkonian, all of which were waiting for their babies to be delivered.
    The nurse runs frantically in and says, 'I've got good & bad news... the good news is that all the babies are OK... the bad is there's been a mix-up.... we don't know which baby is which!!!'
    So the Waterfordian runs in and grabs the black baby and legs it.... After a few days, after the heat had died down and the mixup was sorted out, the Waterfordian was relaxing with his wife and new baby.
    She said, 'So, why did ya take de black baby boy, boy?'
    'coz dayer was a mix-up and I could'nt risk taking home a Langer!!!'

    ------

    Cork Fans

    Satellite News Channel interview with Euro 2004 fans in Lisbon...
    The reporter asked one man if he was disappointed that England had lost.
    The man replied, "Not at all, I'm Irish, I'm from Cork".
    The reporter then asked, "But would you not support England when Ireland are not in the competition?"
    The man replied "Jaysus no way".
    Reporter: "Why not?"
    Man: "800 years of oppression!!"
    Reporter: "Is there ever any time you would support England?"
    Man: "Maybe if they were playing Kilkenny!!!"

    The reporter handed back to the studio with a puzzled look on his face.
    He just didn't seem to get it



    -----

    There's a joke told by Corkmen of their All-Ireland Final victory over Offaly in 1984. It's not the funniest one ever told, it wouldn't even rank in the top three, but it shows how the rebels rate their hurlers.

    The final was held in Thurles that year to mark the GAA's centenary but the celebrations went a bit pear shaped when the match deteriorated into a rout. In an effort to make a contest of it, so the story goes, Cork offered to field just two players for the second half. Seanie O'Leary and Jimmy Barry-Murphy were chosen - the rest retired to Hayes Hotel to get the celebrations going.

    Later that evening Seanie and Jimmy strolled into Hayes to find the party going hell for leather and their comrades feeling no pain.

    "Well", said Tom Cashman, "how much did we win by?"

    "We lost by a point," came the answer.

    There was stunned silence.

    "Lost by a point, how in the Jaysus did that happen?" another asked.

    "Two minutes after the restart, Seanie was sent off," Barry-Murphy explained.

    ----------

    Dating is a mare!!! and friends r even worse



    In this desert of love, of lonely sand,
    No opportunity to drop the hand
    I've searched Havana's, every nook and cranny,
    But not once did I get near any Leeside fanny,
    I even tried Reardons and paid loads for drink,
    Yet no sign of anything remotely pink,
    I've kept up with fashion and subscribed to Vogue,
    But it counts for little at 2 outside the Bróg,
    Hoping for a hand job or a glimpse of boob,
    Waiting for flahs pouring out of The Qube,
    Hoping I'd get one home to shunt,
    But they're always with some rugby kunt.
    Some stupid rich boy "full of promise",
    Letting everywan know his shirt is Brown Thomas.
    Off to score down outside the Triskel,
    Secretly dreaming they're with Brian O'Driscoll.
    Praising his game and how against the French he ran,
    Before showing Brian how to become a man....

    So last New Years Eve I made a pact,
    And to be fair the odds against me were stacked,
    But I'm sick of trying to find a daycint beour,
    Tired of nights without any hint of score,
    I gat loads of beer and make my wish,
    But next morning there's no smell of fish,
    No smell of sweaty filthy sex,
    No result from aul dolls I tried to text,
    So I made a decision - the plan t'was good,
    And I'd have to keep it secret as best as I could,

    If the lads found out I'd be up for a baitin'
    But I decided to try the aul speed datin'.

    II
    Now I've googled "love" and searched for dates,
    (Loads of results if you live in the States)
    But not much for Cork cos we're not too vocal,
    Lest Saturday night when you're off down the local,
    Some feen whips out a page from the net and howls,
    "Look what I found on this website full of gowls!"
    Your mugshot, profile and desires so humble,
    Looking for love but those secrets now crumble.
    So I found a night where I was told I could mingle,
    Where every old doll in the room would be single,
    Princesses, angels, models, cailíns,
    All looking great and all gagging for feens.

    III
    So Valentines Night I got dressed up to the nines,
    Got to the Hotel and followed the signs,
    Into a room full of feens looking quite swanky,
    Not a sovereign in sight, no shams looking cranky,
    I downed a few shorts to take the edge off me nerves,
    Talked about football and Jordan's new curves,
    Then they opened the doors and called us together,
    There were loads of old dolls on seats made of leather,
    I checked my number - and lamped up the room,
    There she was - with a head full of gloom.
    IV
    Her clothes were all black and her make up was white,
    When I moved the chair she jumped up with the fright,
    "Narnia's my name" she said with aggression,
    Not the ideal start to this session.
    "I'm not your average girly" she said with a grin,
    As I noticed some hair growing under her chin.
    I stated me name and Narnia started spewing,
    All her problem's poured out and on gum she kept chewing,
    "I killed my pet hamster when I was just three,
    Wrapped him in a Dunnes bag and threw him into the Lee,
    After that things got better, my mind became level,
    But I'm still convinced my hamster was in league with the devil. "
    I nodded politely, afraid now to speak,
    I was starring straight into the eyes of a freak.



    V
    The next beour I came to appeared fairly normal,
    Her face was quite pretty and her dress sense informal,
    We chatted about life then she asked me a question:
    Where had I qualified to practice my profession,
    "Which medical school did you attend?" she inquired.
    For some reason she thought I was a doctor - it transpired!
    "Sorry luv, I'm a sparky" I replied to her error,
    To which she jumped up and announced there in terror:
    "You mean you tie people down and apply electric shock?!"
    I held up my hands so all her glug I could block,
    She bolted for the door without allowing me to reply,
    No rational explanation, no chance to bid her goodbye.


    VI
    The third girl was unique in the way she was dressed,
    Her hands inside her garment - a very tight vest....
    She seemed very quiet but at the same time quite cute,
    She said she had morphine and this made her mute,
    I suppose if you don't drink you have to take something,
    Before this at the bar - sure the aul vodkas I was pumping!
    I said "don't be nervous I think you look great
    What did you say you're name was? Catherine or Kate?"
    When I looked at her again she had collapsed in a heap,
    She found me so boring she had fallen asleep!

    VII
    What was story? I just couldn't compete,
    I left for the local to confess my defeat,
    When I walked in the door the boys were all hushed,
    Did they know that tonight all my spirit was crushed?
    "C'mere how were the quare wans?", Sully says with a grin,
    "Did you know you took a wrong turn there when you went in?!
    We were watching The Reds and the Gunners in the bar,
    And saw you all spruced up - getting' out of your car,
    We found out your agenda - we knew some of the staff,
    So we ran round and changed all the signs for the laugh,

    You're away with the birds kid - you weren't paying much attention,
    Sure it wasn't the speed dating you were at boy t'was the Psychiatric
    Convention! "
    -----------------------
    .


    Tags: Cork County Jokes, Cork, GAA, Gaelic Games, quotes, humour, humor, Hurling, Gaelic football

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 3:09 PM

    Wednesday, January 07, 2004

    Meath County Jokes

    Are Meath back, selector Dudley Farrell was asked after the 2007 Champioship Draw (14 points to Dublin's 1-11 on June 3rd, 2007) with Dublin. "We're not there yet," he said amiably. "We're getting there slowly. Like Iarnród Éireann."





    I say no more ... Meath Jerseys .. feckin amadans



    =============


    Meath players like to get their retaliation in first. - Cork fan in 1988.

    Meath make football a colorful game - you get all black and blue. -
    Another Cork fan.

    The rules of Meath football are basically simple: if it moves, kick it; if it doesn't move, kick it until it does. - Tyrone fan after a controversial All-Ireland semi-final.

    MEATH JOKES
    Q. Did you hear the Post Office just recalled their latest stamps? A. They had pictures of Meath players on them and people couldn't figure out which side to spit on.

    Q. What's the difference between a dead dog in the road and a dead Meath fan in the road? A. There are skid marks in front of the dog.

    Q. What do you have when 100 Meath fans are buried up to their neck in sand? A. Not enough sand. Q. What do Meath fans use for birth control? A. Their personalities.

    Q. You're trapped in a room with a tiger, a rattlesnake, and a Meath fan. You have a gun with two bullets. What should youdo? A. Shoot the Meath fan - twice.

    Q. What's the difference between the Meath goalie and Pamela Anderson? A. Pamela's only got two tits in front of her.


    -----
    They shot the wrong Micheal Collins - Ollie Murphy to referee Micheal Collins after Donegal beat Meath in last year's championship.

    ------
    LMFM

    KEVIN MALLON


    Most likely to say: "Ollie Murphy is after throwing so many dummies, you wouldn't see the likes in a crèche."

    Least likely to say: Anything that sounds like Michael Ó Muircheartaigh.

    ---------


    Boylan, you've won nothing since drug testing came in! - Westmeath fan in 2003

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:56 PM

    Tuesday, January 06, 2004

    Mickey Harte

    Moaners should take a hop; Harte should take a bow

    IT MUST be strange being Mickey Harte. Must be disorienting. You've just moved from wise-guys joking about how well you do to fit in football between song contests, to facing a future of strangers jabbing at you with
    crucifixes. In one day, you've turned from a dreamer into something scaly with a forked tail.

    People are pointing. Phone-ins are steaming. Your life has changed utterly in 80 garbled minutes. You've ruined football, you see. You've taken niceplayers and re-invented them as people who would body-check their own mothers. Face it Mickey. You've turned Tyrone from a temptress into a jezebel.

    If football was meant to be played like this, we'd reduce pitches to the size of tennis courts. We could give players those gridiron shoulder pads. And helmets too. We could get the goalkeepers to go sell popcorn (they're not really needed in this new game). We could make a ball optional. Likewise a referee. And, for safety reasons, we could sell welders' goggles to the punters. Mickey, Mickey, Mickey . . . how could you?

    One television pundit apparently christened it "puke football" on Sundayevening. And, no doubt, Kerry people everywhere howled agreement. But it's a funny thing that. The only patently violent acts of the entire game were the punches thrown by a Kerry back at Stephen O'Neill just after the resumption and by a Kerry fan at Páidí Ó Sé right at the death. Tyrone didn't beat up anyone. They just squeezed the game so tight that Kerry had no room to play and, ultimately, no appetite. I read over the weekend where Harte said that he didn't "like playing for fun". And that was writ large across his team. They were solemn and, occasionally, unscrupulous. And they didn't give a curse for anyone thinking this should be opera.

    Mickey Harte clearly knows how history judges people. He knows the team of '86 was nicer on the eye. He knows that McKenna could have imparted elegance to a mud-wrestle; that O'Hagan's dash was truly thrilling; that McGarvey, Lynch, McCabe and Donaghy all had the aura of authentic stars. He certainly knows the team of '95 should have nailed this thing long before him. When 17 players contribute a grand total of 0-1 between them in an All-Ireland final (the same margin that you lose by), you know you've just been scandalously remiss with your shot at history. People will always be fond of that version of Tyrone, of course. They'll also be ever so slightly patronising.

    So what exactly has Harte done? Well, he's tapped into the fashion of the time. He's acknowledged you can't beat Kerry by trying to run prettier patterns. Because that's like picking a duel with Wyatt Earp. So you tie them up with physicality. You bully them. You let them know that you don't give a damn if they have to take you out of this place in assorted bags when it's all over. Because you're just kind of obsessed. Actually, possessed if you like. And, frankly, your opponents already have 32 of the things that you want just one of.

    It worked for Armagh last autumn. Hey, it's going to work for someone this September too. Because Tyrone, Armagh and Donegal are all disciples of the compression theory. In simplistic terms, you could say they like to play with 13 backs and two attackers. It's not the end of football as we know it. It just needs a smart mind to
    find a counter. And trust me, someone will. In the meantime, maybe we should desist from demonising pragmatic men. No, this game is not good to watch. Yes, it leans heavily on the cynical. But does that make it unique to Gaelic football? If you think it does, you obviously haven't seen too much of the game this last 30 years. The way some are hollering, you'd think the GAA faces a monumental crisis here. It doesn't. If bad karma hasn't killed football up to now, it'll hardly do so in the future. Personally, I'd prefer to see Tyrone grind opposition down than watch Jordan engines blow, Liverpool teams draw nil-all or bloated sprinters spit out
    their dummies on a starting block.

    I'd prefer to see Peter Canavan lift the Sam Maguire than I would see a Russian billionaire buy the Premiership title. Because people like Canavan and Harte are giving every ounce of themselves to winning this damn thing for their people. And that's the extent of their obsession. Getting Tyrone home. If it happens, Canavan will still keep his day job in a Cookstown classroom. He'll still have a mortgage to pay. He'll still be as accessible as any man
    in the street.

    And Harte? He'll probably wonder if Kerry folk can even imagine what it feels like to be from Tyrone just now. The dynamic at play? The sense of trust and love between impossibly hungry men? Chances are they won't, but that's not his problem. He ought to take a bow. And a pinch of salt for the doomsayers.

    Written by: Vhogan1@hotmail.com

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:54 PM

    Monday, January 05, 2004

    Your typical Junior B line-up.

    Your typical Junior B line-up..

    Goalie - must have 'great goalmouth presence'.... which is secret code for being fat enough to have his own gravitational pull. Always in the 40-50 age bracket, this is a gent that will almost convince you that he played minor for the county in goal, even though the last time he got his knees dirty diving was at a ceili in 1965 when his version of the Hucklebuck went out of control, with numerous casualties.

    Right corner back - the quiet man of the line-up he seems to escape the jokes in the dressing-room just because no-one has ever seen him angry and are afraid of hidden depths. Unmarried farmer with severe emotional baggage. Contact with a woman consists of the handshake at mass on a Sunday
    morning.

    Full back - First started playing football some time in the Pleistocene Epoch. Nicknamed Sledge like "yer man outta U2". Will get a nose-bleed if he passes beyond his own 50 yard line. Utterly, utterly useless and yet is
    a great hit with the fans. Quite likes the smell of blood.

    Left corner back - Has all the footballing skills of a piece of cheese and yet has been known to disappear up corner-forward's arses for days on end. An absolute cast-iron guarantee to be made mark the other team's young and absurdly fast superstar in the making.

    Right half back - just out of minor, this boyo is sadly not going to get anywhere near the senior team... and yet hasn't missed a training session since early 1989. Selection is basically the manager's way of proving that he "doesn't give a damn who you are, if you're not down training we're not going to give you a game".

    Centre back - disgruntled former senior player, tried to remove senior manager at agm and now has about as much chance of playing senior as he does of playing Hamlet in the Globe. Hasn't been junior training all year and is still absolutely guaranteed his spot on the team.

    Left half back - county u-16 star, great white hope for the entire club. About 5 foot 4, he is still told to get under the kickouts and 'take the game to the opposition'... secret code for don't pass it to anyone unless your life is in serious danger.

    midfielder - chronic alcoholic who last scored a point in the late 70s and yet reckons he is justified in having a go for a point from anywhere inside the opposition's half. Well-liked character because he always gets his round in at the post-match piss-up.

    midfielder - the full back's older brother, who sports a rather strange looking bandage on his knee - probably hiding teeth marks or something. Prone to making strange guttural noises every time he strains himself. Eats
    five dinners a day and is a prime suspect for a coronary.

    Right half forward - quietly-spoken business-man who hails from the village but is living in Dublin. Drives a flash motor. Lads who live in the pub in the town don't know what to make of him "but he was an awful annoying bollox in national school".

    Centre forward - third of the set of brothers that includes the full back and midfielder. Is the target of all the brother's clearances... ALL of them. Probably the local A.I. man or something... by the way that's not A.I. in the Steven Spielberg meaning of the word.

    Left half forward - utterly, utterly useless 25 year old who by some fluke of nature happens to be a deadly accurate free-taker. Tries to avoid open play altogether as he is far too important to the team to get injured. Is
    basically the team's only source of points.

    Right corner forward - happily married man who hasn't played football since he was 12 but has suddenly decided to take up the game again. Natural talent (like his genitalia) completely and utterly over shadowed by his beer belly. Guaranteed to bag a goal or two and gain for himself some ridiculous nickname like "Schillaci" or something.

    Full forward - hasn't scored since the end of the war but is captain of the team and an all-out nut case. The line commonly quoted to excuse his complete inability to find the target is "he's a good man to bust up the
    play." Doesn't feel satisfied unless his jersey is stained in blood... not his own. Will no doubt be marked by a similar figure playing for the opposition. Only at junior B will the full-forward and full-back play the game the exact same way, and could even switch positions with no effect on how the team plays whatsoever.

    Left corner forward - the village thug, who invariably sports an ear ring and a seriously dodgy haircut. Will be involved with the referee within five minutes of the throw in. Plays the foreign game with the town five miles down the road and is hence viewed with suspicion by all and sundry. Has had a running battle with the aging club secretary who secretly fears for the virtue of his youngest daughter.

    Labels: Championship, Cumann Luthcleas Gael, Football, GAA, Gaelic Athletic Association, Hurling, Jokes, Michael Cusack, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, The Sunday Game, Up for the Match

    posted by Michael at 2:51 PM

    Saturday, January 03, 2004

    Dublin County Jokes












    Dublin Fans (and one Mayo Fan), Hill 16 Croke Park

    Would make a great caption competition!!!(double click picture to increase size)

    If anyone has any pictures or jokes, send them onto michael (at) gaa.irish-guy.com or leave a comment at the bottom of the page







    Click on the picture to see it in its original size


















    Dublin Fans, Hill 16, Croke Park

    Going up in smoke (double click picture to increase size)

    If anyone has any pictures or jokes, send them onto michael (at) gaa.irish-guy.com or leave a comment at the bottom of the page







    Click on the picture to see it in its original size






    -------------------------------------------------
    What's the difference between a Dublin GAA jersey and a school uniform??
    You can see school uniforms in September.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Garda getting hit with a bottle from the Hill









    Dublin - Da kapital


    ---

    Who Wants To Be A GAA Millionaire
    Dublin Football Fan is appearing on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". Gay Byrne: Dublin Football fan you've done very well so far, 64,000 euros and one lifeline still left, you can phone a friend, yes indeedy, the next question will give you 125,000 euros if you get it right but if you get it wrong you will be out of the game and drop to 32,000 euros. Are you ready?"

    Dublin Football Fan: "Yes Gay I am"

    Gaybo: " On the screen is a photo of a current Dublin footballer as a baby. Which Dublin player is it - now think about this carefully it's worth 125,000 euros, only three questions away from the million."

    Dublin Football fan: "I think I know who it is... er... but I'm not 100% sure, no I'm sure it's Stynes, I'm sure it's Brian Stynes (pause), can I phone a friend Gay just to be sure ?"

    Gaybo: "Yes Dublin Football Fan who do you want to phone?"

    Dublin Football Fan: "I'll phone Anto, He's a Dublin football fan too."

    (ringing)

    Anto: "Hello"

    Gaybo: "Hello Anto, this is Gay Byrne here from RTE's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire I have Dublin Football fan here and he is doing really well on 64,000 but needs your help to get to 125,000 - Anto, listen Anto, are you next to the fax machine as this is a visual question? I'm faxing you a photo now, have you received it ?"

    Anto: "Yes, Gay"

    Gaybo: " The next voice you hear will be Dublin Football Fan's - he'llexplain the question and you have 30 seconds to answer - fire away DublinFootball Fan"

    Dublin Football Fan: "Anto, that photo is a baby photo of what currentDublin footballer - I'm sure it's Stynes what do you think ?"

    Anto: "It's never Stynes, it's obviously Keith Barr."

    Dublin Football Fan: "You think?"

    Anto: "I'm sure. One hundred per cent."

    Dublin Football Fan: "Thanks Anto "(hangs up)

    Gaybo: "Well a difference of opinion - do you want to stick on 64,000 or play on for 125,000 euros? "

    Dublin Football Fan: "I want to play, I am so sure it's Stynes I am going to go with me first answer - Stynes"

    Gaybo: "Are you confident"

    Dublin Football Fan: "Yes fairly"

    Gaybo: "Is that your final answer"

    Dublin Football Fan: "It is"

    Gaybo: "Dublin Football Fan .....you had 64,000 and you said Brian Stynes - if it's right you win 125,000 if it's wrong you go away with just 32,000 euros [drum roll ..............................] It was WRONG - sorry Dublin Football Fan. Here is your cheque for 32,000 euros. You have been a great contestant and a real gambler. Audience please put your hands together for the Dublin Football Fan"

    [clapping............]

    Dublin Football Fan: "Before I go Gay - what was the correct answer, it's killing me"

    Gaybo: "Jason Sherlock"

    -----

    A Corkonian thesis from a UCC final year project which received a 1.1

    Dublin was founded in the 8th century by the Vikings, when they realised that the best way to cause lasting damage to the country was to build what leading Viking at the time, Hagyar Ringsend, termed "A shithole for the ages".This statement was proved true over time. Luckily for the rest of Ireland, Dublin is located on the east coast.This means that the prevailing south westerly wind generally takes the smell across the Irish Sea to Britain. In the 1950's Britain retaliated by building Sellafield nuclear power station.The Irish Sea is now one of the cleanest in the world, the radiation from England and the filthy pus and bile from Dublin nullifying each other. It is a pity for us all that Dublin is not located 50 miles further east. However, many "Dubs", or "Gobshites" as they are known to the rest of us, would go even further! This is because Dublin is all that remains of what was once called "West Britain". Dublin people share many characteristics with the English ! ! people, including an amazingly low alcohol tolerance, ridiculous accents and the ability to get into a barroom brawl with Mahatma Ghandi and Mother Teresa. Indeed, many young Englishmen come to Dublin for "stag nights"- not for the nightlife, but because all of the sluts there are falling over themselves to be impregnated by anything with a foreign accent in order to claim "choil'benefih'", or "children's' allowance" as it is called in the civilized world. But beware! Dublin beer is much more expensive than ordinary beer.This is because it is watered down with expensive mineral water.

    You see, due to Dublin being a pox ridden eyesore which leaks revolting pus into our beautiful land, they have no clean tapwater. In fact, 86% of Dubliners don't even know what a tap is (the other 14% knew that it had something to do with beer). As a result, the beer is watered down with mineral water, as I said, and now the average Gobshite must fork out well over the odds for a pint. But don't ! ! let this put you off visiting cosmopolitan Dublin, where absolute knackers mix freely with some of the world's snobbiest bastards. Let the heroin, car theft, annoying whinger bastards, syphilis infested prostitutes and Europe's crappest traffic system put you off going there instead. Exits are by road, air and sea only, and are usually quite busy, so be patient. VISIT CORK. For information on Cork, please contact the tourist board on 021 343434. It's worth it.

    Ah Dublin! Capital of Ireland. Europe's smallest capital and also its smelliest. Step off a train at Heuston or Connolly station and breathe in that unmistakable aroma of piss and puke. But it's the people of Dublin who make our capital city what it is. We call them 'Jacks' because of a visit to Dublin by Queen Victoria which saw the locals line O'Connell Street while waving union jacks at their visitor. Ask anyone with even half a brain how many counties there are in Ireland and they will tell you 32. But not ! ! our friends in Dublin. For some bizarre reason they firmly believe there are only two:
    1)"Dooblin"and
    2)"dowen da coontry".

    Next time you're in Dublin, check out the excellent selection of Radio Stations, both of which play the same five songs all day. Whether it's 98fm or 104fm, tune in at any time of the day to hear Robbie Williams and The Lighthouse Family. You'll never get tired of it !!! Anyway, here are the ten most asked questions about Dubs: Why do Dublin people piss in the streets instead of a toilet? Why do they refer to all other Irish people as Sheep Shaggers when we all know damn well what they're doing with those horses. A man from Ballyfermot (probably called Anto) recently got divorced from his cousin so he could marry his horse. Why is their knowledge of Irish geography restricted to "da nart soide and da sout soide"? Why does their knowledge of Irish history go all the way back to the 1980's? Why do they complain about "doze bleedin' n! ! iggers coming over here taking ere women and ere jobs" when Paul McGrath is "yer only man" and "God Bless Phillo"? What the fuck language are they speaking? Why is hurling a culchie game until Dublin win a match when it suddenly becomes"Hooorlin',da fastest field sport in da bleedin' wooorld".? Why can't they go for a drink without trying to stab each other afterwards? Why can't they accept Aslan are never going to make it 'cause they're Shite? Why are they all still wearing track-suits?


    Dublin V Kerry Replay in Thurles 2001 - Attention Important Notice


    Attention Dubliners: Important Notice

    Arising out of the confusion that took place in Thurles the other Saturday,
    the GAA has issued the following notice to all Dublin supporters travelling to
    away games outside of Dublin...




    • Please note that the DART and the M50 may not go all the way to the Match.
    • The grass verges outside the Stadium may not be used for grazing ponies.
    • If you see a local man standing on a street corner scratching his arse.
      you can presume that he is a local man scratching his arse. He is not
      selling syringes, E's or cocaine.
    • Not all women you come in contact with in pubs, clubs etc are sluts and
      roids.
    • Drinks may not be paid for in pubs with either a wink or a nod.
    • Music before the match and during half time will be supplied by the
      Garda No. 1 Band and not Aslan or some other crappy ancient Dublin rockers.
    • While the match may be over at 5.30 pm, please note that you probably won't
      make it back to Dublin in time for the Simpsons at 6.30.
    • Anyone driving home from the match please ensure that YOU DO SO IN YOUR
      OWN CAR AND NOT THAT OF SOME HARD-WORKING LOCAL.










    Croke Park in Dublins Glory Days


    ---
    The definitive guide to Dublin Scangers
    1.. Call your mother "aul one" and your father "aul lad".
    2.. Possess bum fluff on upper lip. (also applies to "young ones").
    3.. Social life revolve around "Doctor Quirkey's, de "Harp" or "De Back Gahe" (The Back Gate).
    4.. Always have a 10 box of "johnny blue" on you.
    5.. Faded blue levi's rammed up the **** must be worn sometimes accompanied by the raggedy yellow or orange Asics tracksuit top.
    6.. Enormous sovereign rings worn on every finger. For the girls large and studded hoopy earrings are your only man.
    7.. Diamond jumpers and Scanda Jacket essential part of wardrobe. These compliments the tracksuits down to a tee.
    8.. Lots of experience in sitting down back of bus and terrorising people as well as grafitti on seats.
    9.. Standing at the door of the Dart and wishing your wares upon 'every bitta skert' that comes near you has also been known to be popular.
    10.. Posters of Tupac to be placed on bedroom wall. For girls David Beckham or Ronan Keating will suffice.
    11. Always carry a packet of Rizla.
    12.. Portrait of **** embedded into at least one corner wall.
    13.. Chain hanging out over jumper.
    14.. Know the Macari's Takeaway menu off by heart.
    15.. Be mates with a Doyler, Rayo, Whacker, Git or Mousey.
    16.. Girls are all called Natalie, Jasinteh, Janet, Imeldeh, Maggie, Sharon or Tracey. notthat some of these aren't nice names but when said with an accent from the 'Mun you could cut bread with, then they take on another significance.
    17.. Moped essential as is driving around with the helmet on top of the head.
    18.. Pram and small child essential for the young up and coming knackerette.
    19.. Spit on pavement at least every three seconds.
    20.. All your relatives live on the same street.
    21.. Nearest thing to nature you have been is swimming and fishing in Canal or swearing at culchies when they come up "from the f***hin country".
    22.. Copy of the Sun in back pocket at all times.
    23.. Pretend to follow League of Ireland football but only go for the fights.
    24.. Celtic jersey with own name on the back.Constantly have scowl on your face.
    25.. "Buuurdd" must be at least "preggers" or have a "little f**ker".
    26.. Rotweiller essential to keep up the hardman image and tell people who even look crossways at it that you'll "bate de f**hkin bollix off them, you English pox" even if they're from Cabinteely.
    27.. City center consists of Henry and O Connell streets - the odd venture to Donnybrook kiddies disco for the "oul soft roide" is necessary at least once a month.
    28.. Get extra points for shagging your mates motts and your cousins at
    > >these events.
    29.. Left school before 16.
    30.. Time spent from June to October is collecting for bon-fire.
    31.. House called something imaginative like "Celticsville".
    32.. Name written on at least ten lamposts around your house. i.e. Anto=a queer or Natalie=is a man.
    33.. Shrill whistle at everyone and walk with arms swinging and exaggerated limp.
    34.. Common greetings called out to friends include "Stary?" or "Ahh rihe Shaymo?"
    35.. Name must end with an o at the end.(Example Anto, Rayo,Pado, Micko and with and ie sound for the girls Nahalie, Tracey.
    36.. Summer holidays are always in Courtown and you think its the best thing since sliced bread.


    ----
    Surviving in Dublin

    This is a highly personalised guide to the verbal life of de cappitel city
    of Ireland.
    The lessons:

    1) SURVIVAL OF THE MEEKEST

    Dublin is a tough city on the face of it. Most of the aggression is
    ritualistic and it is essential to know how to deal with basic street
    encounters. Technically speaking, the streets are full of:
    - bowsies
    - hardmen
    - hardos
    - gougers
    - hardshaws
    - and many other assorted tough type characters that roam the streets
    looking for excitement and throwing shapes.

    It is essential not to stare at these gentlemen, especially if you have a
    non-Dubbelin accent. You must cultivate an intense vacant stare and respond
    with such monosyllabic mutterings as "whah?", "hoh?", the less common but
    equally inoffensive "nggggguh?", or any other meaningless grunts that might
    imply mild intoxication and/or a non-educated disposition.
    If, by misfortune or dogged stupidity, you happen to look at these people
    straight in the eye, you will be assumed to have challenged them. They will
    consequently confront you with: "You lookin at me pal?" or "Got a bleedin'
    problem mate?"

    The answer to this confontationallly sensitive encounter is ALWAYS:
    "Sorry" followed by a rapid exit (i.e, a "leggar").

    If you respond: "No", the gouger will duly feel obliged to ask:
    "You callin me a liar?"
    And then you are in the much-feared "deep ****e" zone (see later lesson for
    involuntary excretions). The only way to alleviate the tension in this
    difficult situation is to pretend to be Danish. That will leave them baffled
    long enough for you to run like the "jayzis".


    2) THE PUB

    Dubliners are constantly on the look out for being set up in conversation in
    "de pub". They will constantly question the veracity of overheard statements
    with a contemptuous negation, such as in the following scene:

    Person1: "Manchester United are bleedin' fantastic".
    Person2: "They are in me **** ".

    Sobriety is seen as pityful affliction which may be remedied by copious
    pints of stout and lager. There are numerous names for this, most of which
    are also used elsewhere in Ireland and even further afield, but it is
    important to be fluent in all of them:

    - Flutered
    - Hammered
    - ****ed
    - Stocious
    - Mouldy(pronounced mowl-dey)
    - Bollixed


    3) PEOPLE

    a) The use of nouns for different categories of people is very regular and
    simple:
    - Males are fellahs
    - Females are wans
    - Boys are then youngflas
    - Girls are then youngwans
    - Oldermales become oulflas but your father is THE oulfla
    - Olderwimmin are oulwans but your mother is THE oulwan

    Note: oulfellas and oulwans also belong to the class 'AJH' (Ah Jaysus Howye)

    b) Regions.
    Dublin has now expanded enormously but in olden days it was divided into two
    parts by the River Liffey:
    The Nortside (where all true Dubbeliners live) and De Soutside (full of
    homosexuals, foreigners, academics, teetotallers, etc.). This classification
    is no longer valid as Da Soutside now has some very respectable places like
    Tallaght, Ballyfermot, Drimnagh, Crumlin and Clondalkin.

    c) Culchies are those from any part of the globe who is not foreign and who
    does not speak with a pronounced Dubbelin Accident. They work in the civil
    service and police, listen to Daniel O'Donnell or Big Tom and are also known
    as:
    - bog men
    - boggers
    - muckers
    - mucksavages
    - culchies
    - mulchies
    - munchies
    - red necks

    It is the worst possible insult to be called one of these names if you are
    from Dublin. You must respond with immediate violence or emmigrate.


    4) ACTIVITIES

    Expect to see regular nightly excursions by 10 year-old kids driving cars at
    high speed around residential areas before leaving them blazing away on a
    sidewalk. Fondly referred to as "joy-riding", this extreme pursuit provides
    regular Northside Dublin children with a healthy adrenalin rush and a bit of
    respite from busy schedule involving truancy/drug
    thing/prostitution/racketering.

    --------

    He'll regret this to his dying day, if he lives that long. - Dublin fan after Charlie Redmond missed a penalty in the 1994 All-Ireland final.
    -------
    Under new guidelines the GAA have issued a new rule.

    1. The Basic guide lines are as follows:-

    2. As from the 25th of June when Dublin make a sub they do not have to take any player off.

    3. Australian Rules Goals will be introduced, these will be swapped from end to end depending which way the GAA...whoops I mean, which way Dublin are playing.

    4. In the event of the match being level after 70 minutes Dublin will win.

    5. A new backdoor will be introduced, if Dublin lose, they will be out into the Backdoor, if they lose again they may Join the Championship again at the time and date of their choosing.

    6. The Dublin goalkeeper may wear rather large comical gloves, to ensure that the ball does not go past him.

    7. A Sin-Bin will me introduced - if any opposing players names begin with Mc (e.g McCarthy / McGrath) they will be suspended for a period until Dublin are winning.

    8. Hill 16 will be renamed "The Bulmers Hill"

    9. If Dublin win the "Mini Sevens" game at half time, their winning margin will be Doubled and added to Dublins half time score.

    10. All other teams must have the County Name wrote in the foreign language of English on their jerseys - all money from this rip off trick must be given to the "Bulmers Hill Support Fund"

    11. If Dublin are drawn against a team from Ulster ( now to include Laois )
    - the Ulster Team will forfeit the game.

    12. As part of the deal giving Laois to Ulster, Fermanagh will now join the Leinster Championship - Dublin will be drawn to play Fermanagh in the Hurling Championship ever year.

    13. In a rule taken from Cricket - if it rains during the game Dublin will win.

    14. Opposing teams must wear sandals.

    15. Ginger haired midfielders may not play against Dublin.

    16. Balloons (such as those used to aid children playing bowls ) will be used to assist the Dublin Free takers.

    17. Dessie Dolan must take all the opposing teams frees.

    18. The opposition must include at least one Mayo forward.

    19. No other team on the country may wear the colour Blue


    ----------------
    A Rant - by Fionn O'Connor-Walsh - Southsiders on the GAA
    GAA? That's like sooo uncool roysh, bloody boggers and I mean TOTAL boggers...
    Roysh, i was loike snoggin Jemoima Fitzpotrick last noight dine in Bective roysh ond she's from Killoiney and oll roysh ond she has her own cor and stuff but when I went to pick her up at Fitzpotick towers who was there at the door ownlee her old mon and I couldn't believe it when he said 'hows your faader' roysh - he was born in Kinnitty which is somewhere down the country, REALLY in the bog roysh- totally flobbergosted I was roysh but I think she's still a roide loike roysh even if her Dad is a Biffo.

    I mean like those boggers are like totally taking over this place. Roysh, I can't get onto the 46A or the Dort without m