The Van Boxtel’s are a colourful Ballymun family.
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Did that lad up front play with Dunbar?
Michael Van Gerwen is from Boxtel. I sometimes (once, ie. now) think of him as Michael Van Boxtel.
I was aware of the existence of Eddie Van Boxtel from about 1989 when he would have been 15 or 16 as he featured in some television programme or other on RTE. Me oul’ fella surmised that many years from then, at the 1998 World Cup finals in England, Ireland might have young Eddie Van Boxtel from Ballymun in goals. We did not.
Eddie then featured in either or both of Into the West or Roddy Doyle’s Family. I made that bit up. Roddy Doyle did write The Van but Eddie wasn’t in that.
There was however once an incident where Gardai were called to a flat in Ballymun, they tentatively entered the premises to find an actual crocodile in the bath. TDH.
I imagine this as the Van Boxtel family flat. The Snapper was about this incident if I remember rightly.
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Fucking hell what a post - Ashley White, Paul Smyth, Paul Shiels. Paul fucking Shiels. I used to idolise Ashley to an extent that was really embarrassing, considering he was in the school at the same time as me. Paul Smyth only scored worldies. Trevor Vaughan…
POTY.
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Younger brother. 3 boys in the family all top ballers.
Remember he scored a cracking free kick against us. You may have been the end of the wall
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Ten best golf majors since 1987:
2025 US Masters
1996 US Masters
1999 Open
2006 US Open
2019 US Masters
1989 Open
2000 US PGA
1991 US PGA
2008 US Open
1999 US Open
Munster hurling final pairings in my lifetime:
9 - Cork v Tipperary
7 - Tipperary v Waterford
6 - Limerick v Clare
5 - Cork v Waterford
4 - Tipperary v Limerick
4 - Cork v Limerick
4 - Cork v Clare
3 - Tipperary v Clare
2 - Limerick v Waterford
1 - Clare v Waterford
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There follows an examination of the psychological processes of why we generally put particular counties’ names first when referring to a particular pairing of counties.
It’s mainly down to success, but there are exceptions.
In the above example I have Cork as the first county in all four pairings in which they are involved, Tipperary as the first county in three, Limerick in two, Clare in one and Waterford in none. That’s a fair summing up of where the historical power lies in Munster hurling.
However in Munster football, I and I think most people tend to say “Cork and Kerry” rather than “Kerry and Cork” despite Cork historically being Kerry’s whipping boys.
In hurling, I always mentally have Cork as the first team in any possible pairing. It’s not Kilkenny and Cork, it’s Cork and Kilkenny, it’s Cork and Galway, it’s Cork and Wexford, it’s Cork and Dublin.
I instinctively say “Tipp and Kilkenny” rather than “Kilkenny and Tipp”. It’s always “Kilkenny and Wexford”.
But weirdly, Galway tend to have the whip hand over Kilkenny in my mind. Galway v Kilkenny. I think.
In football, Dublin are the first team in every possible pairing. RTE occasionally tried to say “Meath and Dublin” or “Kerry and Dublin”, but it simply doesn’t work. Dublin come before all teams. Dubland Uber Alles. In football it’s Dublin v Cork, in hurling it’s Cork v Dublin.
The triangle of, in alphabetical order, Cork, Kerry and Meath is interesting.
It’s “Cork and Kerry” and it’s “Kerry and Meath”, but it’s “Meath and Cork”. Nobody refers to the “Cork v Meath” finals of 1987, 1988 and 1990.
Down have the whip hand over Kerry. It’s “Down and Kerry”. It just works.
The Ulster football power structure of pairing naming has Tyrone at the top.
They come first in every possible pairing. Down are second. Derry are third. Donegal are fourth. Armagh fifth. Fermanagh, predictably are bottom, even below Antrim.
The Connacht football power structure of pairing naming has, predictably, Galway are the head of things. It’s always “Galway and Mayo”. It’s always Galway and Roscommon. It’s always Mayo and Roscommon.
Then there are pairings where I genuinely don’t know who to put first. I don’t know if it’s “Meath and Galway” or “Galway and Meath”. I don’t know if it’s Fermanagh v Wicklow or Wicklow v Fermanagh.
It’s Longford v Derry. Consistent shock qualifier wins over the same county can get you anywhere psychologically in the public mind.
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Fruity Names Kildare XV (I gave up at whatever the Roman numeral for 13 is)
Didier Cordonnier
Ollie Crinnigan
Squires Gannon
Damien Hendy
Aindriu McLochlainn
Hugh McGrillen
Bill Sex
Anthony Rainbow
Emmett Bolton
Kevin Feely
Tommy Moolick
Larry Tompkins
Stuart McKenzie-Smith
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Sos Dowling
Pat Dunney
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A list of THE RIVALRIES in the GAA in my time.
Anatomy of a RIVALRY:
i) RIVALRIES must be between two teams which have an identifiable cohort of players who are always there throughout the duration of the rivalry.
ii) A rivalry may start in one of two ways. There may be a PREQUEL - ie. a game between the two teams which isn’t part of the RIVALRY period but which may set the scene for the RIVALRY to break out in the following meeting. Alternatively a rivalry may BREAK OUT suddenly in one memorable game.
iii) The MEAT of a RIVALRY usually tends to last for around 4-6 games maximum. Occasionally it can go longer but this is rare.
iv) A rivalry sometimes ends with a CRESCENDO game, a CLIMAX where the rivalry erupts into its fullest flowering.
v) There is often an AFTER THE LORD MAYOR’S SHOW clash, where the RIVALRY is demonstrated to now be a pale shadow of its former self.
Football:
1986-1991 – Dublin v Meath
1987-1990 – Meath v Cork
1991-1994 – Down v Derry
1992-1993 – Derry v Donegal
1991-1997 – Tyrone v Derry
1997-1998 – Meath v Kildare
2001-2005 – Tyrone v Armagh
2003-2008 – Kerry v Tyrone
2000-2006 – Kerry v Armagh
2009-2011 – Cork v Kerry
2012–2021 – Dublin v Mayo
2022-present - Galway v Armagh
2024-present – Armagh v Donegal
Hurling:
1984-1992 – Cork v Tipp
1987-1989 – Galway v Tipp
1994-1996 – Limerick v Clare
1997-2001 – Tipp v Clare
2003-2006 - Cork v Kilkenny
2003-2007 – Cork v Waterford
2009-2014 - Kilkenny v Tipp
2015-2017 - Galway v Tipp
2022–2024 – Limerick v Clare
2024-present - Limerick v Cork
Tyrone v Armagh - anatomy of the birth, life and death of a rivalry:
PREQUEL. Scene setting. Armagh win Ulster in 1999 in a year Tyrone are expected to win it. Armagh beat Tyrone in an unmemorable Ulster quarter-final in 2000. Tyrone win the under-21. Armagh are Kings of Ulster but have their sights set higher. They have COME but they are still COMING. Tyrone are COMING.
Beginning of rivalry: Tyrone dandy into Clones with a new team in May 2001 and Mugsy Mulligan goals after 10 seconds and it’s a breakout performance. Armagh are USURPED. Tyrone win Ulster but both ultimately fail that year but it’s ON, oh it’s ON. Tyrone win the under-21 again. Tyrone are COMING. Armagh USURP the two Brians and Big Joe Comes in.
MEAT: Tyrone dandy into Clones in May 2002 having annihilated all comers. They are COMING. A revitalised Armagh under Big Joe STAND UP to them and are the better team in a box office draw. Armagh win a thrilling replay in a match Tyrone might have been marginally the better team in.
Armagh win the All-Ireland. Tyrone do not win the All-Ireland and instead lose to Sligo. Art and Eugene step down. Enter Mickey Harte. The full cast is now assembled.
Winter 2002/03: The club scene fuels the HYPE. Crossmaglen v Errigal. An epic trilogy with most of the main characters involved.
Tyrone INFLICT Armagh’s first defeat since 2001 in the 2003 League. Tyrone win the League again. Tyrone are COMING.
PEAK: Summer 2003. Tyrone flags flying furiously any time Laois score against Armagh in the exceedingly attractive All-Ireland quarter-final double header.
The inevitable All-Ireland final meeting. Tyrone players climb lamposts to take down Armagh flags. BBC Ulster comes to the Moy to see the BORDER FLASHPOINT. Tyrone have COME.
Lull: 2004. The previous years have been too much and both crash out.
CRESCENDO: The trilogy. By this stage no Catholic in Tyrone or Armagh goes more than two days in a row without wearing a county jersey. They both leave the wee six to avoid the Twelfth and then find themselves at each other’s throats down south or on the Costas.
They have moved the Ulster final to Croke Park to see the film. A draw. Sweltering sunshine. A replay. Fighting. Sendings off. Red mist. Peter Canavan is Gone In 60 Seconds in one of the earliest INTERNET memes.
Tyrone are the better team. Armagh attain TOTAL VICTORY.
Until the rematch. The CRESCENDO. Armagh are the better team. Tyrone attain total victory. TOTAL VICTORY.
That it is it. That is the end of the rivlary.
Winter 2006: 23k pack Casement Park to watch Armagh v Tyrone in the Most Reverend Dr. McKenna Cup. Another year of the RIVALRY awaits. It never happens. It never happens again.
Kieran Donaghy finishes Armagh.
AFTER THE LORD MAYOR’S SHOW: An Ulster quarter-final in Clones in 2009. But you can’t fake what is gone. It’s done.
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I think I’d be right in saying this.
Clare are the only Munster county to have beaten all of the other four Munster hurling counties in Croke Park in knockout championship hurling since the back door came in.
Cork have beaten Waterford, Clare and Limerick in Croke Park but not Tipp.
Tipp have beaten Cork, Limerick and Waterford in Croke Park but not Clare.
Limerick have beaten Cork, Clare and Waterford in Croke Park but not Tipp.
Waterford have beaten Cork and Tipp in Croke Park but not Limerick or Clare.
Cork and Waterford have both notched the full house of having been beaten by all four other counties in Croke Park.
Clare have never lost to Tipp or Waterford in Croke Park.
Limerick have never lost to Waterford in Croke Park.
Tipp have never lost to Cork or Limerick in Croke Park.
Munster counties against each other in Croke Park:
Cork 0 Tipp 1 (2014)
Cork 1 Clare 2 Draws 1 (2005, 2013, 2024)
Cork 1 Limerick 2 (2018, 2021, 2024)
Cork 2 Waterford 2 Draws 1 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2017)
Tipp 1 Limerick 0 (2009)
Tipp 0 Clare 1 (1997)
Tipp 1 Waterford 2 (2006, 2008, 2010)
Limerick 1 Clare 1 (2007, 2013)
Limerick 3 Waterford 0 (2007, 2020, 2021)
Clare 1 Waterford 0 (2002)
If any of the above is wrong I take no responsibility for not doing any research.
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“We might have been better off narrowly losing that epic semi-final”:
Offaly 2000
Mayo 2006
Inter Milan 2025
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Waterford 08
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Cork 2021
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You’ve some time on your hands, fair play to ye.That Mayo Dublin semi final in 06 was epic. McDonald was a wizard with that left foot
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Why has the nickname “Steve” never taken off in Ireland?
“Steve” Staunton was Stephen Staunton. Steve was a UK bestowed nickname which eventually sort of caught on in Ireland through sheer repitition by UK media. But during the 1990 World Cup and for a good while after it was always “Stephen Staunton”.
There was Steve Mahon of Galway but apart from him there haven’t been many Steves in the GAA. Limerick’s Stephen McDonagh was for a time referred to as Steve McDonagh but Stephen became the more commonly used name for him.
I think Irish people have a mental association of the nickname Steve as very English white van man, which is why they avoid it.
I can’t think of a great hurler named Stephen, which is strange as it’s a fairly common first name. It’s usually a calling card for a lad on the fringes of a team who isn’t very good.
If I was to guess the ten most common first names to win All-Ireland hurling championships since 1980, I’d guess:
Liam but not William or Bill or Billy
Michael or Mick or Mikey or Mike or Mickey
Ger or Gerry or Gerard
Patrick or Paddy or Pat or Patsy
John
Sean (I’m counting John and Sean separate for the purpose of this)
Eamon
Dermot or Jeermid
Martin
Paul
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