If tradition meant anything Kerry wouldnât be constantly losing to the northern counties.
âConstantlyâ
Hurling is a national sport in name only. The interest just isnât there in a lot of places North of say, Banagher and you are going to have a very difficult time changing over a century of general disinterest in the sport in those places.
The onus being placed on schools, while a noble thought, is outdated too. Kids have so many other hobbies nowadays and the school curriculum doesnât allow for the âright lads, out for a few pucksâ attitude that we were used to. When I was in school, those kids who had no interest in hurling were more or less pariahs at PE time, as PE time was essentially hurling and an odd bit of football. That sort of thing isnât allowed to happen any more, whether due to time constraint, lack of male primary teachers etc.
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Saoirse Ronan and the Coen Brothers?
Are you sure youâre not mixing her up with Scarlett Johansson?
I wouldnât fall asleep watching her.
But you dont need to turn them in Tony Kelly. You just set aside a part of the day for basic hurling skills. A bit of tippy tappy, and swinging and hitting a ball. Its quite outdated to think only a male teacher can show a child how to swing a hurl.
Its not that difficult really. Anyone with a child in primary school is well aware of the amount of faffing that is done on a daily basis.
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Yes mate, Iâm saying hurling isnât unique. Sports donât just grow from nothing in areas. Rugbyâs players come from the same areas they always did with the odd exception.
In fact, Iâm not sure if this is a complete outlier but my local very rural parish had a rugby team in the 70s. Iâd say I could live for another 100 years and there wonât be a rugby club set up there again in that time.
Ulster counties always had a tradition of Gaelic Football, but political circumstances affected their ability to compete for a long time. Itâs no coincidence that Ulster has gotten stronger since the lot of the Northern Catholic improved
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Rugby grew from nothing in areas in a relatively short area.
Itâs always the same with ye lot. It canât be done. No way can it be done.
There was fuck all hurling in Offaly for 70 odd years and they went and won four all Irelands.
Clare won nothing for 70 odd years and have four all Irelands won.
Of course you can grow the game if there was a will.
You get exceptions but for the most part the same clubs stay winning and competing at County, Provincial and All Ireland Level. And clubs that were always Junior will stay Junior.
Why do Nemo Rangers keep winning County Championships and Munster Clubs while a club like Douglas canât get it together at all?
Ballyhale Shamrocks the same. Its just tradition.
Well it depends on the GAAâs long term objectives for these âweaker countiesâ. Do you just want to maintain a hurling presence in the county or do you want to grow the game and bring them up through the divisions? You need to have more than an odd puckaround in primary school to achieve the latter.
My comment regarding lack of male teachers is probably a bit harsh alright; I am speaking from local experience
Down always beat Kerry too.
Beat them in the 60âs, 90âs and 2010âs - an extraordinary record.
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No itâs not. Itâs incompetency.
You said tradition is the only thing that matters.
Why are cork clubs so bad at hurling ? Where are the glen?
Itâs a crock of shite.
Did ballyhale shamrocks win a Kilkenny county before the 70s?
Patrickswell didnât win one in Limerick until the 50s and barely had a club.
The two most successful clubs in their counties.
Traditional is meaningless rubbish.
Where?
Both counties that had an interest in hurling and crucially were beside counties that were fanatical about hurling. Why do you think East Clare and South Offaly have traditionally been their strongest regions?
Iâd say you know a lot about what fellas were interested in the Offaly between 1910 and 1980.
What actually was croke park put money in the early 70s and bingo look what happened.
South East Galway, East Clare, South Offaly - basically anywhere that borders Tipperary is Hurling Heartland.
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What it comes down to really is, its mortifying to see some Irish adults pick up a hurl and not know one end of it from the other. I understand many people dont know their arse from their elbows anyway, but there are genuinely talented natural sportsmen in this country who never had the chance to swing a hurl as a child, and thats not right.
Croke Park put money into the Christian Brothers in Birr? Bejaysus, that was fair going.
This is an article of faith but it isnât really true as Ulsterâs golden period in the early 1990s started well before the end of the Troubles. It was more to do with a mindset shift which happened first of all in the 1950s, and then to a greater extent in the 1980s during the Troubles, especially in rural Catholic communities. They embraced the idea that âour revenge will be the education and achievement of our childrenâ.
Down came to Croke Park in the early 60âs and schooled the free staters on how to play the game.