Yer man had been engaged to her for 10 years. Pat said âyouâve had a decade of the Rosarii, thatâs enoughâ.
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Pat Spillane: Mist is a chance to stop the farce in GAA
Semi-finals in Thurles and Newry shouldnât have been allowed go ahead, which begs the question: Why are we playing the biggest club games in this type of weather?
After watching last Sundayâs All-Ireland club senior football semi-finals, it struck me why I love Gaelic football so much.
It is so crazy, brilliant, frustrating, inconsistent and captivating that it captures every possible emotion.
OK, letâs get the excuses out of the way first. Mea culpa. I got my predictions wrong.
Clutching at straws, I did come close to getting it right. Castlehaven and Kilmacud Crokes were both very much in contention until the final whistle.
Letâs be clear though â by far the two best teams on the day, St Brigidâs and Glen, won. But thatâs only half the story.
What happened in Newry and to a lesser extent in Thurles could only be summed up by Fr Dougal McGuireâs âThatâs mad, Tedâ refrain in the famous comedy series.
It infuriated me to see the game going ahead in Newry in the fog.
It should never have started because the foggy conditions rendered it unsafe for the players. Furthermore, it was unfair on the paying customers.
Fans who were at the game told me they couldnât see what was happening on the far side of the pitch or in the corners. It was a bad joke.
Those of us attempting to watch the game on TV were making educated guesses as to what was happening.
Michael Warnock, the Glen man of the match, summed up the farce best when he said Kilmacud Crokesâ Shane Walsh asked him at one stage where the ball was.
Thurles wasnât a whole lot better. With half the pitch covered in frost, players were slipping and sliding all over the place.
Castlehavenâs free-taker Brian Hurley had difficulty teeing up the ball because the surface was frozen.
Health and safety of players â donât make me laugh.
What we witnessed in Newry and Thurles are by-products of the crazy split season where too many competitions are squeezed into such a short time frame, and the biggest club games are played in December and January. Meanwhile, in June, July and August, during the best time of the year weather-wise, the GAA fixture list is relatively light.
But am I surprised? Hell no. Boxes must be ticked, TV obligations must be met. Replays or postponements? Dream on.
Weâve now had three farcical games: the Munster club final and the All-Ireland semi-finals due to weather conditions. Yet the GAAâs mantra appears to be that matches must go ahead at all costs. Common sense anybody?
The Connacht Council use an orange-coloured ball in their games in the FBD league in the Dome. Pray tell me then â did anybody think of using an orange ball in Newry?
This is not a new idea. In the Premier League, it is compulsory to use a yellow-coloured ball between October and February.
Allowing the game to proceed in Newry was a spectacular own goal by the GAA. It should never happen again.
Pardon the pun, but despite the gloom there was some brilliant action.
Take your pick from Shane Walshâs no-look kick pass for Hugh Kennyâs goal, a couple of Paul Mannionâs long-range points and the collective brilliance of Glen, particularly in the first half.
Glenâs Malachy OâRourke proved with his game plan why he is the best manager operating outside the intercounty scene. While in Thurles, the display of the St Brigidâs forwards in the first half was absolutely superb.
I accept that weather conditions make life difficult for the referee, but I couldnât understand why Conor Lane, who was standing nearby, didnât red card Brian Sheedy for his high challenge on Glenâs Jack Doherty, who took no further part in the game.
My pet hate, the amount of injury time played, came up again, proving once more why this job should not be left to the referee.
Lane played exactly the four minutes which had been allocated. But he should have allowed another play as a Kilmacud Crokes substitution at the start of injury time took 37 seconds to execute.
The Dublin champions displayed all the hallmarks of a team who were physically and mentally exhausted after a long stint at the top.
They only performed in the last 20 minutes; their build-up play was too slow, which allowed Glen time to organise their defence and they were over-dependent on Mannion and Walsh for scores.
Worse still, they gave away six scoreable frees, whereas the Derry champions only conceded two.
But it ought not to be overlooked that they were missing five of last yearâs All-Ireland-winning side, while Aidan Jones, who played in the Dublin final, wasnât available either. Despite their strength in depth, this was a big turnover of players.
I felt sorry for Castlehaven, as this was their fourth All-Ireland semi-final defeat. They are a small club who donât have a conveyor belt of talent coming through.
Their two best players, Brian Hurley and Mark Collins, are in the twilight of their careers.
But in the last 20 minutes, they just didnât show enough composure to convert their chances.
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Because in fairness most GAA fans couldnât give a bollix
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Thatâs an outstanding article in fairness.
What an evisceration of the split season zealots.
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Youâd apes like @Perez2017 thinking the split season was about the clubs.
The inter county is the only show in town.
What these split season zealots have done will not be forgiven.
All run off in Fog, Ice, Wind and Rain so Ethan Doherty and Conor Glass become available to play an Intercounty NFL game 6 days after the Club All Ireland.
Its absurd.
What was the situation before the split season?
The Club All Ireland could overlap with the start of the National League and nobody batted an eyelid.
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But the majority of matches in the club championship were still played in shit weather.
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Not really and they could always be postponed if necessary. As the integrity of the competition had to be upheld.
In 2010, games were postponed until January 2011 because of the big freeze. It wasnât ideal but at least it was fair.
I think Corofin went to London one time and a game was called off.
What went on in Newry, Thurles, Limerick and Portlaoise over the past 5 weeks was wrong on a number of levels.
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Hard to believe pat doesnât know that dublin and kerry get all the big calls
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The Wexford GGA Golf Classic taking place on 9/10 May. Split season in action again. This would have traditionally held a July slot in the calendar but now they have to run/walk/buggy it off in freezing conditions in early May.
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Traditionally held on the May Bank Holiday you fun running buffoon.
Covid years required a later and itâs now plodding back to its earlier date.
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Steady on mate. That aggression is par for the course with you lately.
What a fuck up from @Bandage. The level of confidence he had while spouting utter shite⌠thatâs what kills me. Heâll be a long time regaining the trust of the forum. Itâll be a real albatross around his neck youâd feel.
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Ah here
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Reminds me of Hamish McJockstrap
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Itâs certainly a bogey for him.
Offffttttt headshot.