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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: GAA has lost the hearts and minds of the country
For two years now I have been saying the GAA's 'split season' is an absolute disaster and to tell the truth, I've often felt like I was wasting my time and energy, so I'm glad that at least one former Inter County manager has come around to my way of thinking. Let me repeat again, the split season has been an unmitigated disaster for the GAA. But let's examine the reasons why the split season was introduced in the first place. Undoubtedly, ordinary GAA Club players weren't getting fair play under the old system, where the Inter County Championships ran from May until September. A club championship game was fixed, then the County team were involved on a draw and replay, and the Club game went off. This happened repeatedly — first rounds of Club championships were often played in May and it could be September before the next game. Certainly there was no certainty for the Club players who make up around 92% of all hurlers and footballers — they couldn't plan holidays, weddings, honeymoons or other social occasions. There was a major problem and as a Club Officer for decades, I am well aware of what pertained. The so-called solution — the Utopia, the panacea — the much-lauded split season has solved one problem but caused many others far more serious than the old postponement of fixtures. Has the GAA ever commissioned a cost-benefit analysis of the split season? Maybe secretly, but I never heard of it anyway. I don't simply mean cost-benefit in terms of finance, but in terms of developing our games and promotion. Our promotion in the GAA is woeful. Take the Munster Final next week. After great games in the early round, we now play our top game at 6 o'clock of a Saturday evening — have we a curtain raiser? Have we a band? Have we a price hike for tickets? The club championships in every county are the 'bread and butter', the lifeblood of the GAA in every parish. Our Inter County games then should be our shop window, our Champions League, our premiership, something to attract youngsters to Gaelic Games and foster a love of our native pastimes. Here we are at the end of May and over 60% of all our Inter County Hurling teams are 'wrapped up' for 2025. Promotion — how are ya! Fair play to one of the Munster rugby bosses who lately commented on the 'promotional value' to rugby of big games in Croke Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Fair play to the GAA, we truly are sportingly ecumenical, but it isn't it time we saw after our own? Losing the absolute grasp we had on the minds and hearts of the country every September has been an unmitigated disaster. Is the GAA too proud to admit 'We made a mistake' and admit the same in regards the decoupling of minor and senior inter-county games. Ad nauseam I have proposed a dual 'side-by-side' Club and Inter County games programme running from April until September — like the song says 'When will they ever learn?' John Arnold, Bartlemy, Co Cork Time to honour our Defence Forces heroes Commandant (retired) Ray Cawley once again draws attention (Letters, Irish Examiner) to continuing 'failure' of various Irish governments to ensure the heroic actions of the members of the Irish Defence Forces and the brilliant leadership displayed in the defence of Jadotville are properly acknowledged. Cmdt Cawley, in my opinion, correctly criticises our Government, senior civil servants, and military hierarchy for their continuing failure in this regard. I can confirm that during my time with the United Nations peacekeeping operations, I met several civilian and military personnel who were in the Congo at the time of the siege of Jadotville. All spoke in glowing terms of the performance of Irish military personnel. Several military officers from various nations confirmed to me that the defence of Jadotville is used in their training academies as an example of outstanding defensive actions. Yet successive Irish governments in the past 60 years have failed to properly recognise the actions of those brave men. Shame on them all, government ministers and ministers for defence — beginning with Micheál Martin, former minister for defence, and Simon Harris, current minister for defence. Recently, Fergus Finlay wrote: 'Our leaders are running a 'do-nothing' parliament and it's offensive.' Any wonder that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael between them could not form a government after the last general election? The people of Ireland deserve better. Over to you, Micheál and Simon. Michael Moriarty, Rochestown, Cork Trump deserves praise for keeping cool head The editorial on May 27 adopted a rather belligerent attitude towards US president Donald Trump for, apparently, not plunging Europe, including Ireland, into a devastating world war since his return to the presidential office in the US. Looked at a little more objectively, it would appear that Mr Trump is behaving in a somewhat restrained manner for the sake of the American people, and for all our sakes, by not allowing himself to be dragged or pushed by belligerent people into a world war scenario. The Irish Examiner's editorial attack on Mr Trump is quite personal. The extract reads 'Trump's narcissistic streak' and 'Trump needs to up his game'. Instead of such negative personalised comments, the Irish Examiner should be thanking Mr Trump, profusely, for keeping a cool head — and avoiding, so far, a major world war — unlike certain other European leaders. In the Financial Times, in an editorial under the heading 'Europe needs smart rearmament', on May 15, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, is quoted as follows: 'If Europe wants to avoid war, Europe must get ready for war.' I think this is ill-conceived advice from the European Commission president — it is myopic; it ignores the underlying causes of the two horrific wars in Europe in the last century, namely the First World War and Second World War. Is this lady readying the scene for another world war? For instance, regarding the Second World War, the construction by France in the 1930s of the heavily fortified and armed Maginot Line along its border with Germany didn't avoid that war. It would appear that Ms Von der Leyen, along with others in Europe and elsewhere, are unaware of the dire recent warnings by an eminent US organisation, the Science and Security Board, of the imminent nuclear threat facing the people of Europe, including Ireland. For instance, since the beginning of the year, the Doomsday Clock (Albert Einstein et al) has moved closer than it has ever been to predicting a major global disaster — the clock now stands at 89 seconds to midnight. The Doomsday Clock's Science and Security Board Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned on January 28, 2025, with regard, for example, to the increasing possibility of nuclear war, that: 'The war in Ukraine, now in its third year, looms over the world; the conflict could become nuclear at any moment because of a rash decision or through accident or miscalculation.' Micheál O'Cathail, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin We must stand up for victims of Gaza now In the years to come, a global generation of young people will confront their parents with simple questions: What did you do to oppose the catastrophic genocide of innocent civilians in Gaza? What did you do to resist the deliberately induced Israeli famine in Gaza? If that question is met with a variation of, 'What could we do? We were only observers/bystanders with no direct ability to challenge the slaughter,' it will be treated with the same contemptuous response that consumed the first generation of post-Second World War German children in the 1960s, when they demanded of their parents, 'What did you know or not do about the persecution of Jews that culminated in the Holocaust? The overwhelming response to that question was a variation of personal innocence, ignorance, and/or helplessness. This led to the scathing term 'mitläufer', a label depicting an individual, who through a lack of courage, didn't confront the obvious evilness of the evolving Holocaust. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here We witness in real time on a daily basis the mass starvation and daily bombardment of 2m defenceless Palestinians. Will our children and grandchildren in the years to come not also challenge us with a simple question: What did you demand of your government? The very least we should be able to answer is that we demanded of our TDs an immediate implementation of the occupied territories bill — a piece of legislation which is a totally inadequate resort to the incremental displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Yet consecutive Irish governments have found multiple excuses to not apply even this deficient response. If we do not mobilise as a national collective to demand/force our representatives to act on Israeli genocide, we too will have to bare the guilt of the morally outraged yet, at the same time, otherwise engaged citizen. Kevin McCarthy, Clonfadda, Killaloe, Clare Cruel impact of Catholic Church's negative labels The Irish Catholic Catechism of 2014 states homosexual acts are 'intrinsically disordered' and 'contrary to the natural law'. Sadly, this teaching can unfairly put gay people off having any gay friendships, and it can also prevent normal friendships forming between gay people and straight people. In turn, Catholic straight people also get to hear false biology teaching from their own Church — a false type of lesson that is easily apt to mischievously get under their skin and make Catholic straight people feel uncomfortable to be in social settings with gay people. This can cruelly be the case, I feel, no matter how talented and nice gay people may strive to appear to be. The Catholic Church often says gay people should be loved by everyone else in society. But this will, I fear, never fully make up for the harm such an offensive and divisive term as 'unnatural' can cause this significant minority. Many acts committed against the law of our land are not considered unnatural and so may soon enough be forgiven and forgotten. But, I believe, unfortunately, when some people are labelled as being unnatural, then this negative label may unhappily never leave them at all. Seán O'Brien, Carnanes South, Kilrush, Co Clare Read More Irish Examiner view: Trump tariff plan in disarray just as his biggest cheerleader exits
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
John Kiely: 'Embrace the Munster jeopardy,' as Limerick 'debunk' end of era talk
John Kiely is against four teams coming out of the Munster Championship, saying counties have to 'embrace the jeopardy.' Kiely also says the narrative that last year's All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Cork was the end of an era for his Limerick side has been proven wrong. 'Maybe that narrative is out there, or was out there,' said Kiely. 'I think that narrative has been debunked now so yeah, that's it.' Kiely's men are going for an historic first ever Munster seven-in-a-row when they face Cork at the Gaelic Grounds next Saturday evening in what promises to be a magnificent occasion. But with All-Ireland champions Clare and Waterford exiting the competition a fortnight ago, and Waterford bowing out last Sunday - both before the end of May, the cut throat nature of the Munster Championship has come into focus again. However, Kielty is against four teams coming out of the province. Speaking about Waterford, who have yet to get out of the Munster round robin in six attempts, Kiely said: 'It's tough. It is tough. They haven't come out of it yet. It's very, very tough on them. 'They've made great progress this year. Peter has done really, really well. I suppose you just have to keep going back, keep going back and eventually you will get the breakthrough. 'Look at Tipperary last year, where they were bottom of the group and this year they have turned it around. They have got five points on the board. 'Three teams tied with five points so only score difference separated the three teams in the group at the top. It can be done. 'Do I think putting four teams out is going to improve it? I don't. I think it will actually diminish the importance of the games. There's great jeopardy there. It is tough, but it's a good tough. 'When you love sport, you want to be involved in competition that has incredible standards, incredible competition, incredible rivalries and real jeopardy. 'That's what the Munster Championship has and that's why it's so special, and that's why the crowds are turning out. 'So we have to embrace the jeopardy with the desire to get out, that's my opinion.' Meanwhile, Kiely says the price hike for stand tickets for the Munster Final, which are now €50, having increased from €40 in 2023 to €45 in 2024, is part of 'a big hit' for families. Terrace tickets are €40. The student and OAP discount is only €10, meaning they will play €40 for stand tickets, while juvenile tickets are now €10. Kiely said: 'Listen, sure supporters are never going to be happy with a price hike in tickets. It's a big commitment to be a supporter in the first place and they are going to league matches. 'They are going to all the Championship matches and there's a lot of those matches in a short period of time. 'I think that's the biggest piece really, is the fact that we are coming off the back of four round robin games and now we are into the Munster Final and it's all happening in the space of seven weeks. It's a lot of expense in a short period of time. 'People are looking towards the summer, looking towards summer holidays, kids going away on summer camps - all those kinds of things. 'So it's just an added expense on a family where you are trying to bring two adults and two or three kids to the match and it's going to cost you a nice few quid to go. 'I think that's the big piece. If the season was more stretched the expense is spread out as well with it. 'That's maybe something that needs to be taken into consideration, that it's a big hit for families all at the one time. 'People haven't been giving out to me about the price of the tickets too much. It's more about getting your hands on one that is the biggest problem at the moment. 'I think we are going to have a fantastic occasion here (the Gaelic Grounds).' Kiely says the onus is on the Munster Council to explain where the additional revenue will be spent. 'I think the onus maybe goes back on the Munster Council now. Ultimately they are the ones who are gathering this additional revenue. 'I think maybe in the course of the next 12 months they need to make it reasonably clear to everybody what the additional revenues went towards. 'I think that would be something that would be very much appreciated by the paying public, to know that that money is being put to very good use right across the Association.'
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tackle was 'reckless,' and 'Like something you'd see in the French Revolution'
Donal Og Cusack says a tackle that went unpunished in the Galway/Dublin game was 'like something you'd see in the French Revolution.' The RTE pundit, speaking on the Sunday Game, took issue with Conor Donohoe's high tackle across Galway's John Fleming, which knocked his helmet off. Referee Colm Lyons and his team of officials didn't pick the incident up, and no action was taken. However, this means that Donohoe could well face retrospective action from the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) and could be slapped with a proposed suspension ahead of Dublin's All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final in three weeks time. With a raft of potential red card incidents highlighted on the Sunday Game last night that either weren't picked up by match officials, or resulted in yellow cards, it has reignited debates over the standard of refereeing, the training of match officials and the need for a video official. The CCCC could have a busy afternoon with Galway goalkeeper Darach Fahy also likely to be sweating for a swipe at Dublin's AJ Murphy, which went unpunished by the match officials. However, Cork's Sean O'Donoghue, who reacted to being bundled over by striking out at Dessie Hutchinson in their victory over Waterford, could be in the clear for their Munster Final encounter with Limerick in a fortnight. Referee Johnny Murphy yellow carded O'Donoghue for the incident. In such scenarios the GAA generally deem the issue to have been dealt with by the referee although they do have the power to ask him to review it again. Galway's Daithi Burke is likely to be in the clear after being yellow carded be referee Lyons for a thumping shoulder to the chest of Dubliin's Conor Burke. Sunday Game pundit Liam Sheedy said some of the incidents across the week were 'more street fighting than street wise,' while Donal Og Cusack aaddressed the Donohoe challenge on Fleming. 'This last one here, something like to be honest you'd see in the French Revolution,' said the Cork All-Ireland winner. 'It's more suited to something that would be happening in the Bastille. 'I can't understand how the umpires didn't see that. Hurling is a physical game. It's a game for courage. It's a game for bravery. It's a game for toughness. There's nothing tough about that tackle.' And on Darach Fahy's swipe at AJ Murphy, Cusack said:'He's not going to break his leg with something like that but there's nothing tough about that. 'In that situation - we've said it in numerous situations - there's a duty on the umpire to be calling the referee. 'When I speak about duty, there's a duty on the tackler. You see Daithi Burke on Conor Burke. "There's a duty on the tackler in those situations to be careful with the player. A shoulder on the chest could go seriously wrong.' Cusack went on to question the role of the GAA: 'You'd have to ask, who is leading? We saw during the winter there was stuff being leaked out to the media and we all know where it was going before the referees were getting it. 'You'd have to ask what type of support they (referees) are getting from Croke Park. Are they getting the fitness help and so on? 'Has the day come to get some sort of technology into the GAA to help em. I do think the GAA are going to have to make big decisions. 'You hear a lot coming out of Croke Park about the handpassing of the ball. There's way bigger problems in hurling than somebody who is trying to handpass the ball quickly. 'We've seen it with the whole tackle. The tackle is one of the biggest issues. 'A number of years ago when some of us were speaking about the introduction of the spare hand and all the issues that that was going to bring in the game, the GAA avoided going after trying to define the tackle. 'So you'd have to question from a leadership point of view in Croke Park, because the game of hurling has never been better and that comes from a fella who played the game a number of years. 'We know the game has always been skilful players. The game is excellent but one of the biggest problems we have in the game is the standard of refereeing. 'And it gives none of us, and we've said it about three or four times because we respect referees…. 'And especially at club level the game won't go ahead without referees, but it's just not good enough." Cusack continued: 'You (Sheedy) spoke about the responsibility on players but you'd have to say the standard of refereeing is just not good enough. 'My own minor team at home will know whenever we speak about referees, I always ask them, 'Who is the bravest person on the field?' and I will always say, 'It's the referee,' because in a lot of cases they are there by themselves. 'But the game, especially at this level, has advanced so much physically, pace wise, technology, the referees just haven't advanced at the same pace.' Speaking about the Galway/Dublin game, Liam Sheedy said: 'It could have been 13 against 14. It should have been absolutely. There's no question all three of them were sendings off. Equally the game is made - we want it to be 15 on 15, but there is a duty of care. John Kiely said it a number of weeks ago - players need to respect the players they are playing against. 'Some of the stuff we are seeing is stupid and silly stuff, but some of it is wreckless, down right wreckless. That could have been and should have been 14 against 13 at the end of the first half.' Sheedy felt Cork's Sean O'Donoghue should have been sent off for an incident with Dessie Hutchinson. 'I mean, he clearly strikes Dessie Hutchinson, and to me that should have been a red card for striking. 'Johnny does consult and it ends up where Sean O'Donoghue gets a yellow card and Stephen Bennett actually gets a yellow card for throwing away the hurley. To me, if that is a striking action, it's a sending off.'
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Deadly and dithery Cork make Munster final
For Nicky English, the last weekend of hurling's provincial round robins proved to be a bit on the underwhelming side , not helped by two of the games being dead rubbers. He was, though, impressed by Galway, but he still has his doubts about Cork. Did their performance against Waterford 'answer the file of queries raised by the disintegration in Limerick? No, absolutely not'. Cork were, writes Denis Walsh, 'slick and sloppy and deadly and dithery' , in keeping with 'their bipolar performances in the championship' thus far, but job done, they're through to the Munster final where they'll get another crack at Limerick. They'll need to work on their accuracy, though. ' The scores we missed were brutal, for want of a better word ,' as their manager Pat Ryan put it after the game. An understrength Limerick lost to Clare, but it was too little too late for the All-Ireland champions , they were already out, but Galway booked their slot in the Leinster final , Seán Moran at Parnell Park to see them pick up their first away win against Dublin in the championship. Up next for Galway is Kilkenny who lost to Wexford in one of those dead rubbers , while Offaly retained their Leinster SHC status with a jittery win over Antrim. In football, Monaghan brought newly crowned Leinster champions Louth crashing back down to earth in Newbridge, while Donegal had their bubble burst by Tyrone in Ballybofey. Armagh eased some of the pain of their Ulster final defeat by getting the better of Derry, while Meath bounced back too from their Leinster final loss by beating Cork in Navan. And on the women's side, Galway and Kerry retained their provincial titles with victories over Mayo and Waterford, respectively. READ MORE In soccer, Ken Early reflects on the Premier League campaign just ended . So much for it being 'the season of the underdog' – 'in the end the top five had a reassuringly familiar composition: two American-owned sports-groups, two clubs owned by Gulf states, and whatever the hell Chelsea are.' We also look back on how the Irish fared on 'a weekend marked by joy for some and heartbreak for others', no one experiencing more joy than Katie McCabe after Arsenal's Champions League triumph over Barcelona . In rugby, Gerry Thornley reports on Bordeaux Bègles' Champions Cup triumph over Northampton Saints, hearing from their assistant coach Noel McNamara after the game, his CV looking 'increasingly impressive'. Declan Kelly has a heck of a CV too: 'From Tipp to Salford via Wall Street.' Denis Walsh traces his remarkable career, the latest chapter his involvement in Salford City , the League Two side that was famously owned by Manchester United's Class of '92. TV Watch : Tennis fans will be in heaven, it's French Open time, TNT Sports bringing an entire 13 hours of coverage from Roland Garros today (from 10am). In the afternoon, TG4 has horse racing from Ballinrobe (4.15pm) and later, they have highlights from the GAA weekend (8pm).
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Munster Hurling Final ticket update as Limerick and Cork to go at it again
Munster GAA have released a ticket update for the Limerick/Cork provincial hurling decider on Saturday week, and it's not good news for the casual fan. The Gaelic Grounds tie is almost certain to sellout as Cork go into the lion's den again, having been hammered by 16 points by Limerick at the same venue eight days ago. That tie attracted a bumper sellout crowd of 42, 477 for the group stage meeting and the same is expected in 12 days time. It's hard to believe that this is Cork's first Munster Hurling Final appearance in seven years (2018), while this historymaking Limerick side go for the province's first ever seven-in-a-row. Limerick won their recent meeting 3-26 to 1-16 to qualify for the Munster Final. This allowed them to rest key players in their weekend dead rubber defeat by Clare. Cork had to defeat Waterford at Pairc Ui Chaoimh over the weekend to stay alive in the Championship - and they did that on a 2-25 to 1-22 scoreline, despite hitting 17 wides. The Rebels were without injured skipper Robert Downey, while Declan Dalton and Niall O'Leary also missed the game due to injury. They're all in a race against time to prove their fitness for the rematch with John Kiely's all conquering side. Ger Mellerick, Cormac O'Brien and Seamus Harnedy all came into the Cork side at the weekend, showing the depth they have, while Diarmuid Healy impressed off the bench. The winner of the Munster Final will go straight through to the All-Ireland semi-final, with the loser going into the quarter-finals. It's a game that has got fans excited as the hurling world waits to see if a Cork side, which defeated Limerick twice in last year's Championship, can muster a response to their recent mauling. But getting a ticket to see this one could prove tricky. Munster GAA released the following statement: 'Due to the high demand, tickets for the Munster Senior Hurling Final on Saturday June 7 at 6pm in the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick will be distributed through the participating County Boards only. 'Season ticket holders from Limerick and Cork will receive their tickets through the normal channels. There will be no public sale of tickets via Ticketmaster, Centra or Supervalu outlets.'
