What an incredible week…how proud do you feel to be Irish? When we felt like all hope had diminished after the grueling, somewhat painful Belgium game…this happened…
Holy sweet Mother of Divine God….incredible…
And now we stand at the gates of hope as we face the mighty French in their own back-yard. A chance to right the injustice dealt to the Irish team on the 18th of November 2009 at the hands of Thierry Henry…literally! I am so proud of this incredible team…so proud to be Irish. I have faith…I believe…WE CAN DO THIS…COME ON IRELAND!!!
Our fans have been nothing short of incredible…the greatest ambassadors this wonderful Island has ever had. They have made each and every one of us smile, laugh, cry…they’ve made us so proud. From changing tyres to singing a baby to sleep on a train, they have been simply stunning. And yet…believe it or not…there are some Irish people taking to social media complaining about our amazing fans. Informing us they are “bored” with all the videos and pictures on their news-feed. To you I simply say…GET A LIFE! How can you not get swept away in the emotion and great feeling that these fans have conjured up? How can you not feel over-flowing pride as these fans represent our nation,without the need or threat of violence. There is a letter going viral at the moment, penned by a French guy…and it is moving. He thanks us for bringing joy back to his city…a city that has been through a lot lately. He praises the Irish fans for lifting the gloom and bringing back some happiness. I urge you to find this letter…it will be in one of the links on your news-feed pertaining to Ireland fans that bore you so much…and I hope it will reignite in you your passion and pride for our little nation and those that represent us. Get behind YOUR COUNTRY!
I sometimes think that our fans are so well-behaved because of how we represent ourselves while attending our national sport…The GAA, and all the wonder she has to offer. This is what I really want to talk about this week…a sport that is embedded into my blue heart…Gaelic Football. For anyone who may be reading this who is not a resident in Ireland, here is a quick run down (taken from crokepark.ie):
The history of the GAA
Croke Park is home and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Ireland’s largest sporting organisation.
Celebrated as one of the great amateur sporting associations in the world, it is part of the Irish consciousness and plays an influential role in Irish society that extends far beyond the basic aim of promoting Gaelic games.
It was founded on November 1st 1884 at a meeting in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, by a group of spirited Irishmen who had the foresight to realise the importance of establishing a national organisation to make athletics more accessible to the masses and to revive and nurture traditional, indigenous sports and pastimes. At that time, it was largely only the gentry and aristocracy who were allowed to participate in athletics. Until then all that was Irish was being steadily eroded by emigration, intense poverty and outside influences. Within six months of that famous first meeting, GAA clubs began to spring up all over Ireland and people began to play the games of Hurling and Gaelic Football and take part in Athletic events with pride.
The Association today promotes Gaelic games such as Hurling, Gaelic Football, Handball and Rounders and works with sister organisations to promote Ladies Football and Camogie. The Association also promotes Irish music, song and dance and the Irish language as an integral part of its objectives. The GAA has remained an amateur Association since its founding. Players, even at the highest level, do not receive payment for playing and the volunteer ethos remains one of the most important aspects of the GAA.
The organisation is based around the traditional parish and county structures of Ireland. As a community-based organisation, it is often stated that it is difficult to determine where the community ends and the GAA club starts, as the two are so often intertwined. The GAA has over 2,200 clubs in all 32 counties of Ireland.
Every summer the inter-county All-Ireland Championships in hurling, football and camogie capture the attention of the Irish public. Regional towns heave with the arrival of large numbers of supporters and all the colour, noise and excitement that they bring – culminating with the showcase All-Ireland finals in Croke Park during September.
The GAA continues to develop abroad, led by the Irish Diaspora. The Irish who emigrated brought their national games with them with both regional and club units now well established in the United States, Australia, Britain, mainland Europe, Canada, Asia and many other parts of the world. 400 clubs promote the activities of the GAA around the world.
So…there ya go…
I cannot stress enough how each man, woman, and child that plays any of the GAA sports, are regarded as heroes in their parish…true warrior’s. Of course, the dream is to represent your County at senior level…and this is no easy feat. But all the training and life-sacrifices are more than worth it to these heroes…for nothing compares to pulling your County’s jersey over your head, as you and your 14 warriors prepare to do battle in front of a well-behaved, but boisterous crowd. Incredible…
Wow…and they’re AMATEURS!
That’s right folks…they get paid a grand total of absolutely nothing…not a cent! They play for something far more valuable…they play for pride…for the crest on their jersey that sits proudly above their hearts. And as you can see, they don’t hold back in their pursuit of the ball or Slíotar, and yet no matter how hard you get hit…you get straight back up and on with the game…unlike certain Pre-Madonna’s that play another, similar sport…but lets not get into that now! I hail from Dublin…and nothing could make me prouder…well…except our fans over in France! My brother Noel is quite possibly the biggest GAA fan in feckin IRELAND! His love for the sport is infectious, and he is the sole reason for my love for this amazing sport…and for this I am forever in his debt. He brought me to my first game in the immense Croke Park…HQ! We were playing Armagh, and although I was to young to fully grasp what was unfolding before me, I knew I LOVED IT! Noel had brought me to “The Hill”…the terraced standing area behind one of the goals…and the spiritual home of the Dublin faithful. To me, there is no greater place on earth…
“Hon the Dubs…”
Noel’s band of brothers that accompany him to every Dublin match…EVER…are hands-down the greatest fans on earth. An amazing collection of different characters, all true Dubs…all true gents. From the Moher’s, with Paddy at the helm, (a nicer family you will never meet) to Pat Duffy, Des Buggy and Donal Clarke, and “Big Dave” to name but a few…well, they are an incredible bunch of lads. As Dubs, we usually come in for a lot of flack. It feels like it’s every County in Ireland versus us! We get accused as fans of being arrogant…full of ourselves. Well, do you know what? If the shoe fits I’ll wear it with pride. WE ARE ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS…LEAGUE CHAMPIONS…and today, straight after the Ireland game, The Dubs will ignite the turf of Croke Park as they face a bitter rival in Meath in the Leinster SFC Semi-Final…so yeah…I feel cocky…but only because the fight, heart and dedication that the The Boys In Blue produce on match day allows me to do so. HON THE DUBS!
So, as you can tell, I have quite the day ahead of me. I don’t drink anymore, and unfortunately find that I am not quite ready to sit in a pub and not drink…but I feel so good inside knowing that all the pubs in Ireland will be filled with zealous supporters cheering on Ireland, and then in my home town of Dublin, we will continue cheering for The Dubs…what a day…in fact I am amazed that I completed this weeks blog…my mind is racing here!
Before I sign off, I want to pay homage to my brother Noel. I am so proud to be your brother. To see the work you put into your lads…your team.. in Erin’s Isle…the countless hours of your own time…the shite weather and grueling training sessions, where you become your teams voice of positivity…their leader. You are my hero. Your passion for the GAA and the Irish Soccer team has rubbed off on me…and from the bottom of my heart I thank you for that. HON IRELAND…HON THE DUBS…
Love ya man…
So let’s hope and pray for a true Irish day. Whatever you’re doing for the game, I hope that you can try to enjoy it….we can do this…COME ON IRELAND….COME ON THE DUBS!
Thank you as always for stopping by.
Over and Under all you Irish, and Irish-loving people.
Go raibh maith agat
🙂
garcunnningham 