DUP minister attends GAA Match

[earl]

DUP minister seeks end to Irish anthem at GAA matches

The North's Sports Minister Edwin Poots is calling for an end to the playing of the Irish national anthem ahead of GAA games in the North.

DUP politician Edwin Poots also says he wants to see an end to the naming of sports grounds after Irish patriots.

Mr Poots became the first DUP politician to attend a GAA match in an official capacity last night when he watched the McKenna Cup game between Donegal and Down in Newry.

He was welcomed to the game by GAA president Nicky Brennan.

However, he arrived late as part of a protest against the playing of Amhran na bhFiann before the game.

____________________________________________________

I see nothing wrong with naming GAA grounds after patriots. Is he taken offence at grounds like Casement? IRA members from the past 30 years, I can understand, but patriots? And how realistically is he going to get Amhran na bhFiann stopped? The GAA doesn't get any funding from the NIO, British government or Stormont so they can tell him to go fcuk himself. This just sounds like empty rattling to make sure that he doesn't lose face amoungst the hardline DUPers. He can't do sh!t.

[earl]

Sorry, jumped the gun. The Belfast Telegraph was paraphrasing him, i.e. he never said any of it. he actually said:

“I had previously attended a GAA conference last October during which I pointed out to the organisation that there was a substantial section of the Protestant community who would not feel comfortable attending a GAA game because of the political overtones associated with it,” he said.

“While I recognise that the GAA has made strong efforts to improve that situation, with the likes of the English rugby team and other sports playing in places like Croke Park, there is still a challenge for them to prove to the Protestant community that things have changed.

“I am attending the game in my role as sports minister but as a unionist I would not feel comfortable standing for The Soldier’s Song.

“I trust there will be other moves made by the GAA in the near future which will give further encouragement to people in the Protestant community that the political aspect associated with the GAA is being removed.”

[Jim]

My opinion..

It would be nice I suppose for protestants to get into GAA, but personally I really couldnt give a shite. I dont even watch the GAA nevermind protestants in the north.

As earl said, the GAA gets nowt from Stormont, the NIO or Westminster, so why will it conform to their standards of not playing the Irish national anthem in Ireland and renaming their grounds, while the Northern Ireland team plays in a stadium called Windsor park and plays (as far as I know) God save the Queen when its fucking obvious not everyone will be comfortable with that situation.

Works both ways Poots.

Lets be honest, the GAA financially doesnt need protestant support, its the biggest sporting organisation on this island with as much support in the north as it needs.

[Harry]

jim said:

My opinion..

It would be nice I suppose for protestants to get into GAA, but personally I really couldnt give a shite. I dont even watch the GAA nevermind protestants in the north.

As earl said, the GAA gets nowt from Stormont, the NIO or Westminster, so why will it conform to their standards of not playing the Irish national anthem in Ireland and renaming their grounds, while the Northern Ireland team plays in a stadium called Windsor park and plays (as far as I know) God save the Queen when its fucking obvious not everyone will be comfortable with that situation.

Works both ways Poots.

Lets be honest, the GAA financially doesnt need protestant support, its the biggest sporting organisation on this island with as much support in the north as it needs.

Yes the play GSTQ as it is our national anthem and they play at a ground named because of the area it is situated in. So i don't understand your reference to Windsor park or how it relates to the GAA debate.

Little history of how windsor park came about...

Eventually the president of the club a Robert Gibson, who donated the Gibson Cup Trophy to the Irish League for the championship, along with others secured the lease of a ground at Myrtlefield, in the Balmoral area of the city. These three ground changes and the need to have 'an identity and a home' brought about the determination to purchase of a piece of land known as the 'bog meadows' just off lower Windsor Avenue in 1904. This ground was prepared and ready in 1905 for the first game on September 2nd against Glentoran. 'Windsor Park' as the ground became known has become the permanent home of Linfield FC.


It doesn't need Protestant support and Protestants don't want to support it so lets put this to be. We don't want anything to do with the GAA so we're all happy

[Wasp]

setanta said:

The GAA always needs new people, regardless of religion. Just like every other sporting organisation.
You shouldn't be speaking for everyone based on the phalax of religions that combine to make Protestantism.

I think he is speaking for the vast majority of Protestants in N.I and some Protestants in the republic.

[Wasp]

while the Northern Ireland team plays in a stadium called Windsor park and plays (as far as I know) God save the Queen when its fucking obvious not everyone will be comfortable with that situation.

Works both ways Poots.

Why the problem with the name Windsor Park?? please explain

[Wasp]

Oh I am well aware of a few token Prods, but to be fair to the gaa, it certainly seems to be run differently from the sinn fein republican infested gaa in N.Ireland.

I know several southern Protestants from the south who have similar views as Protestants in N.I. But as they say according to republicans they are just Irishmen who have lost there way and have been fooled by the big bad Prods in the north.

[Jim]

harry said:

jim said:

My opinion..

It would be nice I suppose for protestants to get into GAA, but personally I really couldnt give a shite. I dont even watch the GAA nevermind protestants in the north.

As earl said, the GAA gets nowt from Stormont, the NIO or Westminster, so why will it conform to their standards of not playing the Irish national anthem in Ireland and renaming their grounds, while the Northern Ireland team plays in a stadium called Windsor park and plays (as far as I know) God save the Queen when its fucking obvious not everyone will be comfortable with that situation.

Works both ways Poots.

Lets be honest, the GAA financially doesnt need protestant support, its the biggest sporting organisation on this island with as much support in the north as it needs.

Yes the play GSTQ as it is our national anthem and they play at a ground named because of the area it is situated in. So i don't understand your reference to Windsor park or how it relates to the GAA debate.

Little history of how windsor park came about...

Eventually the president of the club a Robert Gibson, who donated the Gibson Cup Trophy to the Irish League for the championship, along with others secured the lease of a ground at Myrtlefield, in the Balmoral area of the city. These three ground changes and the need to have 'an identity and a home' brought about the determination to purchase of a piece of land known as the 'bog meadows' just off lower Windsor Avenue in 1904. This ground was prepared and ready in 1905 for the first game on September 2nd against Glentoran. 'Windsor Park' as the ground became known has become the permanent home of Linfield FC.


It doesn't need Protestant support and Protestants don't want to support it so lets put this to be. We don't want anything to do with the GAA so we're all happy

As long as they play GTSQ they will never have mass nationalist support for NI, so Poots has the cheek to ask the GAA to get rid of Amhran na bhFiann. Thats my point. We can all play the "it offends me" card.

[Jim]

wasp said:

while the Northern Ireland team plays in a stadium called Windsor park and plays (as far as I know) God save the Queen when its fucking obvious not everyone will be comfortable with that situation.

Works both ways Poots.

Why the problem with the name Windsor Park?? please explain

Personally? No problem with me, it doesnt bother me. Its like asking why the problem with casement park, that was my point.

[Harry]

setanta said:

The GAA always needs new people, regardless of religion. Just like every other sporting organisation.
You shouldn't be speaking for everyone based on the phalax of religions that combine to make Protestantism.

I'll no longer refer to Protestants and instead use the term Unionist but bear in mind the two are intertwined in NI. Please then don't tell me of any Protestants who play the game or are involved in anyway. They are a minority and don't bat from the same side of the fence as myself.

[Wasp]

jim said:

wasp said:

Why the problem with the name Windsor Park?? please explain

Personally? No problem with me, it doesnt bother me. Its like asking why the problem with casement park, that was my point.

Maybe not to you, but you made reference to the name Windsor Park so I am wandering why you made that reference, thats all. So could you elaborate on the issue of the name Windsor park.

[Wasp]

[So basically when I said I've never heard Protestants in the Republic of Ireland say they have issues with the GAA based on religion and then asked if you can point me in the right direction to somewhere it says that,, you looked and couldn't find anything then?

I didn't need to look anywhere so I don't know where that came from and your answer has nothing to do with what I said. I think you are clutching at straws to twist in someway what I said.

So lets not hear anymore about how the GAA is anti-Protestant or any other religion.

You are wrong there and I will continue to make these points.

you can still play though.
I doubt the PSNI team are devout Nationalists

Not now not ever, I know a few ruc now psni officers who are devout nationalists, are you saying they are not because they are/were in the police here??

[Jim]

wasp said:

jim said:

Personally? No problem with me, it doesnt bother me. Its like asking why the problem with casement park, that was my point.

Maybe not to you, but you made reference to the name Windsor Park so I am wandering why you made that reference, thats all. So could you elaborate on the issue of the name Windsor park.

If poots is complaining about the national anthem being played at GAA matches and grounds being named after Republicans, we can complain about the NI team (which unlike the GAA is funded from nationalist pockets as well as unionist pockets in the north) using God save the queen and its home stadium being named after the Royal family (or a street after the royal family, whatever it was, same name). GSTQ and the Windsors represent me as much as Ambran na bhFiann and Republicans represent you.

Why should we change the GAA to suit a minister of a government that pays nothing to the GAA, when the NI team stand to a imo foreign anthem and then want my support and money from taxes I pay when it clearly doesnt represent me or anything I stand or believe in.

Is that enough depth? Surely you see my point even if you dont agree with it.

[earl]

WASP, show me one official GAA rule that is anti-Protestant. Then I'll believe you.

[Wasp]

its home stadium being named after the Royal family (or a street after the royal family, whatever it was, same name). GSTQ and the Windsors represent me as much as Ambran na bhFiann and Republicans represent you.

AH Jim Windsor park was built and named in 1905 after the area it was located in and that is ther windsor area. The house of windsor only adopted the name Windsor in 1917. Windsor park is not named after the Windsors so that is another myth destroyed.