Tag: @RTEGAA

  • One brave warrior’s special day exposes GAA bluff

    One brave warrior’s special day exposes GAA bluff

    Early April, 1999, but it’s more like a day in November. Wind and rain sheet into the old disabled viewing area in Croke Park. The corner where the Nally Stand and Hill 16 meet. The kindly old Steward, Bobby, who da and I had got to know from years of being in and out, says…

  • Advantage forwards after weekend of Retro Ball

    Advantage forwards after weekend of Retro Ball

    You can bring the horses to water but you can’t make them drink. For more than a decade now, Gaeldom, myself included, have been articulating ad nauseum how pedantic, restrictive, and frankly boring snooze fest Gaelic football has become. You can blame Mickey Harte or Jim McGuinness or Eamon Ryan or Elon Musk or whoever…

  • Brennan takes on the Royal baton

    Brennan takes on the Royal baton

    BREAKING NEWS In a historic development for St Peter’s, Dunboyne, Robbie Brennan becomes the third representative of the club to hold the position of Meath senior football manager following his appointment tonight (Wednesday) on a three year term. The current Kilmacud Crokes and former Dunboyne manager – who also played for both clubs – of…

  • The call is from heroism, who will accept?

    The call is from heroism, who will accept?

    Perhaps if one had been around for the glorious yet curious duopoly between Dublin and Kerry in the 1970s and early 80s, it might be easier to reason with Dublin’s domination for the last decade and a half. Just to be clear, that is not in any way a criticism of those who are currently…

  • Three out of four might go with form but there’s always the one…   

    Three out of four might go with form but there’s always the one…   

    There are always little signs. If you go back to one of the greatest GAA occurrences ever seen 33 years ago this week –  Kevin Foley’s goal for Meath in the fourth game against Dublin – it’s hardly coincidence that they spent two hours rehearsing the move on a soccer pitch in Scotland seven days…

  • When you’re neither up nor down

    When you’re neither up nor down

    Meath…0-09 Kerry…2-18 A Kerry-bred friend of mine residing in these parts posted a photo on social media this (Monday) morning of his young daughter with the great Tom O’Sullivan on the Pairc Tailteann pitch after Kerry had done what most people expected them to do. Albeit with far too much ease than was comfortable for…

  • Neither of  them have gone away, you know

    Neither of  them have gone away, you know

    Some of the Provincial Championships are alive and well. Praise the Lord. In fact, looking at Jimmy winning matches again made one very grateful that Donegal didn’t produce their swashbuckling seismic performance against Meath a few weeks earlier. They say that immitation is the greatest form of flattery. And, by God, all and sundry in…

  • My Jarlath Burns Wishlist

    My Jarlath Burns Wishlist

    Following on from my first piece relating to the new President of the GAA, Jarlath Burns, as promised, I do have a broader wish list of what I’d hope/like to see the former Armagh midfielder address during his stewardship of the Association. Before going forward to that though, let me first go back to that…

  • There are none so blind as those who don’t want to see

    There are none so blind as those who don’t want to see

    Con Houlihan, after one of the epic Dublin/Kerry encounters of the 1970s, began his summation of the event thus: “House private, no flowers please’. Now read on… The strange opening was a nod to Con’s “Friend Girl” Harriet Duffin who was a Dub. On the said occasion, his would be the happy half of their…

  • He might win matches but does he have a magic wand?

    He might win matches but does he have a magic wand?

    When I was a young fella, one of the things that fascinated me about Donegal footballers was that a large majority of them appeared to have the same haircut. Whether it was a similar scenario to Tyrone when they made a pact regarding beards a decade later is unknown but the similarities were striking. Brian…