Gaelic games are close to my heart. Although I’m not a GAA member or player at the moment (I play handball every week, does that count?) I was a hurler in my younger days and I have had *some* small involvement with the GAA in Europe within the past few years. Still, I’ve always been critical of certain aspects of the GAA, mainly their love of money. They talk about developing the game abroad yet the tight fisted cunts find it hard to part with any money for even a few sticks (personal experience). Then there’s the issue of player compensation for example!

Another area I have a problem with, and this is the purpose of this post, is the links with nationalism. This is obviously most evident in Northern Ireland where the “nationalist ethos” of the GAA is seen to ‘exclude’ half the population there. It’s 2005, there’s no reason for an entire community to feel excluded from our cultural/sporting organisation. And while we can argue that our intention is not to exclude anyone you can easily understand, given the nationalist tone of our Official Guide preamble or the links between the GAA and nationalism in Northern Ireland, why many in the NI protestant community would feel excluded? Isn’t it more than a tad shameful that still today in multicultural progressive Ireland a significant proportion of our island population is unable to participate in our national sports, some of the finest sports in the world? Whether they’d want to or not is irrelevant, there shouldn’t be anything preventing them from participating.

I’d like the GAA to be able to promote Gaelic sports & culture for all, not a single soul excluded. We should be making the GAA a better organisation, an organisation where we can put hand on heart and say that this is an organisation where all are welcome regardless of skin colour, religion or political affiliation. Of course I can easily put hand on heart now and say that all ARE welcome, and I truly believe that but the GAA’s links with Nationalism contradict that claim. So we need changes and I’m going to highlight a few which I believe, if implemented, would make the GAA an organisation we can be more proud of.
Btw, most of these suggestions come from discussions with members of the protestant community in NI, where better to get feedback but from those ‘on the outside’.

Well that’s according to the report which General John de Chastelain is to hand to the British & Irish Governments tomorrow! What confuses me is Dermot Aherns statement today that he was confident complete decommissioning would happen, and Gerry Adams statement this weekend that it would happen in the “near future”. I just would have [...]

I can’t believe they have the cheek, the Orange Order is planning to apply to the Parades Commission to re-run last weekends parade. Last Saturday’s parade was banned from the nationalist Springfield Road and led to three nights of loyalist riots! Do they want to do it all over again? Are they right in the [...]

[came across this photo album via Twentys homeless posting]

I see that Jeffrey Donaldson has returned from Colombia with news that the Colombian government will formally request the extradition of the ‘Colombian Three’. Jeffrey, old chum, this issue is between the Irish Government and the Colombian government, why don’t you fuck off and mind your own business. Indeed why don’t you put as much [...]

There has been a number of postings on various blogs in the past few days about the 5 year old “loyalist” who was caught throwing stones at the PSNI during a recent riot. Balrog is “shocked and appalled” to hear that Loyalists have been recruiting young children to take part in these riots; United Irelander [...]

I think John O’Shea is spot on here when he called plans to send 30 Irish troops to help with the New Orleans aid effort as ‘ludicrous’. I mean, they have massive resources available, they have about 14 navy ships in the Katrina task force with more than enough helicopters & personnel to deal with [...]

A very decent gesture by many of the Protestants in Ballymena showing support for the local R.Catholics by holding a vigil outside Our Lady’s Church tonight. The church has been attacked a number of times in the past month by being paint bombed and daubed with sectarian graffiti. Many Presbyterians from a nearby church have [...]

The issue of abortion is in the news [registration cheat] today. George explains further on Slugger where quite a heavy discussion is ongoing. I’m not brave enough to get involved just yet, maybe later.

The Israeli military will in future use sand bullets for riot control, replacing rubber bullets which have been responsible for dozens of deaths. Perhaps the PSNI might consider a similar move. Although rubber bullets are not used much anymore in NI [they were used quite recently but that was the first time in about 3 [...]