ANFEARRUA.IE

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GAA Confidential: January 2009

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Monday, January 19, 2009. WELCOME TO MY WORLD. The Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the most successful and vibrant amateur sports bodies in the world, and has been a seminal influence on Irish life since its inception in 1884. In the face of official and casual hostility, poverty and mass emigration, infinite counter-attractions and a post-colonial inferiority complex the size of Mongolia, it has thrived, evolved and endured. It is, in many ways, the soul of Ireland. Cumann Luthchleas Gael abú!

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GAA Confidential: Keep the faith

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Monday, January 19, 2009. Ireland has become increasingly secular and materialistic in the last few decades, and the GAA has reflected that. Many people have long since swapped their rosary beads and peculiar certain-foods-on-certain-days rituals for astronomical house prices and a frankly absurd obsession with cooking. We’re also, of course, an increasingly multi-denominational society, with people of all faiths and none living pious cheek by atheistic jowl. Too complex to explain in one sentence. We ha...

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GAA Confidential: Hurling through time

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Monday, January 19, 2009. Hurling, of course, has a heritage richer than the lovechild of Steven Spielberg and that cat who owns Wal-Mart. Most of the ancient mythological heroes are said to have played iománíocht, like Cuchulainn and Fionn MacCumhaill, while Diarmuid actually won the heart of fair Gráinne by scoring three times in a match, which makes her the first GAA trophy wife, I suppose. This noble pursuit even got a mention in Brian Merriman’s epic poem. Cuirt an Mhean Oiche. Indeed he did…. This ...

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GAA Confidential: Cult heroes

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Thursday, January 15, 2009. We have, for a few decades now, been constantly hearing about the ‘cult of the manager.’ But what exactly does this mean in – as members of the political fraternity might say – real terms? But what if County Boards appointed actual cult leaders to manage the team? Cutting out the middleman, so to speak. The following counties and charismatic basket-cases might just hit it off:. Jim Jones and WATERFORD – after another season of ‘so near and yet so far’, even c...Marshall Applew...

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GAA Confidential: We lost that one in translation, Marty

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Monday, January 19, 2009. We lost that one in translation, Marty. What with our growing richness, desire for new experiences and belated realisation that we’re being royally screwed by every greasy till-fumbler in the country, holidays abroad have never been more popular with GAA fans. Sun, sea, sangría and fat English yobs with the cross of St George tattooed on their capacious bellies: what could be finer? Will ye get into them! 161;Voluntad que usted consigue en ellos! Football was the real winner.

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GAA Confidential: The catechism of cliché

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Monday, January 19, 2009. The catechism of cliché. In his fantastic Myles na Gopaleen columns, Flann O’Brien would satirise the predictable, the trite and the meaningless through his hilarious Cathecism of Cliché. And now you can use this handy reference guide to spot cliché usage at matches, meetings or in everyday conversation:. Of what is the club the cornerstone? What prefix is invariably associated with the weaker counties? Of what is there none of that young fella at wing-forward? Subscribe to: Pos...

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GAA Confidential: We’ll ‘file it away for later

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Monday, January 19, 2009. We’ll ‘file it away for later. The high/low point of any big match programme is the player profile, in which random team members give grudging answers to pointless questions. Should you ever find yourself in this awkward position, just use this helpful cut-out-and-keep guide, which covers all potentialities:. Name: (we can’t help you with this one, unfortunately). Age: (you know the drill by now). Biggest influence growing up: my father/my first teacher/Satan. Ambition: to win t...

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GAA Confidential: WELCOME TO MY WORLD

http://gaaconfidential.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-contents.html

Monday, January 19, 2009. WELCOME TO MY WORLD. The Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the most successful and vibrant amateur sports bodies in the world, and has been a seminal influence on Irish life since its inception in 1884. In the face of official and casual hostility, poverty and mass emigration, infinite counter-attractions and a post-colonial inferiority complex the size of Mongolia, it has thrived, evolved and endured. It is, in many ways, the soul of Ireland. Cumann Luthchleas Gael abú!

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GAA Confidential: You’ve just gotta love that

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Monday, January 19, 2009. You’ve just gotta love that. Five particular reasons for holding the championship in such affection:. Leaving early to beat the traffic. I have to laugh at how some folks, who have paid good money to be there, inevitably get itchy feet with five minutes remaining and decide not to bother watching the rest of the game. Sure, we’ll get it on the radio. In a perfect world: supporters would be manacled to their seats/terrace stanchions by unbreakable futuristic energy beams. In a pe...