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Why are the blues, Tintyland and Old Leoghlin not in the top 6, why is St. Patrick's almost non threatening for senior status. St. Patrick's are based in the 2nd biggest town in the county with an ever increasing population, where as Rathvilly their near neighbours is a rural village more or less, it beggars believe. supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3050 - 14/10/2024 13:07:50 2574789 Link 0 |
Well, that's a question I have posed here before. The Rathvilly area has a population of about 1,500. Clonmore's hinterland is about 1,200 and Tullow are pulling from over 5,000. Grange's pick would be something similar to Rathvilly's, judging on primary school numbers. So why have Rathvilly consistently been a top senior club for 40 years, while the other three have oscillated between intermediate and junior? Clearly Rathvilly people are not a genetically superior race, compared to those in neighboring parishes. So the only answer would be coaching and organization. Maybe other clubs could learn from them? Old Leighlin are a bad example. I know they pull some out of Ballinabranna and the other Leighlin, but their natural pick is about 700 people. They are definitely doing better than they should be, on paper. Tinryland's nominal player supply also isn't much bigger than Rathvilly's (and yes I know they get some from town also) and they are hardly a failing club. Have been in two county finals in three years. The O'Hanrahan's seem to have been squeezed out by Eire Og and Palatine in the town. Sad to see their predicament, but if Eire Og weren't gobbling up, and then spitting out, so many youngsters you'd imagine the Blues and Asca would both be stronger. And, as posted before, the county would ultimately benefit. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 14/10/2024 18:39:15 2574913 Link 0 |
Maybe someone can correct me if wrong, but I see on X that MLR have won 5 of the last 6 minor hurling championships! In that case is it likely they've won 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24.. 10 out of last 13? Should we not all be tipping down their and see how they set up their structures as it's by far ahead of any other club in either code.. Carlowtothecore1 (Carlow) - Posts: 46 - 14/10/2024 23:25:48 2574961 Link 0 |
Numbers game really though isn't it, while MLR play football underage they don't really pay much attention to it, they stick mostly to hurling. on top of that there are not many teams in the A so much so teams were drafted in from other counties this year to give more games, I think only three carlow clubs could win the A. They also have a very big area to choose from in comparison to St Mullins. Carlow town and Setanta mix together to get a team and Burren Rangers also have a big area to pick from when you factor in the number of football teams they have to contend with but both very much sharing time with football clubs, more power to MLR, it shows what can happen when the community pull together and keep everyone involved. Pal are going down the same road with football and reaping the rewards underage
more4me (Carlow) - Posts: 106 - 15/10/2024 10:24:36 2574999 Link 0 |
Absolutely, MLR are an amazing club. Their pick would be larger than Rathvilly's but barely half that of Tullow. MLR and Rathvilly are both clubs to study. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 15/10/2024 10:42:42 2575005 Link 0 |
MLR's entire catchment area is about the same as that of St Martin's/Burrin Rangers (at underage) and not much larger than that of Grange or Clonmore. It would be substantially smaller than that of Palatine, who only play one code. St Mullins have fewer than half the numbers of MLR. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 15/10/2024 10:48:23 2575008 Link 0 |
St Patrick's are massively underachieving when you consider they have the town to themselves. They are probably the stand out club in that regard, not sure why they aren't doing better. Realistically they should be div 1 the whole the way up. They do have some good underage teams but it's a bit hit and miss Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1661 - 15/10/2024 13:05:06 2575046 Link 0 |
I'd assume the numbers going to national school in a club catchment area is a better indicator of quality of work done. Hard to see how Mlr would compete with carlow town / Satanta, Pal, Tinryland, Bagenalstown, Tullow with those numbers! Also Saint mullins have 4 schools to feed from if part of Graignamanagh is included, is this correct?? Wouldn't agree with the comment regards their approach to underage football as they compete very strong at minor and u20 level.. Thai minor team also won football only last Thursday.. so must be plenty of big balls kicked also.. Carlowtothecore1 (Carlow) - Posts: 46 - 15/10/2024 15:05:01 2575092 Link 0 |
If you look at Carlow's gaa history you will see that Eire Og wasn't born till 1959 approx. 1959 Tullow ( St Patrick's. ) won the senior county title. Out of nowhere Eire Og won it in 1960. O'Hanrahans won the senior title in 1961. Eire Og won it in 1962. However Tullow wonback to back in 1963 and '64. Since then St. Patrick's have not been in the mix. - What's the story. supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3050 - 15/10/2024 20:27:54 2575148 Link 0 |
Unlike the majority of people on this site, I remember when Tullow had strong teams. The rot set in back in the 1970s. In the 1960s, the leading clubs were Éire Óg (then a new thing), O'Hanrahan's, Kildavin, Tullow, Ballinabranna, Palatine, and Clonmore. Rathvilly back then were a junior/intermediate side, as were Old Leighlin. As incredible as it may sound now, Palatine, Ballinabranna, Carlow Town and Tullow were also strong in senior hurling. There was also hurling around Clonmore/Hacketstown. Myshall had yet to be heard of, at the top level, and Borris were weak. I'm not sure what happened to Tullow exactly. They had superb players, the Canavans, the Jackmans, Pat Brophy, Archibald, etc. Tullow Community School had very good teams in the 1970s and 1980s. You would have had Rathvilly, St Patrick's, Ballon and Grange players (mostly) feeding into it. The Rathvilly lads seemed to keep it up after school and the Tullow lads didn't. There just seems to be big structural problems in Tullow. And for the last twenty years in Carlow Town too. And the county board has never bothered to address the issues. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 16/10/2024 07:21:31 2575190 Link 0 |
Well, it's easy to break that down. There's a website that gives school numbers. Number of boys enrolled: Ardattin 39 (a lot would be Coolkenno) Bagenalstown Bridgets 119 Bagenalstown Queen 81 Ballinabranna 98 Ballinkillen 64 Bilbao 6 Ballon 134 Ballyconnell 93 (a good number of them would be Wicklow) Ballymurphy 18 Bennekerry 190 Borris 99 Carlow Asca 292 Carlow Bishop Foley 207 Carlow ET 206 Carlow Graiguecullen 305 (mostly Laois for GAA, but a lot fair game for Carlow) Carlow Lazerians 91 Carlow Gaelscoil 241 Carlow Green Road 67 Carlow St Joseph's 112 Clonegal 73 Drumphea 41 Drummond 11 Dunleckney 74 Garryhill 15 Glynn 30 Grange 110 Hacketstown 76 Leighlinbridge 96 Myshall 54 Newtown 22 Nurney 11 Old Leighlin 60 Rathmore 20 Rathoe 94 Rathvilly 109 Tinryland 113 Tullow Columbas 50 Tullow Patrician 196 The 10 minutes I spent on that little exercise just opened my eyes to the fact that we are messing up Carlow Town so badly. Éire Óg basically have the pick of over a third of the county all to themselves, because we have allowed it to be a free-for-all. Surely, there's logic in clubs being assigned to nominated schools, to give more children a chance to play and ultimately to broaden playing numbers? Let Éire Óg have Asca and Educate Together, give Asca Green Road and Gaelscoil and let O'Hanrahan's have Bishop Foley and Joseph's for example? And also maybe see can Éire Óg push into Graigue School? Subsidize each club a development officer to coordinate the whole thing? And do the same with Tullow? All we are doing is destroying ourselves, the way things are. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 16/10/2024 07:43:26 2575192 Link 0 |
Well those figures make it all the more remarkable what MLR are doing in both codes.
Carlowtothecore1 (Carlow) - Posts: 46 - 16/10/2024 09:55:53 2575212 Link 0 |
I'd be fairly certain asca has the lowest participation numbers in the county. This is what I mean when I talk about doing more to bring in migrant families asca would have a high % in this category and we aren't doing enough to get them involved. I know the gaa keeps participation numbers from each school it would be interesting to see what they are. Bringing lads up for a blitz once or twice a year just isn't enough. The gaa really needs to step into these large urban areas with resources or we won't have games in another generation
Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1661 - 16/10/2024 14:27:56 2575302 Link 0 |
I'd be fairly certain asca has the lowest participation numbers in the county. This is what I mean when I talk about doing more to bring in migrant families asca would have a high % in this category and we aren't doing enough to get them involved. I know the gaa keeps participation numbers from each school it would be interesting to see what they are. Bringing lads up for a blitz once or twice a year just isn't enough. The gaa really needs to step into these large urban areas with resources or we won't have games in another generation
Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1661 - 16/10/2024 14:31:59 2575303 Link 0 |
@Carps, Matador (Laois) - Posts: 7 - 16/10/2024 14:56:04 2575312 Link 0 |
Graiguecullen school is in county Carlow. This, Carlow clubs have every right to offer GAA to its students. What's actually ridiculous is people from Carlow playing for a Leix club. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 16/10/2024 15:19:26 2575318 Link 1 |
Carp's if history thought us anything is that your bitterness and obsession with all things Graiguecullen and Laois will never wain. Graiguecullen School is in County Laois. The official border ends/begins through Mt Clare Court and even comes with a sign stating as much. Maybe you should be more concerned with the mass exodus of Carlow players moving across to Graiguecullen. Matador (Laois) - Posts: 7 - 16/10/2024 16:02:54 2575328 Link 0 |
No bitterness. The bigger losers from Graiguecullen playing in another county are the people of Graiguecullen. Because the club is going nowhere and will never reach its full potential. Carlow players go to Graigue to get around transfer rules. Everyone knows that. Personally, I think Carlow made a terrible mistake agreeing to the 'triangle rule' in the 1990s. It would have been better to have rigidly enforced the official boundaries. You're right, Graigue school is just over the border. My bad. But a large amount of the students are from county Carlow. We need to maximise our numbers and there's nothing wrong with our clubs focusing on the area. CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 727 - 16/10/2024 17:47:44 2575354 Link 2 |
I would know a little about Dublin where the fulltime Game Development Officers are very active. Each primary school (boys and girls) is designated a football and hurling club (or a single club if it offers both codes) and the GDO gives each class about an hour each week. The club in question then has a nursery where the kids train also about once a week, likely with their class mates and as they get older blitzes etc are organised, the usual drill etc. Obviously kids if they have a connection etc they are totally free to play with another club, but can still attend the in-school activity. However by systematically and actively targeting schools clubs get players who may not have ever picked up a hurley or had any interest in gaelic football. You do also get kids still opting for the 'super clubs' instead of a local outfit so its not a total gamechanger either. However, the GAA in Dublin is very clever, it is about mass participation, getting into primary schools, links to club GDOs and systematically doing this. Bainisteoir (National) - Posts: 561 - 16/10/2024 17:54:40 2575358 Link 0 |
Just because they're going to school in an area doesn't mean chaps are going to play any sport if there's no link to the club with the school. For example theres very few teachers in schools in Bagenalstown and tullow from the areas and of the staff I know 1 max maybe 2 of them are involved in either club in terms of coaching. Same in Carlow town I'd wager. How many teachers are from Asca or have connections to Asca club or the blues. It's a lot different now and clubs really need a strong presence in the school if they're looking to recruit players! benchtoaster (Carlow) - Posts: 37 - 16/10/2024 18:47:31 2575366 Link 0 |