National Forum

Parish Rule - Dublin

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Replying To jimbodub:  "It's getting harder for Dublin people who grew up in a certain area, to actually then be lucky enough to buy a home in the area they grew up in.

You go where you can afford

I think that plays a part in all this too, you may have to move from an area but that doesn't mean you're still not from there, you still have that connection and if you are still within a reasonable distance, you'll definitely go to effort of getting your kids playing for the same club that you did."
People are moving from Stillorgan to Blanch according to MesAmis :) Desperate times altogether

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12241 - 28/01/2025 16:52:26    2588225

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Replying To MesAmis:  "I don't know if forcing people into playing for a certain club would work in a Dublin GAA context, though I see your point.

Potentially you could lose a lot of people to the GAA if they were forced to not go to their club of choice, particularly one that is still relatively local to them, and that they have family connections with.

From a more rural point of view, would the relaxation of the 'parish' rule help more rural clubs. In that if a someone ends up moving into their local county town, for example, from a rural area not that far away. Should they have the choice of bringing their kids to either the local Town GAA club or back to their 'home' club? Or is this being done already?

I'm sure it's not a panacea for the decline in numbers in rural clubs, but it could maybe help with the fielding of teams, particularly at underage level."
You can have your child play for your home club if you don't presently live there, but did when the child was born. Some counties have bye laws that allow kids to play with clubs outside their catchment if there was a parent connection, provided that they didn't register for their catchment club before hand.

I think in a rural county a relaxation of the parish rule would only end up in the demise of "weaker" clubs and creation of super ones which ultimately would lead to a drop in participation. We all know of young lads down the years who were forced out to make up a team and granted they may have stopped after minor, but those lads helped ensure the rest had a team to help keep an adult one in the area.

In Sligo's instance you have some parishes with more than two teams, some whose borders go beyond the county boundary and have those players play with them, others who go beyond county boundaries and don't have them playing and then some long standing amalgamated clubs that encroach on smaller clubs beside them because they have a better chance of success and parents and players are attracted by that.

Basically bye laws are applied completely arbitrarily which shouldn't be the case. It often comes down to who is pushing it to go through at county level or if the club isn't bothered about standing their ground. But you never know at 5/6 years of age if the next best footballer/hurler is after being let go out of your club because you couldn't be bothered to fight your corner.

Sligoman1234 (Sligo) - Posts: 444 - 28/01/2025 18:17:01    2588238

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Replying To Breffni40:  "People are moving from Stillorgan to Blanch according to MesAmis :) Desperate times altogether"
It's worse than that Breff, some people are moving to Meath.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13787 - 29/01/2025 10:45:36    2588310

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Replying To MesAmis:  "It's worse than that Breff, some people are moving to Meath."
LOL ;o)
Players, coaches and managers.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 29/01/2025 11:18:37    2588317

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Replying To MesAmis:  "It's worse than that Breff, some people are moving to Meath."
Haha!

Even as far as Cavan..

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20740 - 29/01/2025 11:45:00    2588325

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Replying To Breffni40:  "People are moving from Stillorgan to Blanch according to MesAmis :) Desperate times altogether"
;) haha

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20740 - 29/01/2025 11:52:40    2588329

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Replying To jimbodub:  "Haha!

Even as far as Cavan.."
To be fair, if you've crossed the border round Coolquay or Clonee, you'd be as well to keep going.

You've crossed the Rubicon at that stage.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13787 - 29/01/2025 16:01:33    2588381

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Replying To MesAmis:  "To be fair, if you've crossed the border round Coolquay or Clonee, you'd be as well to keep going.

You've crossed the Rubicon at that stage."
I'd say Stillorgan - Monte Carlo is a more worn path to be fair

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12241 - 29/01/2025 16:19:03    2588386

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Replying To MesAmis:  "I don't know if forcing people into playing for a certain club would work in a Dublin GAA context, though I see your point.

Potentially you could lose a lot of people to the GAA if they were forced to not go to their club of choice, particularly one that is still relatively local to them, and that they have family connections with.

From a more rural point of view, would the relaxation of the 'parish' rule help more rural clubs. In that if a someone ends up moving into their local county town, for example, from a rural area not that far away. Should they have the choice of bringing their kids to either the local Town GAA club or back to their 'home' club? Or is this being done already?

I'm sure it's not a panacea for the decline in numbers in rural clubs, but it could maybe help with the fielding of teams, particularly at underage level."
Possibly you may lose some people to the GAA, but you'd also gain plenty in the same way. I've seen it myself in big town teams. If there is one big club, a lot of players don't want to play and be subs or be on a 2nd or 3rd u15 team. They just take it that they're not good at football or hurling and go do something else. By having boundaries, where people have to go to play for their local area club, then you've lots of clubs doing well with games and teams for everyone, without being told at 11 that you're on the D team.

I guess I'm also unsure how it helps having four minor teams in some of these huge clubs, with the prospect that maybe only one or two of those 80 or 100 kids will play senior for the club 1st team. I find that a bit nuts tbh. Most clubs bring say 2-5 minors through each year to eventually play senior 1st team. For a rural club, that's a good strike rate: 2-5 players our of 20. In super clubs in Dublin, that strike rate looks really poor: 2-5 players from 80-100 kids. But then on top, they have probably less chance of becoming a club senior 1st team player because of the number of transfers these clubs get in, so the real return is more like 1-3 kids from a group of 80-100, which is abysmal. Sure, some will stay and play junior, but the retention rate just has to be far worse than in a rural club.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2569 - 31/01/2025 12:39:33    2588622

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Replying To Sligoman1234:  "You can have your child play for your home club if you don't presently live there, but did when the child was born. Some counties have bye laws that allow kids to play with clubs outside their catchment if there was a parent connection, provided that they didn't register for their catchment club before hand.

I think in a rural county a relaxation of the parish rule would only end up in the demise of "weaker" clubs and creation of super ones which ultimately would lead to a drop in participation. We all know of young lads down the years who were forced out to make up a team and granted they may have stopped after minor, but those lads helped ensure the rest had a team to help keep an adult one in the area.

In Sligo's instance you have some parishes with more than two teams, some whose borders go beyond the county boundary and have those players play with them, others who go beyond county boundaries and don't have them playing and then some long standing amalgamated clubs that encroach on smaller clubs beside them because they have a better chance of success and parents and players are attracted by that.

Basically bye laws are applied completely arbitrarily which shouldn't be the case. It often comes down to who is pushing it to go through at county level or if the club isn't bothered about standing their ground. But you never know at 5/6 years of age if the next best footballer/hurler is after being let go out of your club because you couldn't be bothered to fight your corner."
The club, to me, was always meant to be there to represent a specific area. You play for where you're from or where you live. I find it just weird I guess that in some places it's really strictly followed, and then in the likes of Dublin its a free-for-all. Why does the GAA not enforce their own rules?

Also, I believe there once was a committee which keeps an eye on population changes and is meant to recommend where new clubs are needed or amalgamations are needed. This surely cannot be in existence any longer?

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2569 - 31/01/2025 12:42:16    2588623

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Replying To icehonesty:  "The club, to me, was always meant to be there to represent a specific area. You play for where you're from or where you live. I find it just weird I guess that in some places it's really strictly followed, and then in the likes of Dublin its a free-for-all. Why does the GAA not enforce their own rules?

Also, I believe there once was a committee which keeps an eye on population changes and is meant to recommend where new clubs are needed or amalgamations are needed. This surely cannot be in existence any longer?"
Can you tell us what Rule number please?

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2047 - 31/01/2025 14:55:55    2588647

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Replying To icehonesty:  "The club, to me, was always meant to be there to represent a specific area. You play for where you're from or where you live. I find it just weird I guess that in some places it's really strictly followed, and then in the likes of Dublin its a free-for-all. Why does the GAA not enforce their own rules?

Also, I believe there once was a committee which keeps an eye on population changes and is meant to recommend where new clubs are needed or amalgamations are needed. This surely cannot be in existence any longer?"
Dublin NEVER had a parish rule.

There were north and south county teams which like rural clubs were tied to specific villages and townlands and a few inner city parish teams like O'Tooles and Joeys that were in more or less same area.

Most of stronger teams like Faughs, Kickhams, Geraldines, Grocers. Commercials were either trade based or had links to other counties. Then there were the Garda, Air Corps, Army.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3337 - 31/01/2025 15:33:20    2588652

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Replying To icehonesty:  "The club, to me, was always meant to be there to represent a specific area. You play for where you're from or where you live. I find it just weird I guess that in some places it's really strictly followed, and then in the likes of Dublin its a free-for-all. Why does the GAA not enforce their own rules?

Also, I believe there once was a committee which keeps an eye on population changes and is meant to recommend where new clubs are needed or amalgamations are needed. This surely cannot be in existence any longer?"
The overall GAA rule is simply that each county can make its own by-laws regarding club catchment areas. In many counties, Wexford included, the by-laws set the boundaries of the catchment areas to be the same as the boundaries of the Catholic parishes in that county. That's where the term 'parish rule' comes from, but you won't actually find that term in the Rule Book at all.

Anyway, if you're talking about the GAA 'enforcing its own rules', then there's no rule actually being broken here. The rule is that each county can have its own system, and that's exactly what's happening.

The national Demographics Committee is still a thing. There's one in Wexford too. I reckon it's part of the reason the Tara Rocks/Kilanerin arrangement is allowed continue. There's a feeling that a "proper" stand-alone club will be needed in Gorey in years to come, and that it would be better if Tara Rocks becomes that club in time, rather than it folding now and then a new club having to be started from scratch.

But here's the thing. No Demographics Committee or anybody else could force somebody in Gorey to choose Tara Rocks over Naomh Eanna. Or anywhere in the country, if it's felt that rising population means a new club is needed, nobody can force anybody to go ahead and set up that new club.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2672 - 31/01/2025 16:02:49    2588662

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