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Non-Gaa Forum - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Freethinker: "That is down to Donogh O'Malley. He introduced second level education for all. Prior to that, second level ed was for the well off. I was born a bit early for it, but my younger siblings benefitted. Anecdotaly, when he floated the idea originally he got no support from the civil service - it was a non runner, too expensive etc. He said, ok, then called a press conference and announced it anyway. Another who passed away too early." Telling reference to the Civil Service. Professional Irish middle class with private school background has been a huge barrier to progress in genuine equality of opportunity here for 100 years. They produce very few innovators and actively impeded industrial and social development for decades.
BarneyGrant (National) - 08/04/2026 15:57:00
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Leitrim GAA thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To moros: "Good to see you rightly praise the Rossies. We need Leitrim back too. Keep working hard. We love you peoples. Spirit of 95. Love the ball." Amazing coincidence how yourself and Bláthach appear here around the same time on a regular basis.
IronSleeve (National) - 08/04/2026 16:27:07
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Non-Gaa Forum - 2 Like(s)
Replying To BarneyGrant: "Telling reference to the Civil Service. Professional Irish middle class with private school background has been a huge barrier to progress in genuine equality of opportunity here for 100 years. They produce very few innovators and actively impeded industrial and social development for decades." I know plenty of people who've come from "disadvantaged" backgrounds and have gone to become very successful because of the opportunities available to them. Opportunities that were available to everyone. What they did have was a work ethic. What they didn't fall back on was a myriad of excuses.
ThePowerhouse (National) - 08/04/2026 16:38:17
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Non-Gaa Forum - 2 Like(s)
Replying To ThePowerhouse: "I know plenty of people who've come from "disadvantaged" backgrounds and have gone to become very successful because of the opportunities available to them. Opportunities that were available to everyone. What they did have was a work ethic. What they didn't fall back on was a myriad of excuses." You are quite right. I too know many such, but I think tour reply to Barneys post is a mile away from the gist of that post.
Freethinker (National) - 08/04/2026 19:59:27
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Non-Gaa Forum - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Doylerwex: "Ah the old bootstrap mantra. The tiny minority of people from disadvantaged backgrounds who become a great success do so in spite of the system not because of it." What 'system' is in place to prevent those people becoming successful?
Free primary education
Free secondary education
HEAR scheme (which allows them entry into a 3rd level course with LESS points than others)
Grants for 3rd level study (SUSI Grant, student assistance fund, 1916 Bursary, free fees initiative, etc.)
What exactly is it about the system, and not the individual, that holds them back?
cavanman47 (National) - 09/04/2026 08:19:25
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Non-Gaa Forum - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Freethinker: "You are quite right. I too know many such, but I think tour reply to Barneys post is a mile away from the gist of that post." It's not. Its the nonsense that's continuously spouted. People that have every opportunity available to them are quick to come up with the same old excuses as to why they can't or won't. Generations after generations of them.
ThePowerhouse (National) - 09/04/2026 10:01:22
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Roscommon GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Panel and management flying over today. The 36 player championship panel has been published to public.
GoalKeepers - Conor Carroll,Aaron Brady
Defenders - Paddy Gavin,Eoin McCormack,Niall Higgins,Colin Neary,Eoin Ward,Ruaidhri Fallon,Robbie Dolan,Brian Stack,Pearse Frost,Ronan Daly,Declan Kenny,Caelim Keogh,Oisin Cregg,Senan Lambe,Tim Lambe,
Midfielders - Shane Cunnane,Conor Ryan,Keith Doyle, Ultan Harney
Forwards - Darragh Heneghan,Rob Heneghan,Enda Smith,Daire Cregg,Cian McKeon,Ciaran Lennon,Diarmuid Murtagh,Conor Cox,Jack Duggan
Ben O'Carroll,Conor Hand,Eoin Colleran,Paul Carey,Dylan Ruane,Cathal Heneghan.
22 of the 36 are aged 20 to 25. While 5 players are in their early 30s.
Best wishes to the players,Management and all supporters travelling over to New York
The_analyser (National) - 09/04/2026 13:16:02
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Westmeath Football thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To A_Chairde: "Huge week for Westmeath Football , shows the hard work thats going into our underage structures from coaching perspective. We hadnt beaten a Dublin team in minor for 30 years and 26 years in u21/u20 (correct me if Im wrong). We were the better team last night and fully deserved it , real swagger and confidence about the way they play. Matthew Thornton was man of the match , absolutely outstanding and mention for Kealen Connell and young Ormsby. Hopefully the seniors can feed off this and get a result at the weekend . It is going to be an extremely tight game against Longford." Add to this the recent Westmeath School success.
Well done and fair play.
Fionn (National) - 09/04/2026 12:46:05
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Westmeath Football thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Mooo: "Another great result for westmeath underage" Huge week for Westmeath Football , shows the hard work thats going into our underage structures from coaching perspective. We hadnt beaten a Dublin team in minor for 30 years and 26 years in u21/u20 (correct me if Im wrong). We were the better team last night and fully deserved it , real swagger and confidence about the way they play. Matthew Thornton was man of the match , absolutely outstanding and mention for Kealen Connell and young Ormsby. Hopefully the seniors can feed off this and get a result at the weekend . It is going to be an extremely tight game against Longford.
A_Chairde (National) - 09/04/2026 11:55:40
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Sligo GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To MrUnderhill: "I'd agree. Mayo Galway are always as good as many in the country so if we are disappointed not the win we are competitive which is something we were not for many years in the 00 and 10s at minor and U20. There is no reason why we will not be competing seriously in senior Connaught completion this decade if we nurture these lads." Sligo U20s were good last night unlucky not win, the big goal chances not taken at the end of both halves and gifting one to Galway proved costly.
That they were so competitive against Galway and Mayo makes me wonder what happened in the game against Roscommon. The success of this grade is how many will go on to be established county Seniors and Sligo should have a handful from this years U20 crop including Eli Rooney who missed the last two games through injury.
Drax_the_destroyer (National) - 09/04/2026 11:55:39
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Wexford Hurling Thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Viking66: "Agree that we are in general too nice. Some of that is due to the way our refs ref the games too. Bringing ingredients the young lads up to tournaments in Tipp and Kilkenny last year really opened our eyes to this, and reinforced something Ive been saying for years.
As regards our u14s we have had 2 good u14 teams in a row, hopefully this years will be a 3rd good team. We werent hectic before that at u14. We were OK, competitive, but didnt reach finals like we did the last 2 years. The current minor team were decent at u14 for example.
It would be great to get a group like Offaly did that wins all the way up, but thats hard to get. Every county is hoping to get that. And it doesn't always work out at minor anyway. The last group that were a bit like that from u14-u16 were Tipps minors of last year, and they never made it out of the Munster Minor Round Robin and lost all their games." Everyone in Wexford GAA is too nice. I'm not encouraging dirty play or anything but I know people involved in Dublin underage teams always say to hit Wexford, annoy them, lay down a marker, they don't like it.
I think this is true, Wexford need to develope more kill or be killed attitude. This is a competitive arena and if you don't like being hit or hitting, maybe GAA is not for you. Some parents are the worst in this regard.
I am not advocating off the ball hitting, dangerous play, etc but nice guys finish last. If you are giving a free, as storeytash says make the opponent feel it don't just pull his jersey and let them get the point from the free.
ExiledInWex (National) - 09/04/2026 10:35:51
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Roscommon GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Safe travelling to all Rossies who are making the trip over to New York today and tomorrow. No doubt there is a good run on the bars in Dublin and Shannon airports at the moment!!
letsgetgoing (National) - 09/04/2026 10:19:46
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Carlow GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Genuinely what new initiative has been put in place in Carlow to develop hurling in the last 5 years? 10years? We've left it all to MLR and St Mullins to do the work for us propped up by the better lads from other clubs. That's our strategy as a county. It's soul destroying
benchtoaster (National) - 09/04/2026 08:35:58
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Does Anyone See Past Limerick Winning The Hurling All Ireland? - 1 Like(s)
Replying To Doylerwex: "Just to note since the introduction of the round robin we've qualified more often than Dublin or Galway.
I expect Kilkenny will be in an Ireland semi final. They usually are.
Dublin are the most settled team in Leinster, but I don't see them beating Kilkenny in a final.
Galway are a match for anyone but you never really know what you're going to get. That being said I've been impressed with them this year.
I have no Idea what we're going to do. If we somehow get to a Leinster final we'll win it. We could just as easily finish 5th." Silly contradiction to say that a team is a match for anyone, but you never know what you'll get.
You double down on the irony then, claiming that Wexford are capable of winning the Leinster title, but 'could just as easily finish 5th'. Isn't that 'you never really know what you're going to get' on steroids?
Pope_Benedict (National) - 08/04/2026 23:24:48
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Non-Gaa Forum - 1 Like(s)
Replying To ThePowerhouse: "I know plenty of people who've come from "disadvantaged" backgrounds and have gone to become very successful because of the opportunities available to them. Opportunities that were available to everyone. What they did have was a work ethic. What they didn't fall back on was a myriad of excuses." Ah the old bootstrap mantra. The tiny minority of people from disadvantaged backgrounds who become a great success do so in spite of the system not because of it.
Doylerwex (National) - 08/04/2026 17:52:13
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Carlow GAA thread - 1 Like(s)
Replying To carlowman: "A huge concern is the lack of wins at underage for the last number of years in both hurling and football but particularly in hurling. Where once we.l were competitive against second tier teams, our results in recent years are way behind where we once were.
My fear us that players at undeerage are now playing hoping tonlmwin and are not playing with any confidence. That lack of confidence was quite obviois in the u 20 hurling against Kerry. First touch is everything and despite a good sod and often with plenty of time to rise the ball we often left it behind.
Hard to know what the solution is as we.have the best available young men in playing and we have good coaches amd they are committed." Sad to see the fall of our underage hurling squads in the past few years while we where never ones to beat the kk wexfords dublin etc of the world we always would compete and give a good game to most of these teams.
To see us taking a bit of bearing against meath and kerry this year is very worrying but do we take the approach of trying to breed 3 or 4 of these hurlers for our senior team going forward.
Seems to work for st.mullins who for there senior success rarely win much underage but always have 2 to 3 new faces coming on board most years and stay very competitive.
Think first game of joe mac will tell alot if we rock up and can beat laois then you can be content this was just a poor league but if we take a beating I would be seriously concerned going forward.
One point I would also note is the lack of hirling in our secondary schools at present borris probably been where it's taken most serious but still in b comps DLS in c comps remember a time when both where in the A and competitive enough with a majority blend of carlow hurlers involved.
This exposed more hurlers to a higher standard driving competition in county teams I dont think it's breaking new ground and when these schools where at there most competitive i think the county squads where also at there most competitive.
ITSCHOLAR (National) - 08/04/2026 17:16:21
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Galway Football thread - 1 Like(s)
Walsh, Comer and Mcdaid are all back training and will be available for the championship
Thompson is not injured and will be back in May
Galway2001 (National) - 08/04/2026 16:21:42
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