Kick the Pope?

[caulfield]

I reemphasise, the GAA is primarily a sporting organisation, however it also has a political viewpoint, that is, it exists to support Irish culture, and favours a United Ireland.

So does the SDLP, FF, FG, Labour, and so on. Are these republicans?

Any organisation in NI will be influenced by its members. Therefore, a GAA club established in Republican are will automatically have a republican sympathising membership.

Just like Linfield FC has many supporters who emjoy their sectarian chants. Does that mean the IFA is sectarian?
No.

The GAA is a sporting organisation.
The OO is a sectarian (by design) and political organisation, with strong ties to loyalist
paramilitries.

As I have just pointed out I don't think there are any soccer, rugby or cricket clubs named after unionist folk heroes or political figures. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[meriwether]

As I have just pointed out I don't think there are any soccer, rugby or cricket clubs named after unionist folk heroes or political figures. Correct me if I'm wrong.

So what?

There's nothing inherently wrong about naming a club after a historical figure, Republican or not. Sam MaGuire was a Protestant, after all. Is that sectarian?

There are plenty of OO bands named after dead Loyalist paramilatries, however. What does that make them, by your definition?

There are sectarian Catholics. There are sectarian Protestants. The OO is a sectarian, political organisation.
The GAA is neither (but it does have sectarian, and Republican members), and attempts to paint it as such are nothing more than attempts to cover the inability to defend the OO with a fig leaf.

BTW, who is Windsor Park, home of Northern Ireland, named after?

[meriwether]

+1

And the passivity of some sporting associations in the face of demonstrations of sectarianism amongst their memberships.

Can you give examples?

[Toland]

So what?

There's nothing inherently wrong about naming a club after a historical figure, Republican or not. Sam MaGuire was a Protestant, after all. Is that sectarian?

There are plenty of OO bands named after dead Loyalist paramilatries, however. What does that make them, by your definition?

There are sectarian Catholics. There are sectarian Protestants. The OO is a sectarian, political organisation.
The GAA is neither (but it does have sectarian, and Republican members), and attempts to paint it as such are nothing more than attempts to cover the inability to defend the OO with a fig leaf.

BTW, who is Windsor Park, home of Northern Ireland, named after?

There is a popularly held, but incorrect belief that Windsor Park was named after the British Royal Family House of Windsor. Windsor Park was opened twelve years prior to the Royal Family taking the Windsor name in 1917. The ground is in fact named after a long-standing area of south Belfast.

[Toland]

Can you give examples?

They have already been given by others.

Did you miss the post linking to a protestant GAA member who claimed to have been hounded out of the organisation by sectarian taunts?

Do you seriously believe that such experiences are irrelevant to the fact that the GAA is currently almost exclusively catholic?

Do you not think more should be done to combat such attitudes in the GAA?

[abitmoldy]

some are nice to lisen to

[caulfield]

So what?

There's nothing inherently wrong about naming a club after a historical figure, Republican or not. Sam MaGuire was a Protestant, after all. Is that sectarian?

There are plenty of OO bands named after dead Loyalist paramilatries, however. What does that make them, by your definition?

There are sectarian Catholics. There are sectarian Protestants. The OO is a sectarian, political organisation.
The GAA is neither (but it does have sectarian, and Republican members), and attempts to paint it as such are nothing more than attempts to cover the inability to defend the OO with a fig leaf.

BTW, who is Windsor Park, home of Northern Ireland, named after?

Loyalist marching bands are clearly sectarian - I'm not defending them in any way. I just don't see why nationalist secatarianism is so easily dismissed and glossed over.
I'm not a loyalist or even a unionist but if you think that the GAA is a welcoming environment for the Northern protestant community then you are deluding yourself.

[meriwether]

They have already been given by others.

Did you miss the post linking to a protestant GAA member who claimed to have been hounded out of the organisation by sectarian taunts?

Do you seriously believe that such experiences are irrelevant to the fact that the GAA is currently almost exclusively catholic?

Do you not think more should be done to combat such attitudes in the GAA?

On windsor park, fair point, I wasn't aware of that. Point still stands however, the naming of clubs after historical figures is not in itself sectarian.

Secondly, i'm fully aware that there is a sectarian probelm in the GAA. the GAA reflects its membership, as I have stated previously. The GAA itself is not established to be a political or sectarian organisation. It is a sporting organisation.

Franhly, I am struggling to explain thsi any more clearly, and am starting to think that peope, aren't reading things, or are thick.

the IFA is also not a sectarian, or political organisation, but has terrible probelms with sectarianism.
Do you kbow why this is?............because some of their supporters, and members, are sectarian.
And do you know why the GAA and IFA have sectarian members?

Because society in NI is sectarian.

The OO is a sectarian organisation by design.
The GAA is not.

People who continue to make the flawed comparison are either thick, or unable to make simple differentiations.

[meriwether]

Loyalist marching bands are clearly sectarian - I'm not defending them in any way. I just don't see why nationalist secatarianism is so easily dismissed and glossed over.
I'm not a loyalist or even a unionist but if you think that the GAA is a welcoming environment for the Northern protestant community then you are deluding yourself.

I'm not dismisinig nationalist sectarianism. but again, and really, this must be the fourth time, if the GAA is unwelcoming to Protestants up North, this is a reflection of Northern society, not the GAA.
For instance, are you aware of Protestants down south being unwelcoem at GAA clubs?
And what does that tell you?

The GAA is not a sectarian organisation.

The OO, is BY DESIGN. You cannot be a Catholic and join. Its very existence is to propogate Unionist supremacy over Nationalists.

Catholics would undoubtedly feel unwelcome on the terraces at Linfield.
Northern Catholics are rushing to join the Southern Football team.

Are you telling me that the IFA is sectarian?

[British Citizen]

Then your wrong, it doesn't matter how many times you repeat the mantra "Ulster is British" to us an neutral observers like mick here and millions upon millions of others, Ulster is Irish, your marching culture is most popular in the 6 counties, hardly an example of British culture, since there's nearly 60 million across the water that don't engage in it nor are even aware of it, it's more an alternative Irish culture or use the dual nationality moniker if you like.

The Ulster marching culture exists outside of Northern Ireland. Now, are there more Loyalist parades in Scotland and England or in the Republic of Ireland?? Yes, it would be Scotland and England so therefore it is more British than Irish.