Tommy, I'll give you fact over fiction.

There is no will from within to change the myopic, biggoted outlook portrayed by those who wield power within GAA circles. If there was, there would be no grounds, trophies, clubs named after terrorists.

The only other people who could incite change is the very people who attend GAA matches, by putting pressure on their clubs.

Is this happening????

Posted by Mc | 09.10.09, 12:34 GMT

Simon, the "GAA" is not, and never has, considered naming any stadiums after anyone actively involved in terrorism.

A local club, and only one from what I've seen, took the decision to name their club after a hunger striker. Being that the GAA is an amateur community organization, they did not need the acquiescence of the central council to do this. If they had, then it would most likely have been rejected.

The GAA is avowedly anti-sectarian and anti-racist. What it does do is promote Gaelic games and Gaelic culture irrespective of whether you are Protestant, Catholic, Sikh, Muslim, Ba'hi or any other religion you can think of.

Both the London Met and the PSNI have Gaelic football teams and this is to be commended. The GAA is trying to get as many English, Irish, Scottish and every other nationality watching and playing Gaelic football and Hurling, as they are great games to experience.

Separating fact from fiction in Northern Ireland is always a tough endeavor.

Posted by Tommy J | 05.10.09, 19:45 GMT

Tony, your labelling this as simply opposition "political point-scoring" is the sort of scripted stock response we have come to expect.

For just one minute, why not consider why McCausand and thousand of others are not happy with ground, club or trophy naming policy employed by certain elements within the GAA.

"rogue elements with the IFA"??? Pathetic. LOL!

Posted by Mc | 05.10.09, 15:33 GMT

I thought it was a great step forward a couple of years ago when the GAA relented and allowed rugby matches to be played at Croke Park. The sight of the Dublin crowd respecting England's players and national amthem was a lump in throat moment and showed that the people of Ireland don't want past animosities to linger.

However, for the GAA to now consider naming stadiums after people who have actively been involved in terrorism beggars belief.

Posted by Simon | 05.10.09, 11:06 GMT

Mc, perhaps there is another Tony on this site that you are confusing me with. Being that my first post on the BT was in relation to this very article, I would assume so.

Now, before you start accusing people of being "sectarian bigots", make sure that you have your facts right. I am not and never have been involved in sectarianism. I have absolutely no truck with such behaviour and never would have.

What I am opposed to is political point scoring and the blatant one eyed opportunism that Mr. McCausland and his ilk engage in. My point was that if Mr. McCausland is going to threaten to withdraw funding from the GAA, as an organization, because of the actions of one club or one "community cup", it is a very strange world we live in indeed.

What is the difference between threatening to withdraw funding from the IFA because of certain rogue elements operating within and this situation? None. Both would be stupid decisions hence the comment "I'd still find it bizarre".

Posted by Tony | 02.10.09, 14:32 GMT

Tony, I've had the priviledge of engaging with you on many, many previous occasions on this very website, so I know just what a blinkered sectarian bigot you are. I've backed you into more corners than you've had hot dinners. I should grow up a little, but it's a useful exercise encouraging others to inadvertantly let their masks slip.

The moderators are to be praised for publishing your posts however, so WE can all get a laugh.

Mc

Posted by Mc | 02.10.09, 13:30 GMT

Tony, I think you will find that chants come from all sides. Do you not remember certain football fans waving certain pizza boxes, not that long ago. Some of us still have a lot of open wounds from our past, but I am looking forward to this "shared future" we were all promised, and enjoy all sports and traditions,without all this agitation and point scoring.

Posted by s.g. | 01.10.09, 19:32 GMT

Mc, who is this "we"? The people speaking to you in your head?

I don't quite know where you're getting your outrageous claims that I am full of "hatred, loathing and outdated views". Where have I ever implied that I am sectarian or hold sectarian views? Where have I ever implied disrespect for other traditions?

I oppose sectarianism on both sides of the divide, hence the comment that Mr McCausland should perhaps clean up his own side, where there is much to be tackled - indeed I notice you could not answer any of my points in a cogent manner instead launching into truly bizarre ad hominem attacks - before targeting others.

Change the tune buddy, the time for crass, spiteful characters like you is well and truly past.

Posted by Tony | 01.10.09, 16:47 GMT

Tony, you are hilarious and live in a wee bubble full of hatred, loathing and outdated views and ideas, through green-tinted specs. We've all established long ago that, sadly, you're a lost cause.

Teddy Bhoy "Anyway, gotta dash, Billy Wright Rangers are playing Michael Stone Wanderers for the Lenny Murphy Memorial Peace Cup at the Gusty Spence Community Stadium tonight and I'd hate to miss it, put aside your sectarianism and pop along!"

BRILLIANT!

Posted by Mc | 01.10.09, 10:56 GMT

Mc, the Ulster Banner is the flag of the Stormont administration from 1922-1972, a deeply sectarian symbol in relation to the nationalist community being that it represents a system of an apartheid-style government/state, one which was undemocratic and highly oppressive. Furthermore, it is a common favourite of Loyalist paramilitaries and can indeed be seen flown in most Loyalist areas in Northern Ireland.

Really, if you cannot understand how a flag with a six pointed Loyalist star, a crown on top, and the red hand of Ulster included therein, all imprinted on a St. George's flag (as opposed to the original yellow) isn't a sectarian symbol, well, I'm utterly speechless.

Go to any Linfield game and listen to the chants being thrown around (including ones about Bloody Sunday and Greysteel as they did a match against Derry City last year). Look at the Orange Order flags, the Loyalist banners etc.

If you don't see the sectarianism present there, well, it's worrying.

Posted by Tony | 30.09.09, 17:35 GMT

Here we have a newspaper article which is about sport , and as usual the orange order gets dragged into it, I seriously believe that if aliens landed on top of the city hall,the same people would blame the orange order on having something to do with it.

Posted by louise | 30.09.09, 16:56 GMT

nelson needs to be removed from the job and someone who knows sport put in maybe a polish person or chinese person plenty living in the north who would be fair

Posted by ray usa | 30.09.09, 16:38 GMT

As usual Tony wilfully misses the point and throws up the red herring of the IFA. OK, so Lynch was not a member of the IRA, he belonged to a different Irish Republican death cult. A technicality, but he was still a terrorist (as far as I am aware had little to do with the club that now bears his name, he certainly was no great shakes as a player). The issue here is not simply about naming clubs, it is about naming tournaments and trophies and grounds after people who have attempted to ethnically cleanse their neighbours, whose motivation and violence was nakedly sectarian. Doesn't the GAA have any great fromer players to memorialise? It is also about the continued celebration of these people at GAA grounds.

Anyway, gotta dash, Billy Wright Rangers are playing Michael Stone Wanderers for the Lenny Murphy Memorial Peace Cup at the Gusty Spence Community Stadium tonight and I'd hate to miss it, put aside your sectarianism and pop along!

Posted by Teddy Bhoy | 30.09.09, 13:22 GMT

Tony "When Mr McCausland threatens to withdraw funding to Northern Ireland soccer given the widespread flying of Loyalist symbols, Ulster Banners (a sectarian symbol to all in the Catholic community) and all the other chants therein at provincial soccer matches, then maybe I can understood his line of reasoning even if I'd still think it highly bizarre."

Which "loyalist symbols" are they Tony? What is sectarian, in your opinion, about the Ulster Banner? What are the chants of which you speak? How does this equate to the naming of clubs, grounds and trophies after murderers? Questions, questions, questions - to which you no doubt have no answers....

Posted by Mc | 30.09.09, 11:12 GMT

>Surely it is better to name sports clubs/grounds after major sportsmen.

Kevin Lynch is the only IRA member that has a club named after him, and he was a former member of that club. GAA clubs are locally run so they have every right to name it after who they believe to be a noble martyr from the hunger strikes, its their decision, not ours nor top GAA officials so I don't know why Nelson is asking them because they can't do anything even if they wanted. Its nothing but a purely politically motivated attack anyway, we have to pass Carson (founder of UVF who even back then slaughtered many catholics) and numerous icons of British imperialism everyday up to and in stormont but we don't ask for them to be removed while we are there in name of diversity.

Posted by Tj | 29.09.09, 18:08 GMT

The DUP.are running so scared of the TUP they have handed ministerial positions to the two most hard liners in the party namely Nelson and Gregory with orders to out Paisley. Paisley . By being tougher than the old man unfortunatley for them they dont have his charisma

Posted by hugh | 29.09.09, 17:55 GMT

I wonder if Nelson would ask the same of orange bands, specifically the Pride of Ardoyne flute band whom he is so happy to march behind when they commemorate UVF killers. I severely doubt it, rantings from a sad little man

Posted by Tj | 29.09.09, 17:53 GMT

I'm a Unionist and as such I'm proud to be from Northern Ireland, I also played GAA football for five years, I loved the sport, still do.

But lets get this into some perspective, from what I gather, there is one club named after a member of the IRA, he played for the club and was the captain of the county team that won the All Ireland, so to me that's a pretty legitimate reason to have a club named after him.

I think this is just pathetic DUP stirring, do we not have more important things to discuss, like jobs, health cuts and the current mess of our education system???

As previously stated, what is the DUP's problem, why worry about a GAA club being named after an IRA man, they are in government with ex-IRA men, it's time to move on and accept our past, our differences and look to the future and concentrate on our similarities.

That would be refreshing, and it has to start with the DUP and Sinn Fein or else we need to vote them out!

Anyone agree or am I alone?

Posted by Steven73 | 29.09.09, 17:41 GMT

This guy is typical of the backward nature of the political party he represents. Ever since he took over the post of sports minister, he's talked about nothing but what he's NOT going to do for the GAA instead of talking about what he IS going to do for sports in general! He claims to know nothing about the GAA, not even that Tyrone were the current All Ireland Champions at the time of his appointment (some Sports Minister he is) yet, when the commerative events took place in Galbally, he was able to quote the GAA rule book where it states that GAA grounds will not be used for such events.

This poor crater will do whatever it takes to have a dig at the GAA and this is just another example of it. All of us in the occupied wee six are well used to this sort of tripe...it'll make absolutely no difference to the running of Gaelic Games in the affected counties. Clubs would lift more money in one weeks lotto than what they would get from the sports minister's po

Posted by Ciaran | 29.09.09, 17:09 GMT

I hope Republicans and Nationalists in the GAA community don't take this rubbish, and I trust they won't. GAA clubs all over Ireland owe a debt of gratitude for their very existance to past Republicans and Nationalists for freeing (most of) Ireland from Britian and allowing our great games to flourish to the extent they have.Ulster Catholics have gone down a long, hard road to gain some measure of equality in the six county nonsense-state that is called 'Northern Ireland'. Gaelic games have never been more popular as a result of this new found confidence and hope for nationalists.If the unionists in the six counties are given an inch, they take a mile. History has shown the power trips they can go on, but now that the Brits don't have their backs anymore they are resigned to having to reach compromise. With their history of hierarchy in the six counties, this difficult reality and transition could take a while to sink in.

Posted by Ciaran | 29.09.09, 17:02 GMT