Official Rugby Thread 2006-07

**El Capitano Gatisto** · 02-26-2007, 12:40 PM

Well a lot of people were a bit uneasy about it because Croke Park is the home of the GAA, which was set up to promote Gaelic sports in response to the deliberate suppression of them by the Brits. The Hill 16 stand is supposedly built on rubble from the 1916 Easter Rising and the Hogan Stand is named after Tipperary captain Michael Hogan, who was shot dead along with 13 spectators during a Gaelic football match on Sunday November 21st 1920 (the first Bloody Sunday) by British soldiers.

It's essentially a monument against British oppression. It's hard to express just what it means to Irish people. I'm not a massive follower of Gaelic football but Croke Park still stands as a fortress for our culture and it should be protected. A lot of people see rugby and football games being played there and the British national anthem being played as a betrayal of the principles on which the GAA (and Gaelic League) were founded. I see it more as the Brits coming now and recognising us as equals, coming to maybe the best stadium in Europe (or the world) and showing what we've become since booting them out of most of the country. If you witness Northern Ireland's best stadium (Windsor Park) and the state it's in (not fit to host international games) it puts things into perspective.

I was uneasy with this whole thing too but the GAA is strong enough now to live alongside football and rugby and Ireland has to move on. It's not so bad rugby being played there either because it still has much of the amateur ethos that the GAA stands for, but over-paid, petulant professional footballers (like Craig Bellamy) taking to such a stage will be somewhat insulting

What a great way to move on too, by beating those fucking English cunts to death.

02-26-2007, 12:40 PM	#21
El Capitano Gatisto World Class Raconteur Posts: 29,478	Well a lot of people were a bit uneasy about it because Croke Park is the home of the GAA, which was set up to promote Gaelic sports in response to the deliberate suppression of them by the Brits. The Hill 16 stand is supposedly built on rubble from the 1916 Easter Rising and the Hogan Stand is named after Tipperary captain Michael Hogan, who was shot dead along with 13 spectators during a Gaelic football match on Sunday November 21st 1920 (the first Bloody Sunday) by British soldiers. It's essentially a monument against British oppression. It's hard to express just what it means to Irish people. I'm not a massive follower of Gaelic football but Croke Park still stands as a fortress for our culture and it should be protected. A lot of people see rugby and football games being played there and the British national anthem being played as a betrayal of the principles on which the GAA (and Gaelic League) were founded. I see it more as the Brits coming now and recognising us as equals, coming to maybe the best stadium in Europe (or the world) and showing what we've become since booting them out of most of the country. If you witness Northern Ireland's best stadium (Windsor Park) and the state it's in (not fit to host international games) it puts things into perspective. I was uneasy with this whole thing too but the GAA is strong enough now to live alongside football and rugby and Ireland has to move on. It's not so bad rugby being played there either because it still has much of the amateur ethos that the GAA stands for, but over-paid, petulant professional footballers (like Craig Bellamy) taking to such a stage will be somewhat insulting What a great way to move on too, by beating those fucking English cunts to death. Last edited by El Capitano Gatisto; 02-26-2007 at 12:42 PM.