Protestant GAA player gives up sport after sectarian abuse…
Gaelic Football has a grace and skill about it that is hard to resist at close quarters. It’s not surprising that despite the cultural chill around some of the flags and symbols, it is played with enthusiasm and passion by some (albeit very few) Protestants. Darren Graham is probably more senior than most of those who have taken up the sport, but he has finally given up playing after taking regular sectarian abuse.
Deirdre Donnelly, the Press Officer for the Fermanagh County Board GAA, told the ‘Herald’ it was the first time she had heard of that form of abuse: “And, I know from talking to other officials, they have never been aware of it. But, certainly, if individuals feel there is an issue, they should bring it to their club and the club should take it to County Board.”Darren Graham is adamant: ‘unless there is something really done about it and the County Board realise that this is all happening, I am definite, I am not putting on the shirt again’.
For the record, Rule 7(b) of the GAA constitution states clearly: ‘the Association shall be non-sectarian’.
And, in Febraury this year, the GAA President, Nicky Brennan, in the course of an interview for the Church of Ireland Gazette, insisted there was nothing wrong with the GAA that would stop Protestant people joining. Indeed, he suggested the only intimidation might come from their own community.
It begs the question that if the GAA doesn’t actually know this stuff is going on: is this just the tip of a very large iceberg?
Realist,
Slightly taken aback that you suggest I stay outside the ground until the anthem’s over but I suppose you didn’t intend this to read like it does. I will gladly recount my experiences on Slugger after the game.
“Slightly taken aback that you suggest I stay outside the ground until the anthem’s over but I suppose you didn’t intend this to read like it does”
chewnic,
Just pointing out that if you have any objections to the Anthem, it’s not compulsary that you join in.
Nothing sinister intended in what I said at all.
Plenty of fans give it a bye ball before going in to take their seat.
Plenty of others stand for it, but don’t sing it – including some players.
Enjoy the day – I’m certainly looking forward to it.
Aaron:
‘There’s no reason why a Protestant in the GAA should be any more likely to be taunted than anyone else in any organisation
I’m in total agreement that there is no reason. There is equally no reason to taunt black players but it is more likely. Actually ‘True Gael’ makes my point very succintly.
‘Just pointing out that if you have any objections to the Anthem, it’s not compulsary that you join in.’
So its an inclusive occasion at n.i games as long as you stand to the English anthem while the flag of the disgraced sectarian Stormont regime is flown.
Perhaps the very few Taigs who attend the games should use the old ‘ stick your fingers in your ears’ routine during the unionist anthem, then squint their eyes, so as not to see the unionist flag and pretend that ‘no surrender’ is an old Spandau Ballet tune and not a sectarian loyalist chant.
Any ideas how we can explain the ‘ulster’ songs only referring to 6 counties of the 9 counties ??
Maybe the sash, dambusters & billy boy tunes could be accompanied with a tin whistle, in the interests of equality !!
People with objections to the NI anthem at the Liechtenstein game are going to be doubly offended by the Liechtenstein anthem
You can listen to it here:
http://www.liechtenstein.li/en/mp3-fl-lik-landeshymne.mp3
So some doubt has been cast on whether Mr Graham is a ‘true prod’.
i.e. The number of prods playing GAA in Fermanagh may be one or it may indeed be zero.
A target of twenty by 2010 would seem appropriate.
Mr Fealty is correct and the winners of the new struggle will be the successful includers, not the excluders.
Jim
How many members of the IFA are also in the OO?
Regarding Darren Graham I think hes making a big deal out of this, he only joined so he could say Im the only prod in town, nows its back fired, hes really only got himself to blame.
As a GAA supporter I was very disappointed to read about how this player was treated. It’s not typical of the GAA despite what some people like to think.
He looked a bit silly during the news report what with all the staging, throwing his GAA tops into the cupboard in anger, his 15 minutes of fame looked a bit fishy.
Maybe all he needs is a big hug and a succulent Provo.
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=38692&pt=s
He’s bringing up his daughter a Catholic. I hope she doesn’t get it when she takes to camogie, Jack Charlton’s favourtie game.
there are Prods in the teams in Donegal….Cavan…and monaghan….The problem of course as I see it as someone from donegal..is the GAA guys from the north, they come over the Border at the weekend and wreck the place…they are so anti protestant (among other things.. ruff and violent) its so stupid…They are so stupid..
Im glad he spoke out…Idiots need a mirror held up to their face!!! never have i ever cared what religion a player was!!!…
Northern catholics….really really need to loose the Superiority complex about being catholic and in the GAA…The south has! There is no advantage in GAA…Whoever is the most skilfull is the best…This has nothing to do with religion…
The Northern attitude is typical…What else should people expect from people with Neanderthal like IQ’s….Worse thing is, they give the nice ones a bad name! Wolfe tone, Parnell, and Sam Maguire himself was a protestant! among many others….
i hope the GAA bans those players for life…Just to sned a shot across the waters…No room for scumbags in the GAA. i hope he wont quit altogether! But i wouldnt blame him…
Prods in…scumbags Out (of the GAA)
PLEASE.
Hopefully the GAA will investigate and if truth be found in the allegations then firm action should be taken against any sectarian abuse. Respect to the young man Mr. Graham, I hope he continues to play the sport. His case would be greatly helped if others (team mates) came forward with corroborating testimony.
As i’m sure you are all aware this is not just a GAA problem, unfortunately sectarian attitudes are widespread in the “wee six”.
I am not a GAA fan but I have a hope that they will deal with this sectarian issue a lot better than other institutions in the “wee six”.
Based on what I have recently read about Mr Graham he has my respect and sincere good wishes. Young men like him are an example to us all.
PS…a lot of you guys were totally off topic on this thread, go have your sectarian squabbles somewhere else.
As someone who is a fan of GAA i do believe that if they are to progress in any sense to eradicate sectarianism from the organisation they have to look at who leads their various structures.
I remember having the misfortune to be at the 2004 Ulster Final, the first one held in Croke Park, when the Ulster Council Chairman was giving the speech (paraphrasing him) he said something along the lines of ‘people said we shouldn’t have the final in Croke Park, well the Ulster GAA suffered in the troubles, Sean Brown, Aidan McAnespie, that’s why we have the right to be here’ etc.
I remember praying that the speech wasn’t being broadcast on RTE into the homes of whatever progressive protestant sports fans in the North that happened to be watching.
That day I thought the organisation went back 10 years in its quest to reach out to other traditions.
As a constitutional Nationalist i believe all sectarian murder is wrong. But the Ulster Council should have known better than put a gobshite such as this at the microphone that day. It was real braveheart stuff.
“The same is obviously true of the, thankfully dwindling, number of loyalist sympathisers who like to nurse a sectarian grudge upon showing their ‘support’ for the NI football team by singing ‘No Surrender’ etc at Windsor Park.”
Posted by Diluted Orange on Aug 01, 2007 @ 01:38 PM
Sectarianism is “a narrow-minded adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination”.
How then is it sectarian to sing “No Surrender” during the Queen? “No Surrender” is not a pejorative term for a Roman Catholic, nor is it a derogatory term for the Pope – we’re not shouting “Fuck The Pope” or “Kill All Taigs” now are we! I cannot see in any way how it promotes the Protestant faith as the one true faith at the expense of the Roman Catholic faith, unlike the crude sectarian bigotry heard from the Pope in a recent speech. It is, pure and simple, an act of defiance against IRA ethnic cleansers who tried to bomb, shoot and butcher Protestants and RC’s who didn’t subscribe to the Provies’ Aryan ideals of Irishness. Yes, the chant will ultimately go and politics should have no place in sport but I take umbrage with the assertion that “No Surrender” is a sectarian chant when it obviously does not fit the “criteria”…
“Or being banned from being a member of the KKK because you’re Catholic or Black.”
Posted by Oliver Cromwell on Aug 01, 2007 @ 01:46 PM
How does an organisation that was founded across the Atlantic, which has no support base in Ulster, equate to Protestants being unable to take part in Gaelic games? Protestants here play no part in the KKK so why are you making cheap shots and trying to tar all Protestants with the racist brush AGAIN Cromwell? Stick to the subject and stop your pathetic attempts at point-scoring…
This guy’s point is weakened by the LVF/UUP diehards like Michael Shilliday who are all too eager to jump on the bandwagon. Given his family history, he is a man apart. But Fermanagh hurling is not up to much. Any player will get baited at a game and to expect the GAA to police low level shit like this is ludicrous. Ye would realise that if ye ever played anytihng more than pocket billiards.
What is the opposition to do? Spread their defence wide open like a H Block arse so he can walz on through. If it puts him off his game, theywill do it. Ditto any sport, anywhere.
Posted by George Gay on Aug 01, 2007 @ 01:48 PM
You need a good kick in the teeth. It might give you a bit of perspective Gay. Sectarianism, or any form of bigotry for that matter, has no place in any sport and to trivialise it like you have just done makes you just as bad as the non-educated neanderthals who goaded this brave young man over the deaths of family members who died keeping Ulster free from IRA fascistic murderers…
See the topic above, and now check out the definition of Whataboutery?
Personally I’d love to see more northern Protestants involved in the GAA and I think it would be a tremendous benefit to the entire gaelic games community. Fair play to Darren Graham for raising this. There is no room for sectarianism within the GAA. On a related point, with the incresed coverage of hurling and football on UTV and the BBC are more Protestants taking an interest in the GAA or cheering on their home county? I’d love to think so.
Concerned Loyalist: Go out and play a game, any fucking game, except orienteering and you might learn something about baiting. As you have no interest in GAA, not even in point scoring, you should maintain a dignified silence, assuming your allegience alows you to do that. And, as regards your threat of violence, at least it is not the physical violence Concenred Loyalists have dished out to GAA members and non fascist Protestants like John Turnley.
Dublin GAA: You don’t get it, do you? You wil lbe standing on Hill 16 along with 85,000 other fair weather Dubs. Your dreams will be in the hands of 15-20 Dublin players and Paul Caffrey. You need 20-25 good players, not 200,000 UVF heads. Geddit? Let the UVF heads drink cheap beer in Benidorm, howl to the moon for Rangers and shag themselves silly. Silverware is won by the elect so to ask the GAA or the IRFU to throw open their doors is silly. Unless you want to be the bridesmaid, never the bride. You might look nice in white.
People aren’t going to get into a sport if they don’t have the opportunity to play it. When I was at QUB I would have loved to have played gaelic games and membership of the society was open to anyone even if they’d never played before. But never having played and not knowing the rules meant I probably would have sucked big time.
Protestants in NI don’t get the opportunity to play gaelic games. If you’re school doesn’t offer it and you don’t have any mates outside school who play then by the time you leave school at 16 or 18 you’ll be in the same position I was – even if you wanted to take it up at that point you’ll be total crap at it. So you don’t bother. It’s like trying to play football for the first time when you’re 16 when most of your peers have been kicking around since they were wee kids.
Likewise I would have liked to have played rugby at school but we only had cricket and football. And no-one I knew growing up played or watched rugby so now it’s alien to me.
What are the chances of gaelic games being on the curriculum at state schools? Pipe dream?
Message to Croke Park.
See the post above.
Read it and weep.
In Graham Norton’s autobiography he said it really was worse being protestant than being gay, growing up in the part of Ireland he came from.
In an interview in 2003 G.N. when asked what it was like growing up as a Protestant in West Cork answered ‘I quite liked it’
Another excerpt from the interview:
IGNFF: Were there the same frictions in the South, as there were in the North?
NORTON: No, not at all, because everyone just got on it with it.There was no conflict.
Then again autobiographies don’t sell by waxing lyrical about your idyllic childhood.
As has been said before Darren Graham does not represent the Protestant community of NI. He has really turned his back on his own Protestant culture and is fairly typical of 99.99% of Protestants partisipating in the GAA. Translated this means he fits a certains criteria, non practicing Protestant, married to a Catholic, bring his children up as catholic and a non member of the loyal orders and Protestant bands.
Darrens little winge in the Newsletter today did not exactly endear himself to the Unionist/Protestant community, and community he has clearly shunned long ago.
Would Neil Lennon be safe to make an international comeback? errr – no.
Posted by the doc on Aug 01, 2007 @ 01:51 PM
He’s past it and wouldn’t even make the squad so it’s irrelevant…
“And, as regards your threat of violence, at least it is not the physical violence Concenred Loyalists have dished out to GAA members and non fascist Protestants like John Turnley.”
Turnley was executed in Carnlough by the UFF because he was an INLA member and strategist in the renegade faction and the Chairman of the seditious Irish Independence Party. The INLA signed his death warrant when they blew up Airey Neave in the Commons car park a year earlier…hardly a beacon of humanity now was he?
“Darrens little winge in the Newsletter today did not exactly endear himself to the Unionist/Protestant community, and community he has clearly shunned long ago.”
So, he’s not Prod enough so it is ok for him to be abused? He should be instead abused for not being Prod enough? What is your point?
I’d suggest Darren is possibly 99.9% of 6 county GAA Prods, period
Concerned Loyalist, on the one hand you present yourself as a non-sectarian Northern Ireland supporter, suitably outraged at the treatment of Mr. Graham.
In the next breath ,you casually condone paramilitary murder by loyalist terrorists.
Obviously, you are one of the old school of Northern Ireland fans that we are told, don’t exist anymore according to ace delusionists, Realist and Willowfield.
“Obviously, you are one of the old school of Northern Ireland fans that we are told, don’t exist anymore according to ace delusionists, Realist and Willowfield”
chewnic,
On the contrary, I have often stated on this board that it is inevitable that amongst the Northern Ireland fanbase there will be supporters of loyalist paramilitary groupings.
I’m also quite sure that there are supporters of republican paramilitary groupings amongst the GAA fraternity.
I would also bet my bottom dollar that supporters of various paramilitary groupings also support various other football teams.
Perhaps you will desist from misrepresenting me?
“Would Neil Lennon be safe to make an international comeback?”
He recognises, endorses and applauds change.
For that, he gets my respect.
Realist, You are right that there remains a significant underbelly of sectarian die-hards within the NI fanbase but not all are hiding in the shadows. Indeed on a certain NI fans Website this week, I note that reference is made to ‘taigs’ at games. Sad to see that Site Admin has failed to remove this grossly offensive term. I’m sure you would agree on that? I’ll see for myself in a couple of weeks and will take you up on your invitation to report back.
“Turnley was executed in Carnlough by the UFF because he was an INLA member and strategist in the renegade faction and the Chairman of the seditious Irish Independence Party. The INLA signed his death warrant when they blew up Airey Neave in the Commons car park a year earlier…hardly a beacon of humanity now was he?
Posted by Concerned Loyalist on Aug 03, 2007 @ 05:03 PM
Good to know the INLA killed Turnley, whose only crime was not loyalty. Let’s salute the men who brought the war home to the IIP and the GAA.
“Indeed on a certain NI fans Website this week, I note that reference is made to ‘taigs’ at games”
What site was that on chewni?
“You are right that there remains a significant underbelly of sectarian die-hards within the NI fanbase but not all are hiding in the shadows”
Yes – like are within the fanbases of many football teams, and the GAA membership. I’m sure similarly sectarian comments would be found on sports boards of a nationalist/republican hue.
Northern Ireland fans will continue to strive to ensure that the sectarianism is left at the turnstiles at Northern Ireland matches.
So, he’s not Prod enough so it is ok for him to be abused? He should be instead abused for not being Prod enough? What is your point?
I’d suggest Darren is possibly 99.9% of 6 county GAA Prods, period
What I said was hes chosen that way of life, he should at least have the guts to endure it.
“What I said was hes chosen that way of life, he should at least have the guts to endure it”
What? “Endure” prolonged sectarian abuse?
What? “Endure†prolonged sectarian abuse?
He knew what he was getting into before he joined, besides hes not a Protestant so I am confused as to why he is being abused.
“He knew what he was getting into before he joined”
What was he “getting into”?