Gaelic Athletic Association 1884 – 2009: 1 In Ulster…
A few years back I remember talking to a senior DUP politician about the fact that the two populations (despite a considerable amount of Peace Processing that’s what they substantially remain) in Northern Ireland each seem to have quite separate public lives that essentially remain locked to one another… it was that thought which prompted me to suggest to the Newsletter’s Sam McBride the small scale inert character of the Twelfth at the hub of many rural Protestant populations may have be obvious to those with family in the Orange Order, but little of it comes across to those of us on the outside… To a large extent, the GAA is an equivalent ‘private public life’ for Northern Irish Catholic society… Reviewing: The Gaelic Athletic Association, 1884-2009
My own first memories of the GAA was in trailing after my father to an string of county matches including the last time Antrim played at an Ulster final (at Casement Park when they were also soundly beaten by Cavan), and some club matches at grounds where sometimes it was far from obvious where the pitch began and ended. Sometimes in places (when the foreign games ban was still in places) where the soccer posts had to have extensions attached)… In my soccer/cricket/rugby mad father’s case it was the sport that mattered.
In fact the GAA is a simple but efficient bureaucratic organisation whose early history was often a lot more complex in its relationship to those foreign codes it once outlawed than is obvious at firs glance, as an excellent series of essays The Gaelic Athletic Association, 1884-2009
I have to confess that when I first got the book I ripped straight to Chapter Six, The GAA in Ulster… before calmly going back to the beginning and reading patiently the whole way through… But, according toe David Hassan, Senior Lecturer at University of Ulster, it seems that there was a deal of support from Unionist circles right at the very beginning, which he argues was pretty much killed off when the Irish Republican Brotherhood effectively took control of the 1887 annual Congress after the tempestuous Michael Cusack was dismissed from his post as secretary.
There were no Ulster delegates (much of the early development seems to have taken place in Monaghan, Cavan and Fermanagh), but the Association received 150 letters protesting the take over from clubs across Ulster… The turbulence only drew to close with the formation of the Ulster Council of the GAA in March 1903… In fact right through the book you get a sense of several sets of creative tensions inside the organisation that in combination create the compelling force it has become in Irish society, both north and south.
In Northern Ireland, particularly after partitition. Hassan:
…the GAA in the north came to fulfil a range of fucntion for the people on the ground. Firstly, GAA Clubs existed as a repository of meaning for those interested in Gaelic games and keen to promote a sense of Irish nationalism. In a state where the very idea of expressing an Irish identity was problematic for some, the GAA provided a relatively safe haven around which like minded nationalists could cohere.
Secondly it is clear that the GAA was first and foremost an important, possibly the most important, cultural outlet for the nationalist community of Northern Ireland. Whilst it was undoubtedly politicall when it needed to be, for the most part it was – and still is – an organisation that affords considerable pleasure, pride and identity with all things Irish for its patrons.
Ultimately the GAA in Northern Ireland fulfilled an important counter hegemonic function for northern nationalists in the absense of any alternative outlet for them to protest their long-standing subjugation.
However he goes on to note the irony in how UK taxpayer’s money have gone into bolstering and improving the fortunes of Ulster Football in particular, both at club and county level through aid from Sport Northern Ireland. Support which Hassan notes “has allowed GAA grounds in Northern Ireland to develop at such a rate that they have become the envy of others throughout the rest of the island.” Anyone who knew the Holywood club in the 60s and 70s (then known as the Thomas Russells, now St Pauls) will remember the ‘plate-contoured’ pitch regularly brought under control by the good offices of the local Cricket club (not to mention arithmetically challenged referees), will understand the huge contrast with a modern pitch and facilities, and undreamed of successes on the pitch…
Hassan goes on to recount attacks on GAA clubs, the occupation of the Crossmaglen Club by the British army, and murder of prominent members of the Association throughout the Troubles… In some respects though after a few references in the first part of the Ulster chapter, there is little sense of how the GAA is perceived beyond its core community… There is no mention of the Darren Graham incident, or to the fact that amongst the few Protestant players there are in Northern Ireland tend to filter out long before reaching senior levels in the game…
This is probably the only disappointing aspect of the chapter’s treatment of Ulster, particularly given the powerful analysis by Gearoid O Tuathaigh in the book’s closing chapter, The GAA as a force in Irish Society: An Overview on the challenges facing both the organisation and wider Irish society in the future…
More of that tomorrow….
George
“There you go with the free and easy interchange of Protestant and Unionist as if they are one and the same”
In Northern Ireland it is 90% plus the case. I know there are always exceptions but there is no point quoting exceptions as the basis of any case other than there will always be exceptions.
John Gorman was a senior member of the UUP and although he represented potential he was quite clearly an exception and i am not going to go around saying the UUP was a place most Catholics could have felt comfortable in.
“Quite clearly the policy of the GAA on its foundation was to alienate itself from unionism and British rule, as shown by having as well as Archbishop Croke, socialist Davitt (a man despised by the Catholic Church and British state in equal measure) and Protestant Irish nationalist leader Parnell as patrons.”
I am not sure if you are agreeing with me there or attempting to be sarcastic – but none of those people are hardly unionist heroes.
“In my view, the major alienation for unionists up until partition was much more political than religious”
I said the GAA ethos was cultural, religious and political – thereofore an organisation that was Gaelic, Catholic and Pro Nationalist was always going to alientate people who were English/Scots Irish, Protestant and pro British.
The point I am making is the alienation of Protestants (or unionists if you prefer)was by the design of GAA itself – not intentionally but it was the obvious outcome of such a policy to differentiate the “Irish people/nation” from the British one. It was very successful in doing so but the consequence was also the alienation of the Pro British Irish.
I am simply point out that when the GAA scratches its head and wonders why it cant get the support of Protestants and instead often downright hostility I am simply encouraging it to look for answers closer to home – instead of accusing the Protestants of prejudice.
Mayoman
“The nature is nationalist, definitely not miltiant republican”
Well you need to put your house in order then. In recent years we have had GAA grounds used for PIRA Hunger Strike rallies, grounds named after Irish terrorists (by definition both in ROI & NI) and such grounds opened by senior Dublin officials of the GAA.
“it was pre-partition elitist imperial Unionism that created these divides, not the GAA, not Protestantism, and not Catholicism.”
I think the problems of Protestantism and Catholicism pre-dated “pre imperial unionism”.
Anyhow if you want to say that something pre GAA caused its formation in the first place then fine – however the fact is that the GAA caused the chasm with unionism by its own design thereafter.
Mayoman,
The Penal Laws were repealed with Catholic Relief Act; the guts of 60 years before the historic meeting in Thurles.
You should get the book, if you think it was inevitable that Protestants would be marginalised by the GAA’s winding course through modern Irish history.
Mick
Just a reality check Ken. Andy Coulson’s in front of Commons Media Select Committee saying he doesn’t recognise his own work. He’s just as unconvincing.
*YAWN* A three year old quote from a senior but not terribly senior member of SF to support such a thesis is only marginal less thin than one using a ten year old quote.
But hey Nick, tell me how Cameron is Web 3.0 again and is revolutionising poltiics here.
Mick, do you think the effects of the penal laws, and the continuing anti-Catholic (when it suited them) mindset of the British rulers ended just 60 years after their repeal? A quote from Sean T O’Kelly, second President of Ireland, in 1920, some 40 odd years after the formation of the Thurles meeting.
“The position of Irish Catholics is a cruel one. We are enslaved by a Protestant power. The penal laws against our religion are not yet abolished in full. The injurious social and economic results of these anti-Catholic laws will not be overcome for generations. To the present day we suffer political injury inside and outside of Ireland, simply and solely because we are practicing Catholics.”
JEB: I have given you a clear reason why I believe that the GAA was not the cause of division, and indeed were inclusive with regard to religion. I also never said the Penal Laws caused the formation of the GAA — they were but an example of the mindset of a foreign power bent on fostering division. That division was bound to fester in the NI setting, with its inherent discriminatory baggage, and in the same self-prophesying manner, lead you to blame the outworkings of that on the GAA.
Mayoman
I heard you the first time – if unionist/protestants have a problem with the GAA it is their own fault due to their inherent prejudice and discriminatory tendiencies fostered by an imperialist mindset.
Irish Catholicism/Nationalism/Republicanism and of course the GAA are innocent parties in the whole matter.
That is the kind of thinking that will take us nowhere
Mick
A number of things spring immediately to mind.
Firstly, attempting to sell Cameron’s UCUNF initiative as a pitch across the political divide is dubious. The UK-wide party he seeks to lead is more about maintaining the Union with Scotland, and his ‘pitch’ delivered in Belfast amounted to praising British soldiers and claiming Ulster is as British as Finchley.
If that’s what you interpret as a pitch to ‘middle Ulster,’ then that particular political space is clearly restricted for protestants/ unionists as there was nothing of interest in his remarks beyond that constituency.
In fact, it illustrates just why, for all their collective faults, northern nationalism remains a step ahead of unionism in terms of facing up to what it must do to attract support across the traditional religious/ political divide (though, given that the status quo favours unionism, that should be little more than cold comfort for nationalists.)
For all the talk from the Cameron supporters and UCUNF-minded bloggers on Slugger and elsewhere, their collective political pitch amounts to pretty much telling catholics that it’s now ok to be equally as British as their protestant/ unionist neighbours.
That’s the flip side of the age old Irish nationalist/ republican narrative that held up protestant republicans as proof positive that our cause wasn’t sectarian.
Nationalists have moved well beyond that, and the articulation of policies seeking to respect the identities of both nationalist and unionist traditions on an equal footing should form the basis of a progressive narrative which needs to be sold by demonstrating how it works whilst simultaneously seeking to attract support- and therefore begin to engender trust- for policies on issues outside of the constitutional question.
Secondly, appointing an Outreach Officer was, to my mind, a bit of a waste as it made a single target in the spokesperson. Much better to develop an ambitious policy and strategy to seek to represent predominantly unionist constituencies- incidentally, making the effort of appointing such a postholder was at least a step beyond the efforts of any unionist party to date.
The fact that no UCUNF representative could even be bothered attending the funeral of a catholic beaten to death in a predominantly unionist town speaks volumes about the sincerity of its efforts to woo non-protestants to the unionist cause.
“The nature is nationalist, definitely not miltiant republican”
Mayoman, surely the IRB was a militant republican organisation.
Alongside those driven by a sporting agenda such as Cusack and Davin, men driven by a political agenda also gathered. Present in Thurles were three members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). From the first meeting in 1884, right through to the foundation of the Irish Free State, the IRB would have a profound effect on the Association .. Cronin
Unionist opposition was mainly from Ulster and the Ulster Unionist Convention of 1892 would have gathered some of its inspiration from the Ulster Convention a century earlier.
Segregation was along constitutional lines but to a large degree this mirrored the Catholic/non-Catholic split.
“There you go with the free and easy interchange of Protestant and Unionist as if they are one and the same.”
In ther north they certainly are and friend thats where it counts the political afiliation of the minor rump of non catholics in the ROI is of no import
The fact that no UCUNF representative could even be bothered attending the funeral of a catholic beaten to death in a predominantly unionist town speaks volumes about the sincerity of its efforts to woo non-protestants to the unionist cause.
Hear hear. When i pointed this out to Seymour Major on his Tory Boy Story site he nearly died of shock, thus revealing an extraordinary level of blindness.articulation of policies seeking to respect the identities of both nationalist and unionist traditions on an equal footing
Should we not be trying to win over ulster protestants to the cause of independence from Britain, Chris, rather than just saying that both identities have an equal value? After all no matter what happens in the north, barring repartition and/or joint sovereignty, one of the traditions is always going to be inferior because it is not the tradition of the state it finds itself in. Barring culture, Irish nationalism is about Irish people governing themselves. There is no earthly reason why Ulster Protestants cannot be won over to that, a good number of them believe it already in their own way.
“In fact, it illustrates just why, for all their collective faults, northern nationalism remains a step ahead of unionism in terms of facing up to what it must do to attract support across the traditional religious/ political divide”
Hilarious – a murder campaign that alienated another 3 generations of prods from any idea of a UI and– people can spout the above with a straight face
JEB: I actually sorta agree with you, if you could accede that unionist prejudice also plays a part in the excessively negative attitudes towards the GAA? I am open to accepting the the real truth lies somewhere between ‘my truth’ and ‘your truth’.
a very simple and effective way to reconcile and unite the gaa and oo whilst not making the mistake of denuding one’s own traditions to the point of meaningless blandness would be joint parades, cultural evenings etc and inviting orange lodges to set up their own gaa teams, replete with names redolent of their history etc. Edward Carson’s GFC, Ease Belfast. Ulster Scots could be encouraged in addition to Irish so that these teams might have English and ULster Scots on their crests, or even Irish and Ulster Scots and no English (we all know how much the scots hate the English!!!)
I genuinely believe that this could work in the next 20 years or so and then we could see the glorious gaa summers of championship matches and the marching season in the north interract rather than stare mutely at eacthother.
JEB is so Irish by the way that he supports England when the play the ROI. Strange kind of Irishman. No Irish unionist of any type in past would have been that toadying. Some people will always be beyond reach.
Nevin, I was referring to the make up of the patrons, rather than on the future ‘pulls’ on the organisation, which were many and broad.
“the future ‘pulls’ on the organisation”
Mayoman, the IRB link, though secretive, was there at the beginning – according to Cronin.
Mayoman
“if you could accede that unionist prejudice also plays a part in the excessively negative attitudes towards the GAA?”
There is no doubt that unionists have a negative stereotype against things they perceive as part of the nationalist culture – we are a divided country so that is inevitable. No different than nationalists having an understandable negative stereo type against the Orange Order.
All we can hope for is we live in mutual respect of one another’s traditions – but that is not easy if we cherish things that become part of the way we wage our “conflicts”.
Having said that something that would definitely help now would be if the GAA would decisively lance the boil which is its association with modern day PIRA.
I asked you above
“Well you need to put your house in order then. In recent years we have had GAA grounds used for PIRA Hunger Strike rallies, grounds named after Irish terrorists (by definition both in ROI & NI) and such grounds opened by senior Dublin officials of the GAA.”
Setting aside the protestations of fin that “one man’s terrorist is another …… etc the bottom line is that PIRA was a criminal organisation in the ROI.
On the assumption that you would expect the GAA to obey the laws of the ROI then how can you justify its association and apparent passive endorsement of PIRA ?
ie when the GAA orders grounds to change their names or when it tells them to stop PIRA rallies but the northern club gives them the two fingers and tells them to mind their own businesss – then it needs to take decisive action against those clubs. Sanctions leading ultimately to expulsion.
When the GAA has the courage to do that then you will make progress with northern unionism
dub
” JEB is so Irish by the way that he supports England when the play the ROI. Strange kind of Irishman”
LOL – I am sure nobody would want this to develop into a football thread.
Firstly I am not part of the ROI but England is part of the UK – so it is totally natural – I really cant see why you have a problem with it.
Surely even more unbelievable – would you agree – was northern irish men supporting England when NI were playing them ?
Secondly any best wishes I, and most NI supporters ever had for the ROI team evaporated in the whole player eligibility saga. A worse case of pissing in your neighbour’s pond imaginable and you would have to be a saint to feel nothing but anger about the matter.
Therefore in the hearts and mind battle for unionism whether it be the GAA or the ROI football team or even the attitude to the Union flag by IRFU you really dont make it easy for northern unionists to like your cultural expressions.
But then that is our own fault of course.
Surely even more unbelievable – would you agree – was northern irish men supporting England when NI were playing them ?
A certain well-known “journalist” and big fan of Keith Gillespie (cryptic one there) being a case in point.
http://tinyurl.com/lacvfw
You’re mumbling to yourself again Ken…
Mick
Which beats talking bollocks.
Zing! Thanks for playing.
JEB,
I agree that Irishmen supporting England against an Irish team is indeed even more disgusting than a self declared Irishman supporting England against an Irish team… er let’s read that again, they are both identical so my original point stands. Thanks for helping me clarify it. The IRFU have bent over backwards to accomodate northern unioniss by adding an extra anthem, flying provincial flag of ulster and encouraging supporters to wave green irfu flags rather than tricolours. Of course the IFA have done the same haven’t they? If both football teams are Irish then they should both be able to poach from the other, which was the situation up until the late 1950′s. That was recently resuggested but the IFA turned it down.
What about my point about joint GAA/OO evening, parades and OO lodges sponsoring Gaelic teams??
I can’t hear you! You’ll have to shout LOUDER!
Talking of which, I see the Tyrone manager has landed himself in a spot of bother:
http://dreamingarm.wordpress.com
JEB,
In Northern Ireland it is 90% plus the case.
We live in a different world.
Having said that something that would definitely help now would be if the GAA would decisively lance the boil which is its association with modern day PIRA.
Where I come from we laugh at its association with Sherry Fitzgerald and Vodafone.
I am simply point out that when the GAA scratches its head and wonders why it cant get the support of Protestants and instead often downright hostility I am simply encouraging it to look for answers closer to home – instead of accusing the Protestants of prejudice.
Once again, we live in a different world.
‘Secondly any best wishes I, and most NI supporters ever had for the ROI team evaporated in the whole player eligibility saga. A worse case of pissing in your neighbour’s pond imaginable and you would have to be a saint to feel nothing but anger about the matter.’
Shock, Horror.
Irish kids who grew up supporting their country want to emulate their heroes and represent Ireland on the International stage!
For the vast majority of football supporters within the Nationalist community , Seeing Gibson etc wearing the Green shirt of Ireland is a source of great pride.
dub
I” agree that Irishmen supporting England against an Irish team is indeed even more disgusting than a self declared Irishman supporting England against an Irish team… er let’s read that again, they are both identical so my original point stands. Thanks for helping me clarify it.”
Sorry Dub you cant get away with that.
I dont live in the 26 counties and I am not a citisen of it. Meanwhile the last time I looked at my passport said that England and I shared the same country.
Meanwhile we have people born and raised in the six counties supporting the “hated” England when they play the six counties – I am sure we could include James above in that.
Now who has the biggest problem ???
Protestants do not like organisations named after terrorists which is why Orange Order membership has gone down from 78 000 to 35 000. And people shun Craigavon for Belfast.
John
Most Ireland supporters i know in the 6 counties have little interest in England OR Northern Ireland, they don’t hate either team, but have never had any allegience to the Northern Ireland team, which is understandable considering the sectarian record of the support and the almost exclusively unionist flags, emblems, amthems & songs at Windsor Park.
The problem as i see it, lies in the fact that Unionists have a problem accepting that a large proportion of football supporters in the North will always follow Trapattoni’s Ireland, which is natural considering players from all over the 32 counties play for and support the team.
Most Unionists i know in the “6 counties” have little interest in the GAA, they don’t hate it, but have never had any allegience to the GAA, which is understandable considering the sectarian record of the support and the almost exclusively nationalist flags, emblems, amthems (sic) & songs seen and heard at GAA grounds.
Stalemate.
JEB
You say NI supporters respect for ROI team evaporated during the player elligibility row.
Are you having a fucking giraffe?
How can anyone take the point of view that telling people they cant play for their preferred team is a bad thing?
It would be different if ROI were forcing young, unionist NI players that for some reason they had to come and play for them due to some vague family history thing orwhatever.
But people like you are stating that you want young nationalist Irishmen from the north to not be allowed to play for the ROI, and be forced to play for NI if they wish to partake in international football.
Aren’t you confident enough that you can find talented young unionists willing to play for NI? Do you think ordering nationalists to play for a team where they will be surrounded by union flags and sectarian chanting is a good thing?
Get a grip sir.If you hold a passport for a certain country, as many nationalists do for ROI, then you can play footie for them. If you don’t like that then tough shit mon. But don’t cite it as a reason to lose any goodwill and respect you once held for the ROI team.
CORRECTION…the first ‘bad thing’ in my statement above should be ‘good thing’. Too much peyote cactus last night!!
“Most Ireland supporters i know in the 6 counties have little interest in England OR Northern Ireland, they don’t hate either team…”
Bollocks……were you smiling as you typed that one?