Emigration continues to severely cut the numbers of young irish playing GAA games.
Writing about the effects of Ireland’s downturn on the GAA. influential columnist Vincent Hogan noted the Irish “spirit is under pitiless attack from emigration”.
“We truly live in extraordinary times when a man can score three goals in an All-Ireland final before 82,000 paying customers, then stand in a dole queue the following Thursday,” Hogan said in his Irish Independent column. He was referring to hurling final hero Lar Corbett.
Read More: Emigration biting hard at GAA
The issue of employment and emigration is seeing declining numbers in GAA clubs around the country.
A group of footballers recently appeared on the Irish chat show “The Late Late Show’ to discuss the difficulty in finding employment.
Pat Fitzgerald proposed allocating €1.6million per annum over the next five years for a fund which would encourage businesses to hire unemployed club players.
“The GAA is facing a monumental crisis if it doesn't realize that one lost generation begets another, “warned Hogan
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.GeorgeDillon | Jun 20, 2011, 03:22 PM EDT
You're an idiot towngate, you obviously never heard of GEORGE Washington.
Liamkeyes | Jun 18, 2011, 11:40 AM EDT
I'm with "Judge Judy" on this one. She has no time for "Wasters" "Messers" or "Dossers". Even if the Guy is watching windows she has more respect for the guy than the aforementioned.
mamaginnty | Jun 16, 2011, 01:03 PM EDT
Towngate, you must be the GAA accountant. Our players would have to be payed for part-time work in the GAA. Not much good to them then, maybe a game every month or so, and nothing overseas.
Towngate | Jun 03, 2011, 05:24 AM EDT
Sorry,got distracted there and forgot to comment on Dara's Post. I can only suggest that if the GAA was to explain what it does with its fantastic wealth and income derived from its 'gate'and Club receipts and why the performing players remain unpaid, I might be much happier with them. They should employ the players and staff - then they would not have to leave home. Of course this would mean they would have to stop shoveling in the cash and hoarding it and of course have to cease bending the gullible youth of Ireland over the Parish Pump and shafting them! Where is their own money?! How dare Fitzgerald suggest 1.6 million euro of public money to protect them. Public money should be for ALL unemployed - not just the GAA. That's typical Irish cronyism and corruption at its worst!
Towngate | Jun 03, 2011, 05:01 AM EDT
Shakespeare had it when he wrote "What's in a name? ~ that which we call a 'rose' by any other name would smell as sweet!". People are still touchy,though,about their personal names as they are (usually) the first point of our identity. I presume most Commenters here choose a 'tag',username,'nom de plume'- or whatever, so any 'personal' attack on the name is shielded be that anonimity. I recently invited a poster to describe how he perceived other posters by their names and nature of their posts. It was surprising but great fun to learn how he imagined us! ... try it! ~ ~ ~ I can sympathise with 'Mister Dillon' (who must be lonely without 'Chester' in Gunsmoke City!) who gets all teary and blubbery when people poke fun at his name ~ because he is obviously inordinately proud the bear the noble name George ~ in honour of a line of fine British Kings!
GeorgeDillon | May 20, 2011, 04:54 PM EDT
sh1977: "As we both know - calling you Georgie is no accident". No, it's your stupidity.
sham1977 | May 20, 2011, 04:44 PM EDT
Thank you sirpeter. I knew there had to be more people than me that was really annoyed by him and his endless insults!!
sirpeter | May 20, 2011, 07:15 AM EDT
Georgie boy is having another meltdown ha ha. Everyone knows all those hotel jobs pay minimum wage and have crap hours and are useless if you want a half decent standard of living.Not everyone wants to live in a one room bed sit Georgie Porgie.
sham1977 | May 19, 2011, 05:23 PM EDT
Ok Georgie, whatever! As we both know - calling you Georgie is no accident. As for me being bigoted, well have you re-read any of your posts recently???? I am well aware of my country's history, no need for a history lesson from a cranky old bag like yourself! Spare us all the condescending attitude!
GeorgeDillon | May 19, 2011, 07:38 AM EDT
By the way, Sh*1977, the name is Mr Dillon. Even my friends don't call me what you did, perhaps that's something you learned in prison? Bigoted fool.
GeorgeDillon | May 19, 2011, 07:37 AM EDT
sham197: What a monumentally stupid comparison, to compare a country like the USA, built on a history of immigration (once they cleared away the native peoples) and Ireland, a country with a a history of 2 millenia, and only small incidents of immigration over the years. The last great demographic change in Ireland was the Plantations. No one asked the Irish on that occasion if they wanted huge numbers of foreign settlers to take over their country. That's strange, no one asked the Irish on this occasion either! But if you think County Offaly is as empty as Wyoming you're an utter fool. Seriously, yours has got to me the most stupid post I've seen for a long time. You really think a country of 4 million people, an ancient society largely homogenous, is comparable to a country of 300 million, of 100 and more national origins? You're a nut.
sham1977 | May 18, 2011, 04:49 PM EDT
It's not completely true, it was more so a few years back and really only in the urban areas. To GeorgeDillon - really Georgie, is it so different in the US?? I seem to see alot of foreigners in the US doing those kind of jobs - Mexicans, Vietnamese, Central American's, Africans and Middle Easterners, etc. In addition, it's not only the Irish who "whine' about it - you watch it, you will start to hear similar comments here in the US when the economy slows down and the unemployment level raises. I'm obviously from Ireland and live and work (legally - for your benefit, Georgie!) in the US and I have heard those comments from Americans.
Peadar62 | May 17, 2011, 05:56 PM EDT
Not entirely true. During the height of the Celtic tiger I went to two family gatherings in a hotel in Durrow Co Laois and all those serving the dinners were all Irish.
Peadar62 | May 17, 2011, 05:53 PM EDT
Not entirely true. I went to two birthdays in a hotel in Durrow Co Laois
GeorgeDillon | May 17, 2011, 12:31 PM EDT
kat205us: You're dead right. The Irish have given vast numbers of jobs to foreigners, jobs they're apparently too lazy to do themselves. And now they want us to feel sympathy for them as they whine that they can't find work. Well I have no compassion for the Irish.
kat205us | May 17, 2011, 10:16 AM EDT
The last time I was in Ireland there was not an Irish girl or guy to be found in any of the hotels or restaurants we visited. We toured all of Ireland and only one hotel had Irish born employees. All the employees were immigrants, mostly Polish and Spanish. When we asked why this was so, we were told that in this time of Irish prosperity the Irish born thought it "beneath" them to take the menial jobs of waiter/waitress or housekeeper. So the immigrants moved right in to these plentiful job opportunities.