|
Post by Ballyfireside on Jul 17, 2020 1:36:30 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 17, 2020 7:15:38 GMT
Televised games behind closed doors is better than no games. Will the players have to agree to covid testing the day before games. If not, how can the GAA get around the social distancing rules? What do you mean? Club matches are going ahead with no one being tested. Contact sport is allowed. The logical part of my brain assumed that some method would have to exist to ensure players playing contact sport are "covid free". Even a random test method. Its seems a bit strange that there isnt when you see all the efforts being made to protect the supporters.
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 17, 2020 7:21:12 GMT
GAA
Premium
1 GAA club action is set to return after a lengthy hiatus this weekend. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile John Fallon July 16 2020 07:31 PM With club GAA action on the cusp of returning, John Fallon has all the information you need.
When is club GAA back?
The 2020 GAA championship season begins in earnest this weekend when clubs all over the country take centre stage. Most counties have decided to start with underage competitions to ease their way back and try to deal with Covid-19 restrictions but there is senior action in five counties, with the Wexford and Dublin hurling championships providing the most eye-catching fixtures.
Is it hurling and football?
Yes. Aside from Dublin and Wexford in hurling, the senior football championships begin in Tipperary, Wicklow and Leitrim. The bulk of the other counties will begin their senior football and hurling championships over the next two weekends.
There will be four games in the Wexford SHC this weekend, with 13 taking place in the Dublin SHC. In addition, there will be 18 games in the Dublin Adult Football League.
Tipperary have eight senior football championship games down for decision this weekend, while there will be four games in Leitrim and Wicklow. Several other counties begin adult leagues this weekend in addition to junior and intermediate championships.
Can I go and watch a game?
Probably not. County boards had presumed that attendances at games would be set at 500 from next Monday and, accordingly, most have scheduled their club championships after what they thought would be the new restrictions. The delay in implementing Phase 4 of the Covid-19 roadmap to August 10 has created major problems for county boards.
Aside from the obvious loss of income, county boards have an impossible task in catering for fans who purchased season tickets. Senior championship games will be all-ticket, with county boards leaving it to the clubs to sort out the loaves/fishes problem of distributing the tiny allocation to fans.
If so how many people will be allowed in?
County boards knew that attendances at games this weekend would be confined to 200 in total. That includes players, subs, mentors, match officials, stewards, media and medical personnel. It is estimated that in most cases only about 60 tickets will be available for fans. In Galway, clubs expect to get 25-30 tickets each, while Roscommon have stated they hope to have 50 tickets for fans of each participating club.
A big headache for county boards will be policing U-20, minor and other games which are also subject to the 200-attendance rule. The added difficulty is that a lot of these games take place at club grounds where it will be difficult to get stewards and officials to oversee the restrictions.
What players can I see?
There will be no shortage of stars on view and while senior championship action starts in five counties, perhaps some of the biggest stars on view could be in Dublin where there are 18 senior football league games down for decision. It’s an opportunity for some of the All-Ireland winners to get their first taste of competitive action since March. It might also be easier to attend these games as restrictions might not be as strictly enforced.
In Wexford, Lee Chin’s Faythe Harriers will take on Paul Morris’ Ferns St Aidan’s, while Jack and Rory O’Connor will lead the way for St Martin’s against Shaun Murphy’s Oulart The Ballagh. Danny Sutcliffe’s St Jude’s open against Faughs.
Are there games on TV?
Yes. TG4 kick off their impressive list of live games this weekend with St Martin’s against Oulart The Ballagh in Wexford on Friday evening, with Ballyboden St Enda’s against Kilmacud Crokes in the Dublin SHC featuring on Sunday evening. TG4 will have live matches each Friday and Sunday, while RTE’s coverage, which begins on August 1 with St Finbarr’s v Glen Rovers in the Cork SHC, will be for Saturday games.
Are games being streamed live?
Yes, and this is going to be a major feature of the return to play. None of the games can be live streamed while TG4 and RTE are broadcasting matches, so county boards have to work their fixtures around that.
But the county boards have been busy, linking up with television production companies and local radio to come up with packages. The announcement on Wednesday of the delay in implementing Phase 4 of the Covid-19 roadmap to August 10 has increased the demand on county boards to come up with streaming services.
Wexford GAA will kick it off on Friday evening with deferred coverage of the St Anne’s v Rathnure SHC match, while they will show Rapparees v Shelmaliers on Saturday.
Supporters should check their own county board websites for details as plans are hastily being put together in light of the 200-attendance capacity until August 10. The cost of watching games varies. Tipperary have set a €10 per game charge, while Roscommon and Wexford will charge €5. It will be €8 in Limerick and Galway are expected to implement a €6 charge.
Online
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 17, 2020 7:22:40 GMT
so no live streaming of games can not clash with RTE and TG4
|
|
|
Post by dc84 on Jul 17, 2020 9:16:28 GMT
On the main website they say they are showing crokes and templenoe and kenmare and rahillys 5e a match in the club championship
|
|
|
Post by rollingstone on Jul 17, 2020 10:41:45 GMT
I want to thank Control for his forbearance in allowing the recent discussion which had only a tangential relationship to football matters. It now appears that forces operating outside this forum will not allow any further discussion on this topic and , of course, I will defer to Control's wishes. However, I would like to take the liberty of writing a few sentences about a subject dear to my heart, it should be dear to every person's heart, freedom of speech/opinion/ideas. It is dear to my heart because I grew up in an Ireland which was dark and dreary and largely depressing. I am not referring to the atmospheric climate but rather to the censorious society of the time. Works of literature, films etc had to be approved for general consumption by an anonymous board with the heavy hand of Roman Catholicism in the background. Not surprisingly, a lot of our artists emigrated because they could not stomach having their creativity stifled. I do not want to be too critical of those times because it was a different era with different standards and influences. Happily as time went on the dark forces receded to an extent and people became more enlightened and less tolerant of being told of what to do and what to say. I imagine there are a lot of reasons for this change in the mores of the island but without a doubt the opening up of university education to a wider cohort of the public in 1968 by the then minister of education, Donogh O'Malley, was hugely influential. His foresight meant that by doing well in secondary education you had a chance to go on to third level education. A meritocracy of sorts rather rather than just being the preserve of the aristocracy. Truly, a case of education setting you free. I can vividly recall the excitement of going to UCC, the realisation that the works of all the great novelists, poets, playwrights etc were at my fingertips. What more could a country boy want. It was like a child being set free in a candy store. No more censorship. No more kowtowing to supposed betters. Memorable tutorials where a novel, for instance, was diced and sliced, where every person's opinion was listened to and respected and gently cast aside as appropriate. No hierarchy, no sense of superiority. Ideas encouraged rather than suppressed. A sense that this is what a university should be about, the pursuit of truth. Alas, it would appear that the circle is being completed. In the U.S. I am told that the humanities have been hijacked by left leaning activists, extreme left wing in a lot of cases, where the raison d'etre is identity politics, where the white, straight man is regarded as the lowest form of life. Seemingly artists of historical distinction are being jettisoned for perceived racism, misogyny and phobias of various hues in their works. And of course the graduates then go on to teach in high schools with a further propagation of this credo. I am further informed that this pervasive orthodoxy is now making its way into the sciences. I am not sure how scientists of the past infringe this new found religion but apparently they they have been tried and found guilty. Conform or die. The U.S. today, Europe/Ireland tomorrow. Whatever happened the pursuit of truth? How can you have truth when you do not have diversity of opinions? Of course this madness has now spread outside the campuses. If your views and your businesses do not coincide with and support the prevailing belief sets you are likely to be cancelled in whatever way is deemed appropriate to the cause. Witness, for example, poor J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter. A more liberal woman it would be difficult to find. Recently, she had the temerity to state the biological fact that it is women rather than men who menstruate. She was immediately rounded on by the LGBT collective for such audacity. Where is this madness coming from and where is it going? The one thing one can say is that truth is the casualty. Of course truth will always be a casualty when speech/ideas/opinions are suppressed. I give you this quotation: " We would not let our enemies have guns. Ideas are more powerful than guns. Why should we let them have ideas." The originator of that phrase is likely to send a shiver down the spine of any lover of opinions, ideas. That man, if he was such , Josef Stalin. We know how that concluded. Speak up for freedom of speech, ideas, opinions at every opportunity. It is too late to speak up when these limitations are embedded. Time will tell whether I am being hyperbolic. Adieu for the present. I have no to appetite engage in pretend conversations about pretend football activities. Agreed in whole Veteran. Well well well. Censorship is alive and well it would appear. This will be my last post on the subject (I’m sure some on here will be delighted) as I wouldn’t want to be inadvertently responsible for getting the Kerry GAA forum shut down. A real shame that the debate cannot continue as I think most people would agree that it has been done in a mostly respectful manner. I infer that Control would agree with my sentiment when he/she said: “The obvious question that arises is "what is disinformation". The answer to this seems to me to be in the eye of the beholder and beyond the average moderator of a site hosted on Proboards.” I have learned from most posters including those that I disagree with and would hope that even the conservative of people on here would now at least now be thinking more about what is going on around us and why as a result of the discussion. No doubt the powers that be were notified by someone on here who didn’t like the opinions expressed by some, which were largely backed up by evidence and always respectfully made. We’re in dangerous territory in society generally. You have Facebook, Google, You Tube and the mainstream media openly censoring material and dissenting narratives that do not suit their agendas. Just the other day the owner of the Washington Redskins NFL team caved into corporate pressure from Coca Cola and others to change the name Redskins having previously steadfastly refused to bow to that pressure. You may think I am over egging what is happening on this forum when referring to these examples but it’s the exact same principle. Unfortunately, there will be no further discussion this week on the ridiculous decision by the government to require the wearing of masks on public transport and in shops or extend the delay to pubs reopening – what science is any of this based on? The same science that it relied on when telling us that wearing masks were of next to no use for the past four months, or that opening pub restaurants but not pubs was okay? In a GAA context for example, if you have been wearing a mask all day at work and go straight to training, what then about the effects of inhaling massively inflated levels of CO2 all day long? I did a health and safety course for work many years back and was taught that the minimum safe oxygen level in the air within a confined space should be 19.5% and that CO2 levels should be kept well below 2,000 parts per million. Anything above 5,000 PPM of CO2 is into toxic region. The wearing of masks inevitably puts the wearer into these categories and would surely be a risk to any player/coach at training later on in the day, let alone wearing the stupid things all day at work (if so required) or when shopping/travelling. My predictions (OPINION) for the rest of the year and 2021, which I believe will impact on the GAA and wider society generally are broadly: restrictions will continue and the enjoyment of living life as you ordinarily would will be removed until a vaccine is deemed “ready” sometime in 2021. I anticipate that there will be further moving of the goal posts by the government which will result in disruption to the autumn intercounty schedule; the government and compliant media will hype a second wave as we move from summer into autumn and then winter, this can only logically result in more impact on the GAA; matches will be postponed on the basis of suspected and/or confirmed cases in the playing population even though no one under 45 has died and practically all (except for the odd exception as noted by one poster) recover without issue; numbers will increase again as they inevitably do for ALL illnesses in the darker/colder months but we will all forget that this was ever the case; there will potentially be more lockdowns as the winter approaches and even Christmas may be effected; in the new year when a vaccine is “ready”, people will be queuing up for it around the corner, not because they particularly want to take it, but because they can no longer take the life we are being forced into living. Maybe then we will be allowed to get back on with our lives with some semblance of normality. Until then I fear that the club and county scene will be erratic and subject to all manner of interruptions and restrictions. I hope I am proved very wrong. Anyway, it was a good debate whilst it was allowed and remember, the only bad debate is the one that does not happen.
|
|
|
Post by Ballyfireside on Jul 17, 2020 13:33:14 GMT
I'd agree with much of rollingstone above, well apart from taking precautions.
Many elderly and those with underlying conditions are going through hell and then you have those who totally disregard the guidance. I am anything but a conformist but I sense here that we as a country are getting it right enough and one only has to look at other states - look at how few we will allow in without quarantine?
I have looked at these conspiracy theories and though not a medic I'd have a nose for stodgy stuff, seen plenty of it and experienced first hand the willful blindness of 'respectable' people while 'highly 'respected'ribbed the till.
Was it Vet who said 'it is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled?' - so strange yet so true!
I feel we just need to hang in there and follow what our own government is guiding.
Next week gong to be crazy with this Newcastle West publican defying the law - ah authorities will nip that at the bud.
Stay safe folks!
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 17, 2020 20:57:48 GMT
so no live streaming of games can not clash with RTE and TG4 GAA to allow simultaneous streaming after agreement with RTÉ and TG4 Counties are now likely to live stream a far greater number of games than originally planned GAA to allow simultaneous streaming after agreement with RTÉ and TG4 Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - 17:43 PM EOGHAN CORMICAN The GAA has this afternoon informed county boards they can provide a live streaming service at the same time as RTÉ and TG4 are broadcasting a county championship fixture. County boards had been told earlier this summer they could not live stream games at the same time as a national broadcast as to do so would dilute the rights holders’ coverage. Today’s policy U-turn by the GAA comes in the wake of Wednesday’s Government decision to extend the 200-person limit for outdoor events to August 10. The correspondence from Croke Park to county boards read: “In light of the current restrictions, we are pleased to confirm that discussions with our broadcaster partners in RTÉ and TG4 have led to a relaxation in regulations governing the simultaneous broadcast and streaming of club games until attendance figures are reviewed. We acknowledge their assistance in this regard.” Had there not been a shift in position from Croke Park, counties would have been severely restricted as to when they could provide a live streaming service given TG4 is set to broadcast county championship games each Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, with RTÉ occupying the Saturday slot. Today's decision means counties are likely to live stream a far greater number of games than originally planned. Galway hurling chairman Paul Bellew was quoted in this newspaper yesterday calling on the GAA to allow counties live stream at the same time as RTÉ and TG4 were broadcasting a game. “The policy really negates the number of games we can stream given peak times for matches clash with televised games. Wednesday's Government decision means the need for games to be live-streamed is greater,” he said. MORE IN THIS SECTION
|
|
|
Post by Galway breeze on Jul 18, 2020 13:38:49 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 20, 2020 22:36:00 GMT
Anyone know how this will work. I dont see a link or anything about how to go about logging in and paying the fiver.
Maybe it will appear on thecday of the match.
I support this initiative. A fiver is very reasonable
.........
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - 10:13 AM COLM O’CONNOR Kerry GAA chiefs will charge €5 per game when they commence live-streaming of championship matches next week.
Kingdom bosses this morning confirmed plans to stream two fixtures from the first round of their club football championship.
The games, which will be produced by Nemeton, will be streamed on the Kerry GAA website and can be viewed on a laptop, desktop, tablet, iPad or smartphone.
On Friday night fans can log on to watch the meeting of Dr Crokes and Templenoe from 7pm while the Saturday broadcast features Kenmare Shamrocks and Kerins O’Rahillys at 3pm.
|
|
|
Post by southward on Jul 21, 2020 8:59:29 GMT
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - 10:13 AM COLM O’CONNOR Kerry GAA chiefs will charge €5 per game when they commence live-streaming of championship matches next week. Kingdom bosses this morning confirmed plans to stream two fixtures from the first round of their club football championship. The games, which will be produced by Nemeton, will be streamed on the Kerry GAA website and can be viewed on a laptop, desktop, tablet, iPad or smartphone. On Friday night fans can log on to watch the meeting of Dr Crokes and Templenoe from 7pm while the Saturday broadcast features Kenmare Shamrocks and Kerins O’Rahillys at 3pm. Meanwhile the board have also confirmed that they have established an e-ticketing system for games. The development means that all tickets must be pre-purchased with maximum attendances set in accordance with government guidelines. The e-ticketing system also removes the need for volunteers to handle cash at the gates. A county spokesperson explained: “For the opening games, the club secretary or nominated club person will have 40 tickets to sell for each game through our e-ticketing system. Further details on this system will be communicated directly to clubs today.Once we are allowed to increase to 500, GAA supporters will be encouraged to go on the Kerry GAA website and purchase a ticket using a credit or debit card. The ticket will be emailed to the email address provided. On match day all tickets from either mobile phones or print outs will be scanned using hi-tech laser mobile scanners at each venue, this ensures that full contact tracing information for all attendees will be available to statutory authorities if required. All data is controlled by Kerry GAA and managed in accordance with GDPR regulations with data processing and storage supplied by Future Ticketing & Amazon web services. It is essential that we follow Health and Safety guidance at all times, therefore we must insist that people only attend the game if they have a ticket. Without a ticket, a person cannot be admitted into the grounds. These rules are in place to protect us all. Working together we will ensure the continued suppression of the Covid virus meaning in the near future more and more supporters will be permitted to attend games, something that we are all looking forward to!” It may be well-intended but this seems a little sinister for my liking and I think the GAA is entering dangerous territory here. Is this something that will become permanent and perhaps spread to other public events? There is already a covid tracing app available for anyone that wants it and that's fine. However, pandemic notwithstanding, I'm not a criminal on parole and I do not give permission to the GAA to track my movements on behalf of the state for any reason. It isn't because I've anything to hide; it's a matter of principle. Frankly, this would put me off attending any matches going forward.
|
|
|
Post by goonised on Jul 21, 2020 14:54:55 GMT
There is going to be some fun at grounds this weekend and an awful lot of aggro. It wont be pretty.
|
|
|
Post by sullyschoice on Jul 23, 2020 21:59:28 GMT
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - 10:13 AM COLM O’CONNOR Kerry GAA chiefs will charge €5 per game when they commence live-streaming of championship matches next week. Kingdom bosses this morning confirmed plans to stream two fixtures from the first round of their club football championship. The games, which will be produced by Nemeton, will be streamed on the Kerry GAA website and can be viewed on a laptop, desktop, tablet, iPad or smartphone. On Friday night fans can log on to watch the meeting of Dr Crokes and Templenoe from 7pm while the Saturday broadcast features Kenmare Shamrocks and Kerins O’Rahillys at 3pm. Meanwhile the board have also confirmed that they have established an e-ticketing system for games. The development means that all tickets must be pre-purchased with maximum attendances set in accordance with government guidelines. The e-ticketing system also removes the need for volunteers to handle cash at the gates. A county spokesperson explained: “For the opening games, the club secretary or nominated club person will have 40 tickets to sell for each game through our e-ticketing system. Further details on this system will be communicated directly to clubs today.Once we are allowed to increase to 500, GAA supporters will be encouraged to go on the Kerry GAA website and purchase a ticket using a credit or debit card. The ticket will be emailed to the email address provided. On match day all tickets from either mobile phones or print outs will be scanned using hi-tech laser mobile scanners at each venue, this ensures that full contact tracing information for all attendees will be available to statutory authorities if required. All data is controlled by Kerry GAA and managed in accordance with GDPR regulations with data processing and storage supplied by Future Ticketing & Amazon web services. It is essential that we follow Health and Safety guidance at all times, therefore we must insist that people only attend the game if they have a ticket. Without a ticket, a person cannot be admitted into the grounds. These rules are in place to protect us all. Working together we will ensure the continued suppression of the Covid virus meaning in the near future more and more supporters will be permitted to attend games, something that we are all looking forward to!” It may be well-intended but this seems a little sinister for my liking and I think the GAA is entering dangerous territory here. Is this something that will become permanent and perhaps spread to other public events? There is already a covid tracing app available for anyone that wants it and that's fine. However, pandemic notwithstanding, I'm not a criminal on parole and I do not give permission to the GAA to track my movements on behalf of the state for any reason. It isn't because I've anything to hide; it's a matter of principle. Frankly, this would put me off attending any matches going forward. I dont see the problem with this. If you have a season ticket scanned in at a game they have your details associated with your presence. A global pandemic is a rare enough occurrence and I personally will be glad to have my movements traced in regard to anyone who is potentially found to be infected.
|
|
|
Post by rollingstone on Jul 24, 2020 13:37:15 GMT
There is a big difference between having your season ticket scanned at a match for registering your attendance with the GAA (for which you consent) and having it scanned and then sent to the government without your consent which is what the GAA are now proposing, that is southward's point. I, like southward, do not like where this is going and in my opinion, the GAA should be staying well clear of this unless express consent is given.
The question is, if the public acquiesce to this like everything then where will it end? There appears nothing that the Irish public are unwilling to take so where is the motivation for the government to stop pushing the boundaries? It was already found last week in the UK that contact tracing efforts there are not compliant with GDPR rules.
|
|
|
Post by sullyschoice on Jul 24, 2020 14:23:43 GMT
It's all a conspiracy. I blame 5G and vaccines personally
|
|
|
Post by southward on Jul 24, 2020 16:11:29 GMT
It's all a conspiracy. I blame 5G and vaccines personally Ah come on Sully - sneering put downs? - this isn't The Journal and you're better than that. Whether unfounded or not, people have legitimate concerns about the security of their personal information and the prospect of their movements being monitored. And more importantly, as to where and when it will end. The GAA is not a state organisation; it is not an arm of the HSE. It is a private enterprise and neither the monitoring of public health or of citizens' whereabouts is its function. If the GAA is now taking on such a role, is every and any other business to follow suit? And while I appreciate the current situation we find ourselves in, and the good intentions involved, has the GAA committed to terminate this proposed practice immediately upon the end of this crisis? Has it set limits to what bodies can access this information? If not, and if the unsolicited collection of such data becomes widespread, I fear we are on a slippery slope. Fanciful? - maybe, but lets not sleepwalk our way to a surveillance society. There are ample mechanisms to monitor the virus and who might have it; the GAA need not get involved here. Oh, and you forgot to mention tinfoil hats.
|
|
|
Post by john4 on Jul 24, 2020 16:25:48 GMT
What personal information is available to the Gaa, name, phone number. You would have to give this if you just went into a bar to have lunch. Any playing member of the Gaa, or parents of Underage Players will have to have registered with the Gaa's Health Questionnaire anyway so there's no drama.
|
|
|
Post by sullyschoice on Jul 24, 2020 20:20:56 GMT
I have been enjoying the podcasts over the last week in the car. The Corkery one was great craic and Galvin one was good too.
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 25, 2020 23:17:45 GMT
|
|
|
Post by southward on Jul 26, 2020 8:02:08 GMT
Not exactly on message virus-wise, I know, but that's hilarious. Anyone know where it is?
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 26, 2020 8:42:01 GMT
Not exactly on message virus-wise, I know, but that's hilarious. Anyone know where it is? club hurling game in Limerick i think
|
|
|
Post by Galway breeze on Jul 26, 2020 8:55:22 GMT
Some inter county players did not play so far this weekend are they injured?
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 26, 2020 11:07:30 GMT
If Covid-shaming becomes the norm fewer players will come forward GAA needs to step up and support clubs, rather than blaming house parties Sat, Jul 25, 2020, 07:00
Malachy Clerkin
John Hayden wasn’t far off turning in for the night when the call came. As chairman of Old Leighlin GAC in Carlow, it wouldn’t have been unheard of to have to answer the phone at 10.30 at night. Whoever was ringing that late probably wasn’t bringing him good news but that goes with the territory too.
On the other end of the line was the brother of one of the footballers in the club. The player had woken up on Wednesday morning feeling under the weather and they’d been in Kilkenny Hospital for the day and, long story short, he had tested positive for Covid-19. He was okay, well enough to be sent home anyway. And now he was in his room, self-isolating, with a 14-day quarantine ahead of him at least.
“We had discussed the possibility of this happening somewhere along the way obviously,” Hayden says now. “You know that even though you’ve gone through all the protocols and you’ve done everything the guidelines tell you to do, there’s still a chance of somebody getting it in the course of their normal day. But when it happens, you’re still a bit shocked.”
In a Covid-19 world, it is inevitable that this scenario will be repeated in clubs in every county over the coming weeks. The GAA guidelines don’t stipulate that a club needs to shut down all activities but that has been the norm so far. Clubs are doing so partly out of an abundance of caution and partly out of an urge to be seen to do the right thing.
The upshot, however, is that as soon as a club shuts down operations - as Old Leighlin did, as 10 clubs in Derry did, as three clubs in west Cork did, as clubs in Tyrone, Down, Donegal and Armagh did just this week - as soon as it happens, it’s as if they’re hanging out a black flag for their whole community. In doing the right thing, GAA clubs are bringing a stigma upon themselves that is entirely undeserved.
“Covid-19 doesn’t exist in GAA clubs,” says Dave O’Neill, chairman of Kilkenny club Graigue-Ballycallan. “Covid-19 doesn’t exist in supermarkets. Covid-19 doesn’t exist on building sites. Covid-19 exists in the community.
“We cannot victimise and we cannot scapegoat young people. If we try to scapegoat young people and start making out that house parties are the cause of the virus spreading in the community, we will drive it underground. Young people will bite their lip and not come forward to say that they have it for fear that the finger of suspicion will be pointed at them.”
Problem is, those suspicions already exist. They are entirely real. John Hayden got that phone call late on the night of July 17th and throughout the week that followed, he found his community at the centre of a whispering campaign that rippled out far beyond the three small villages of Leighlinbridge, Old Leighlin and Ballinabranna that feed into the club.
“The rumour mill started pretty quickly. Any statement that we put out, we had to be very, very careful with the wording. When you’re in the middle of it, there’s a lot of paranoia and anxiety. The questions were coming at us straight away: ‘Did ye do something wrong?’ And of course it was a question we were asking ourselves but what can you say? We followed everything we could possibly do and it just so happened that there was a positive test locally.
Through it all, the club had nobody higher up in the GAA to turn to “If this particular guy was just a person in the community, you’d never have heard a word about the club. But because we are a GAA club and because we had been in contact with quite a few teams, the net got wider and misinformation started to spread like wildfire. That’s still going on.
“His name came out very quickly on social media. People were posting his movements, whether they were true or not - he was supposed to have been seen having a pizza out with a gang of lads or he was in a petrol station or shop. There were people in our club fighting with lads in clubs four counties away, defending the way we had handled ourselves.”
Here’s the thing. If you’re looking for the gold standard in how a club should handle an outbreak, Old Leighlin are it. As soon as he finished his phone call with the player’s brother that night, Hayden immediately drew up a list of people and organisations that needed to be contacted first thing the following morning.
Old Leighlin have a men’s team, a junior team, a women’s team and they feed into a parish team for underage football and all levels of hurling. On the weekend before the positive test, there had been three challenge matches at various levels against clubs in Carlow and Laois. The player in question had played some minutes in all three games and gone on to take a full part in training on Tuesday night. It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that he felt any symptoms.
By breakfast time on Thursday, every player in the club and the chairmen of all three opposition clubs had been informed. Every Old Leighlin player was told to restrict their movements, to inform their employers and to get onto their GP to request that they be sent for a test. Within 24 hours, virtually every person in the club who had been involved in the matches or Tuesday night training had been down to Nowlan Park for a test. By Saturday, all results had come back and all were negative for Covid.
Old Leighlin did everything correctly. They went above and beyond the GAA guidelines and squashed any chance of transmission immediately. Hayden was glued to his phone for a week, waiting on every last test result to come back before he could put out a statement saying the club was open for business again. But still, all the while, the curtains were twitching in the background.
“You’re wasting your breath in a lot of cases,” Hayden says. “It’s not worth the effort. But you’re hearing loads of stuff back that just isn’t true. It went around that he was a mentor on a few underage teams and that would have implications in terms of some other clubs that we would have played but it wasn’t the case.
“And then even just locally, when it came to who was a close contact, everyone seemed to be an expert on what a close contact is and who would be considered one. That started to stir up more stuff and it meant that for a few days, everyone was looking over their shoulder at anyone who was a member of our club.
“People were going, ‘Are you one of them? What are you doing outside your door? What are doing going into the local shop?’ That kind of stuff. We’re only a very small village so you can imagine what that could do. Now, the locals were great and we were able to get on top of things quickly and they appreciated that. But it’s just the unknown. And the fear.”
Through it all, the club had nobody higher up in the GAA to turn to. Not at county board level and not in Croke Park. Their existence as a GAA club was the sole reason anyone heard about the positive test outside the man’s family and close contacts. Yet beyond two-page guide downloadable from the GAA website, there was nowhere for Hayden to go at a time when he felt his club was under attack.
If anything, in fact, the words of GAA president John Horan that week made things worse. Within 24 hours of Old Leighlin shutting down operations, Horan was on Morning Ireland saying that players, “have got to make a clear decision. Either you party or you play sport. Sport and partying are not going to work at the moment because it’s partying that has brought many of these challenges to our doors as regards to the virus.”
The Old Leighlin player hadn’t been to a party but without Horan making that clear, how were people to know? They were one of a tiny handful of clubs known to have a positive test in their ranks and here was the GAA’s top man saying that house parties were to blame for many of the cases. Loose talk like that was always going allow people to put two and two together and if you were the five in the middle of it, you were in a lonely place.
“We were left hanging a bit,” says Hayden. “That did annoy me. There was no point of contact, nobody to help with putting together a statement, nobody even to bounce things off. There were so many different opinions flying around and it would have been helpful to have somebody to call. Even just somebody to come out and say, ‘Look, this club did nothing wrong.’”
Hayden is happy to say the Old Leighlin player is recovering well and will be welcomed back when he feels he’s over it. He says that if there’s another case, they will do exactly the same thing, even if it happens in the middle of championship. He hopes that all clubs would do the same.
Which is all very well, except you wouldn’t wish the week Old Leighlin had on anybody. If Covid-shaming becomes the norm, if the stigma hangs around, if the president keeps blaming house parties, there’s going to be less and less incentive for players to come forward. The worst thing that could happen is somebody hiding a positive test having seen how a club is treated.
The GAA has been a steady hand so far but it feels like the trickiest weeks lie ahead. More and more, it feels like two pages on the website isn’t going to cut it.
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Jul 28, 2020 21:06:38 GMT
Irish Times Logo User Menu LATEST
Marie O'Halloran Updated: 8 minutes ago Taoiseach Micheál Martin has pledged the Government will respond “in a positive but safe way” to appeals to end the “ridiculous” limit of 200 spectators at outdoor sporting events.
He was commenting in the Dáil after a number of TDs called for the rules to be relaxed and spectator limits to be based on the size of venues.
Independent TD Michael Lowry said this “blanket approach is causing multiple problems for parent bodies, clubs and general members”.
Mr Lowry said “the current restriction on numbers is neither logical nor justified.” Citing Semple Stadium in Thurles, he said it has a capacity of 48,000 and “it is ridiculous that only 200 people, including players and officials, are permitted to attend a game there”.
Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said that only 40 tickets would be allowed for each team at a match because 40 people are needed for each team and venue staff including stewards, referees, media and first aid providers take up another 40. “So there are only 80 tickets left between two clubs, which is only 40 each.”
The Cork North-Central TD said Páirc Uí Chaoimh had a capacity of 45,000 seats but only 80 spectators were allowed in. Croke Park can hold 80,000 people and can only have 80 spectators in it.
Fianna Fáil TD Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill said there had to be recognition that open-air events were not confined spaces. “People are out in the open, so this limit makes no sense.”
Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick said that just two or three miles across the Border “more than 500 people could attend GAA matches”.
The former Louth manager and current chairman of the Louth county board said that last weekend they could only have 30 players and 60 spectators. “There are 41 clubs in County Louth, and each of them could take 5,000 or 6,000 people with no problems whatsoever. Yet we are only allowed take 200 people in.”
Fine Gael Wexford TD Paul Kehoe said this was a huge issue for many GAA clubs which had more than 1,000 members but could only give their supporters 40 tickets and he appealed to the Taoiseach to talk to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) about the issue.
Mr Martin said he was very conscious of the issue and had spoken to the acting Chief Medical Officer about it.
They had to defer it “on an absolute basis across the board” at the time to try stop the spread of the virus and stabilise the situation.
“It is fair to state that lumping outdoor and indoor events together may not be the optimal approach.”
He said he did not expect players and mentors “to be included in that figure of 200,” which had reduced the number at matches to a minimal figure.
“I will work on this and the Minister for Health and NPHET are also engaged on the issue,” he said.
“The GAA and other sporting bodies have been lobbying effectively and strongly and we will try to respond in a positive but safe way to these queries.”
|
|
|
Post by Ballyfireside on Jul 28, 2020 23:11:36 GMT
So so sad to read that Joe O'Carroll of Tullamore, Ballydonoghue passed away in a temporary Covid hospital in London. A true GAA family, his pals had his JCB draped in, well what else, the Kerry colours, behind the hearse! I am sure I speak for the forum in expressing our condolences to his family in London and Tullamore. RIP Joe. Joe O’Carroll obituary: ‘A beautiful, gentle soul who was dearly loved’PS If you don't have an Irish Times subscription, just copy the headline and paste it into Google search, then click on that same headline that tops the search list, and away you go!
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Aug 5, 2020 9:30:01 GMT
Following on from the chat on the junior championshiop thread, can i what is the speed and quality of broadband in Kerry now.
In other words, since working from home will become the new normal for anyone whose job involves sitting at a computer, will people be able to work for the big IT companies etc and live in Kerry. Is broadband poor outside the towns.
I realise that hubs were the coming thing before Covid but hot desk sharing may not be suitable now.
|
|
|
Post by southward on Aug 5, 2020 11:18:45 GMT
Following on from the chat on the junior championshiop thread, can i what is the speed and quality of broadband in Kerry now. In other words, since working from home will become the new normal for anyone whose job involves sitting at a computer, will people be able to work for the big IT companies etc and live in Kerry. Is broadband poor outside the towns. I realise that hubs were the coming thing before Covid but hot desk sharing may not be suitable now. Broadband is fairly ok in Listowel anyway. Personally, I really hope working from home doesn't become the norm though. Not having a commute is massive for people, I get that, but being at home all the time is miserable and isolating. Between homeworking, social distancing, no matches, no social occasions or venues, we'll become a society devoid of real human contact if the current crisis persists.
|
|
|
Post by veteran on Aug 5, 2020 12:26:53 GMT
It is sad to notice the depopulation of rural Kerry and the hence the difficulty of fielding teams. At least South Kerry people can console themselves that their scenic beauty remains largely unspoilt. We do not have that luxury in North Kerry. While not having the rugged, spectacular beauty of the South and the West, my neck of the woods is not devoid of attractions which uplift the soul-the hills , the flatlands, the moors, the walks, the beaches, the flora ,the fauna. This is not a case of the savage loving his native shore. Anybody with eyes to see and ears to hear could not but be enraptured by our sights and sounds.
Alas, our betters have decided nothing to see or hear in this area except of course by savages. No self respecting tourist would be seen out there. Let them have cake, no not even cake, let them have windfarms and solar farms. So, no matter in which way you direct your car you are met by these monstrosities, wind farms. It is grotesque that my beloved part of the fatherland has been abominated in this fashion. For what? Tons of cement have been buried in massive holes in order to stabilise towers of steel which have been manufactured and transported at an incalculable cost to that which they are postulated to preserve- the environment. The end result? The generation of enough current to light a few candles and, in the meantime, the guillotining of swathes of our bird life by the treachery of the revolving blades. Mercifully, their revolving time is minimal. Incidentally, the life span of these obscenities is twenty to twenty five years. What then? Will the carpetbaggers who planted them there be responsible for their removal or will the sleepwalking taxpayer by mugged again? Set aside about a week to before solving that conundrum!
Yesterday, while driving from Tralee to Listowel , I beheld a field full of friesian cows. There are few sights more enchanting for a country boy. It set me thinking about the news that two adjoining , premier dairy forms outside Listowel have been bought with a view to convert them to solar farms. Solar farms in Ireland? Whoever dreamed it up should be delivered a blow where the sun don't shine, if you follow me.
So, my friends in South and West Kerry, I understand your lamentation of the dwindling number of footballers in your territory but I exhort you to count your lucky stars. Your scenery remains intact. Up here, rural clubs also amalgamate at under age level in order to survive. Our consolation? A proliferation of windfarms and solar farms.
I suggest that my fellow citizens in North Kerry start wearing darkened glasses. In that way they can pretend that they cannot see the desecration of their homeland. I suspect that will be as effective as the wearing of these dehumanising masks in another context. I further suggest that they tune their ears to the imaginary thud of a football in order to complete the fantasy. Oh God, when did the lunatics take over.
|
|
|
Post by Ballyfireside on Aug 5, 2020 15:49:04 GMT
If it had been done in a proportionate and orderly fashion then there could be few enough complaints as clean energy is required to sustain the life we have become accustomed to. But it was the work of the middleman that had NK bear the brunt of it and having the area classed as 'of no scenic significance' was telling the Energy boyos to come and ruin us.
What is truly appalling is that they would build them so close to people's homes and where the motion induces ill health, mental and physical.
Ah sure,'same old story', no harm fellas making a few bob but nothing is worth compromising human welfare.
|
|
|
Post by Mickmack on Aug 5, 2020 17:16:22 GMT
Auctioneers say that interest in rural properties is gone through the roof.
A new paradigm will come out of this in my view... spending 75 mins to communte to work to sit at a computer is over.
|
|