1986 ~ Different but still the same,

I've heard so much on the news the last few weeks about recession etc and how the 80's was such a desperate time, that it put me thinking about what life was like back in 1986.

I must have thought things were a little gloomy back then but I'd have been as wrong as hell, just like now the eighties were great times, sure a lot of my friends had emigrated and were living abroad but in 1986 I was living in Sligo, had a full time job in the post office, got called into the Irish Basketball team, won a championship with Shannon Gaels, had my 21st with friends in Carrick, met the beautiful Maggie on March 1st that year and went to Ibrox for the first time when Celtic drew 4-4 with Rangers.

So if they were bad times then I'd be delighted to be heading back to them.

There is so much gloom on the telly these days that they really should kop themselves on.

The madness of King George

It's really strange if you spend some time a bit mad, or under the influence of very strange medicines, you understand that you may be a bit mad but feel there is a very strong difference between being totally insane and being fairly straightforward.

When the madness passes you realise that the space between sense and madness is really a very very thing line indeed, in the last few years we've all been exposed to the likes of Barry Egan and Brendan O'Connor on one hand, George Lee and David McWilliams on the other and Simon Cowell and Kerry Katona on a weird one and they have all been lauded as icons of sanity in a mad mad world.

It's a thin line alright, the thing about all mad people including King George is that they will never feel mad, Brendan O'Connor feels he's a rock of sense, maybe them weird medicines had something going for them after all.

and that's it!

It was interesting to watch Kilkenny obliterate Waterford yesterday, not interesting in a hurling sort of way but how it rewarded the Waterford players who shafted their manager Justin McCarthy back in June after refusing to try hard in their previous game against Clare.

It's also a credit to the Waterford county board who accepted this form of player power back in June and appointed the players nomination of Davy Fitzgerald and then took all the credit as they reached an All Ireland final, we now have an interesting situation, Cork will go on strike if they don't havbe a say in who the manager is, Waterford won't break a sweat unless they are happy with theirs, and this morning the Donegal footballers issued a statement about the county boards treatment of Brian McIvor and insisting that they should be involved in the selection of the new manager.

So the teams who are not screaming for their choice of a new manager would be the Kilkenny crew with Brian Cody and the Kerry lads with Pat O'Shea...... Interesting.

Full circle.

Ah well, to pick up where I left off I'm now heading for another Connacht game, it's interesting cos they are playing Ospreys so we'll get to see Jones, Williams and captain Hook.

Looking forward to it, I enjoyed the Ulster game too even though it took me a long time to get home.

That last post!

Holy God, the future is a strange thing!

I had little idea when writing the last post about leaving a philisophy to your kids, that little over a week later I'd be in a coma and having priests giving me the last rites.

Thankfully (I really mean that) I'm well on the road to normality and I don't appear to have anything ultrapermanent wrong, so my girls can feel the slight relief of having to put up with me for some years to come.

The philisophy is not as platitudinous as I would have feared, my current thoughts are

Appreciate things as much as possible, be careful what you take for granted.
Life is a combination of choices and chance, and we only have control over the choices.
The middle ground works a bit, overdoing something is not a good idea, but neither is neglecting it completely.

oh and pass no heed on those who are lifes "experts"

Moving it on.

Imagine if you were forced to write a philisophy for your children!

If the deal was, write the philisophy and your chances of living will be proportional to your level of honesty, a kind of lie and die scenario. (this may have been brought on by a dream I had last night)

What sort of things would you put in, would you lose the platitudes like, the world is a lovely place darling, and keep smiling no matter what, or would you attempt to tell your children what you feel the world is really like.

Perhaps it would have to do with what day it was, how you were feeling or what side of the bed you got out of that day. Would there be any basic truths, are there any basic truths? The forcing od a deadline and the requirement to actually commit to a philisophy would be a most interesting exercise.

I wonder what i'd write, i'm not sure yet but I can feel a new blog coming on.

Regarding my last post, this grand bunch of lads did get the reward of their efforts as the last two games swung for them.

Coaching.

sometimes it's not all about winning, the under 18 team I manage played earlier this week, and though they were brilliant, they still lost by a point, the strange thing was I did not feel at all bad about it, in fact i was very pleased with the performance, the skills they showed and the effort they put in.

Yes we made mistakes, and we'll make them the next time too, but we are looking for a reduction, not perfection.

And it was nice to know for once that winning is not everything.

In denial!

Powerful and disturbing documentary last night http://www.fairytaleofkathmandu.com/

I think the hysterical reaction has a lot to do with people's idealistic view of human nature, or even of nature itself, the abuse of power and money is as old as the world, and although many people will embrace power (social, political or financial) without allowing it to corrupt them. it's always highly likely that a significant nimber will see their powerful position as a justification for what they do. It's usually shrouded in a veil of benevolence, just as O"Searcaigh uses the guise of helping, Bush uses the term liberating, and the Christian brothers used to call it disciplining, as Haughey would have said, now lads it's for your own good.

O'Searcaigh has unwittingly, even willingly become evil personified, because we need someone to vent at, meanwhile there are many planes leaving Ireland today for Thailand, Vietnam and many other places where middle age men will use their economic supremacy to engage young women in catering to their sexual needs, in fact there's no need to go that far, the cancellation of the days racing in Cheltenham has already been described on the radio as a bonanza for the sex trade in the area.

So maybe we should think before climbing on our high horses and stoning O'Searcaigh to death. I think what he did / does is/ was despicable, but he used his power to exploit people so he could get what he wanted, you'll see that happening with individuals, countries and corporations everywhere. It's hardly a new discovery, put a hungry lion in a cage with a deer and then come back in the morning and see what's happened. Oh nasty nasty lion... get a grip.

What is unusual nay amazing about this docummentary is that O'Searchaigh allowed it to happen, allowed his ego to lead him into disaster, it did not begin as a trap but it slowely became one... and he walked right in believing his benelovence and intellect could somehow save him from the ire of a nation.

It's not shocking, it's sad. It's cetainly not surprising.

This docummentary will win many awards, not so much for the exposure of a moral issue, but more for the fact that one mans hubris enabled it to be made at all.

Love this

Here, you gotta love this, a man who says what i usually think far brilliantly than i could dream of expressing it.

Bloody brilliant.

The images of my childhood.

It's hard to get away from the images of your childhood, the six O'Clock news always had this man shouting over everyone else, in my head he was the bogeyman, the personification of evil, I used to think he would eat children alive, only catholic children of course, but he still would.

He was indirectly (and boy did he know it) responsible for the prolonging of inequality in the north for the last forty years, he was a fundie who earnestly believed in the superiority of the protestant people, he fought to preserve but ultimately only succeeded in prolonging the ethos of apartheid and supremacy that had existed for the previous centuries.

In his period of obstruction and "never never never", 3000 people died, sometimes we should trust our childhood intuitions.

Evil is Evil, but is most dangerous in the mask of righteousness.

Shame on those who now fawn over him and his legacy.

When you're just not good enough

Well done to Celtic on at least being competitive in Barcalona last night, we were so outclassed by a team with better players and more money that it's very easy today to know what it feels like to be a Kilmarnock or Caley Thistle supporter.

Sometimes the best thing abouyt being a fan is just the relentless ploughing on, be it with Celtic or Roscommon, the keeping going in the faintest hope that someday there will be that special moment and thet we enjoy it all the more because of the famine before.

I've been lucky enough to experience those moments in Seville and Ennis, and to not plough on now would mean the next one - even though it may be 15 years away, would lose it's sweetness

Give your players the teambuilding experience they deserve.

Prionnsias O Murchu
RUNAI
Cork County Board.
Pairc Ui Caoimhe
Cork.

Dear Frank,

My name is Paul Newton and I run a training company specialising in teamwork programmes,

I have developed a new programme that I’m sure your county board executive would be interested in running with both the Football and Hurling Squads.

This programme is designed to encourage teamwork, sharpness and co-operation and will ensure your teams get the sort of preparation that you and your colleagues know they deserve

Please take a quick look at the attached promotional video and reply to me if interested in discussing further

Kindest Regards

(Up the Rossies)

Paul.


Paul Newton

Paying Setanta to watch Sean Og.

People have to decide now on what sort of GAA they wish to have in the future, those of us old enough to remember the set up of the premiership or the Kerry Packer rebel cricket will have no problems figuring out where it's currently heading, the real debate is about what our national games should look like in 10 years time, and we should all be smart enough to see the importance of the current Cork dispute in that context.

When I was a young player there was no money in the GAA, players were treated like crap, and the administrators were legendary, nothing unusual to see them dining out while the players ate sandwiches, there was no balance and the situation needed to be redressed.

Later on as a club chairman I witnessed the latter part of an era where players began to be appreciated, where Liam Mulvihill and others like Peter Quinn introduced a much more commercialised GAA, where sponsors were involved but did not necessarily call the shots, the establishment of the GPA which led us to small elite player payments, and a recognition that the players were as important as the administrators. The majority of income is still ploughed back into clubs, but the players are well looked after, you might call it balance.

You ask country players privately if they'd like a semi pro game, or even a professional one and they would take your hand off for it, the idea of playing and getting well paid for it is music to the ears of all these very dedicated lads, as it would be to any of us of we were 19 again and good enough, but is this really the way people think the GAA should go? We've seen the effect of professionalism in soccer and rugby over the last 15 years, thinking we are immune to this is ostrich strategy, the TV companies and sponsors call the shots now, the administrative bodies will do what they are told, and the players will benefit hugely, what's wrong with that you ask.

What's wrong is that the club scene will slowly die, as the funds are sluiced away to elite players who are no longer available to their clubs, the senior club scene will give way to underage and school competitions, which will be important as the breeding grounds for the next superstar, like the United States in baseball, you will have an elite professional scene, and a strong schools and college scene (as everyone wants to make the pro's)

Cork players expressed surprise that their respective Club delegates appear to be supporting the executive of the Cork county board in this dispute, but the truth is that there is now a considerable distance between the elite player and the average club delegate, in times past the selection of players on county squads was seen as a major benefit by clubs, they continued to represent their club in league games and often trained and socialised within the club structure.

Modern day country set ups demand that players rarely play with their clubs, are typical unavailable for almost all league games and don't socialise at all except with other elite players on "bonding" weekends in Malaga. The gap between the modern elite player and his club has widened considerably, it's little wonder that the Cork players are having trouble getting their views represented via their clubs.

Is this the future we want? A semi pro premiership of 10 - 12 elite county squads, with a fluid transfer market ensuring the weaker counties lose their finest players and never have a chance to break through, a club scene which will thrive at Bord na n'og level but will die at senior and intermediate level into Sunday league pub competitions. I don't propose to tell people what they should want, simply to point out the I believe this is the direction we are inevitably heading unless someone shouts stop.

It’s time for an extensive debate into the future structure of the GAA, this is an issue that is far bigger than either Donal Og Cusack or Frank Murphy, as GAA people we are arrogant beyond belief if we think that our organisation would be immune to what's happened in soccer and rugby, and if we decide this is the direction we want the organisation to go in, then fine, but to wake up one morning and see wealthy elite players, no volunteers bar selfish parents who want their kid to make it, TV companies and sponsors calling the shots and clubs reduced to soulless shells with liquor licences. With "free to air" a thing of the past we'll end up paying Setanta to watch Sean Og. That's hardly what the founding fathers envisaged, I wonder is it what Irish people want now.

The GAA has been a major force for good in modern Ireland, a major part of the social fabric, yes in the past it was unbalanced, these days we have a reasonable balance between the interests of clubs, sponsors, players, communities and county boards, if we are going to unbalance it lets be careful about where the end game is at, in ten years time we want a GAA that retains it's ideals.

Those marching on the streets of Cork in the last week would do well to remember that.

My favourite ten inspirational movies

Led in by my favourite movie of all time - La vita e bella.

Happy Friday

1. Life is Beautiful




2. Billy Elliot.



3. Schindlers List



4. The Shawshank Redemption



5. Leon



6. A Beautiful Mind



7. Pay it Forward



8. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.



9. The Green Mile.



10. Jean de Fleurette / Manon des Sources. (almost)


Honourable Mention.

The Boondock Saints

You'll never guess what happened my cat.

This blog is going to the bad, it always suffers when i am a bit busier, in fact there is an inverse relationship between my business productivity and my blog productivity. The busier I am the less blogging i do, the stats at the side tell me that I wrote 67 posts in 05, and 69 posts in 06, but then rocketed to 83 last year, which means i was not as busy as i might have been, it's encouraging that I have only 4 for this year, but if you see a sudden rise in blogging please drop me a line and tell me to get cracking as it seems to mean that I'm writing too much here and not enough in places that are a bit more profitable.

Right, time to take my own medicine.

It just never leaves ya!

What am I like? Playing Basketball game last night and I found myself going nose to nose with one of the opposition, in that "wonder will he hit me" kind of way. I'm almost 43 for fecks sake, mind you Tommy was in a few scrapes too, and he's bloody 54.

Starting to feel some benefit from the lack of cigarettes, I felt much better through the game last night, and I feel better overall, I've done the last 9 days without very much bother, and as long as I keep my head on my shoulders I think I'll be fine this time.

That storm knocked everything around the garden that was not nailed down, basketball hoop, patio heater, flowerpots all toppled over, only the heater sustained any real damage.

I never imagined my blog would turn into one of those incredibly boring "you'll never guess what happened my cat yesterday" kind of offerings, so I apologise for this one.

Now better do some work.

P

Fit to burst

So much happening am almost fit to burst, good news on funding, off to UK next week, rebranding all 2007 brochures for 2008, trying to come up with a great angle for a personal development course for business, busy busy busy.

This year's business plan needs to be more varied than last year, not so much putting the eggs into one or two baskets, plus I need to be out of the office a whole lot more.

Am excited

Phil O'Donnell RIP

Up in my attic I have several boxes full of magazines, for years in the 90's I bought the Celtic View every week, and several years ago i rounded them all up, but unable to actually chuck them out I ended up "storing" them all in the attic.

This Christmas I had a look through some of them, a mate called me the other night to tell me the Phil O'Donnell had collapsed and died while playing for Motherwell. The funny thing is that I never enjoyed supported celtic more than i did at that time, even while we were winning stuff since, and definately not the current stuff, I just can't seem to reconnect with the passion I felt from the early 90's right up to Seville, I had my mate Ger (who died last year) beside me most of the time, watching and screaming for the Celtic of Collins, McStay, Cadete, Di canio, Rieper and marvellous Moravcik.

I was in my late 20's and early 30's. Life was brilliant, nobody we knew died of "natural causes" and as long as we were careful what pubs we went into and where we wore our colours we felt indestructable.

Well Ger is dead, and now one of the young lads we used to watch playing is dead too, I certainly don't feel indestructable anymore, so I went up and had a flick through some of the magazines, through the time of Tommy Burns, Wim Jansen, Dr. Jo, John Bloody Barnes and finally Martin O'Neill (I stopped buying the magazine years ago) and I felt glad to have had all those experiences, glad to have lived through those times and in a strange way i felt that I had little choice back then, cos i had got myself into something i had to see through, and in a strange way Martin O'Neill helped deliver us from that, after Seville it became possible to follow Celtic as a pass time rather than as a compulsion.

It allowed us all to grow up a little.

The ten years before that had kept us as angry passionate teenagers from 1988 to 1998,

But we loved it.

Phil O'Donnell is the first Celtic player of that generation to move on.

RIP