[WE] Pub: 3, Alcohol Units: 4, Activities: Rugby-Hurling matchRUGBYSaturday, I attended (thanks to my company Sports&Social coitte to offer the tickets) to the last game of the
Celtic League for the
Munster Team (they finished third, this year), just one week after their historic victory in the Heineken cup. Very good crowd, most of the supporter were here to see the whole team and the Heineken Cup.
At the end everybody ends up singin' [
Munster songs on the supporter website].
And obviously
The Fields of Athenry:
-1-
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
Chorus
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
-2-
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.
Chorus
-3-
By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
ChorusOf course after the match we all end up in the pub (Woodfield first and the Nancy Blake to finish the night in the Icon).
As usual everything in Ireland, ends with songs,in front of a guinness .
Just a few words anout the Nancy's Blake, one of the best pub in Limerick (even if my personal preference goes to the Costello... but I agree that you will never be deceived by the Nancys)
HurlingSunday I went to
Thurles, small town in County Tipperary, only 8000 habitants usually, but this village host the second largest GAA stadium: The Semple Stadium.
This sunday, Cork was playing against Clare for the Semi-Finals of the Munster championship, whiwh is part od the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
Number of people present at the match: 40000. Population of the village multiplied by 5....
This is incredible, everybody in the County went to the match, one of the most incerdible thing is that women are amongst the greatest supporters. All generations united (kids, women, elder...) united under the flag of their county...
So huge crowd (most of them from Cork) to assist the Clare defeat
But there is still hope that Clare can make it up to the Final... don't ask me ta explain, I am not sure to understand myself how it works.
To understand:
Wikipedia on Hurling ,
Official GAA website.
The crowd at the exit of the match (takes hours to leave the town after the game):
And finally the official GAA song, which occurs at the beginning of each game (natioanl gaeilge anthem)
Sinne Fianna Fáil (Irish National anthem)
Sinne Fianna Fáil
A tá fé gheall ag éirinn,
buion dár slua
Thar toinn do ráinig chugainn,
Fé mhóid bheith saor.
Sean tír ár sinsir feasta
Ní fhagfar fé'n tiorán ná fén tráil
Anocht a théam sa bhearna bhaoil,
Le gean ar Ghaeil chun báis nó saoil
Le guna screach fé lámhach na bpiléar
Seo libh canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann
World cup France and her supportersThere is something which strikes me now, it's the difference of behaviour between irish and french supporters. When you compare to the fever of Munsters fans, whatever the team win or lose, when you see what support the GAA teams gets....
The French attitude is absolutely disgraceful, in 1998 people only started to cheered the team when it reached the quarter-finals, and it was the same in 1982.
I was 6 in 1982, and I still remember this fantastic semi-final against Germany will all the drama (Battistion attacked by Shumcher, the four goals in the extended times, France leading 3-1 and losing during teh penalties stage... ).
It was absolutely fabulous (and I think the next september everyboy was rushing to the next football club).
I've seen a documentary (I think it was the BBC) about the french football team in 1982, and I realize that at the time, nobody in France believed in this team. France had always preferred glorious second to efficient winner.
The most famous example is Poulidor, cheered and loved by the public who never managed to win the Tour de France, against Anquetil (multi-winner).
Seem french only become supporter when the tem has winned.... (I could probably do a parrallel with more ancient history).
So anyway, even if I don't agree with the current selection (Santini should have stay and continue to build a new team and make progress... but that's my personal opinion), I will only have few words: ALLEZ les BLEUS !!!!!!
First match: 13th of june.... see you there.
Things learned:
- Aime Jacquet was manager of Bordeaux in 1982, where most of the french team came from, probably the lessons learned with this lost semi-finals, resulted later with the 1998 victory.
