GAA & Sky. One TV Company gains rights to GAA TV coverage and another TV Company loses their coverage

So Sky Sports have announced that they have a signed a deal with the GAA to show 20 televised championship matches a year. Some have welcomed it, some are against it and Jamie Bryson keeps calling the GAA terror sympathisers.

Is it such a bad thing that the GAA have signed a deal with Sky? Over the past 20 years the GAA has changed so much. Croke Park was opened up to house Soccer and Rugby matches, Rule 21 was scrapped, they’ve reached out to those who wouldn’t normally be interested in the game by having kids from the Shankill in Belfast playing Hurling in Casement Park for example.

There are those that claim the GAA(Grab-All-Association) have sold their soul and use some of these examples. But this Sky deal is a continuation of the GAA's progression. Sky money will filter down and help improve stadiums and fund youth training schemes etc.

GAA on Sky Sports can only be a good thing. There will be more exposure to the game to people not just in the UK but worldwide. People will be able to see matches played to full houses at Croke Park, Clones, Thurles, and Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

There are those that say that it’s a deal for money. But surely TV3 were not getting their deal for free for these past number of years. Over the years the GAA have signed deals with Setanta, BBC, UTV, TV3, TG4, Premier Sports. We didn’t hear a lot of complaining when money was exchanged for these deals. There was no-one claiming ‘the end of the GAA’ when these deals were signed.

The All-Ireland Semis and Finals will all be shown on RTE, so it is shown on free-to-air TV. I remember a time when there was only one live TV game a week. There are those complaining that GAA are selling their soul by having punters pay to watch games and that the matches will not be available on free-to-air TV. The big matches toward the end of the season will be on free to air TV. Give over.

Yes, the GAA is an amateur organisation. Its understandable that people are anxious about whether the GAA loses it's amateur status. But that is not because of the SkySports deal. This was an issue long before Rupert Murdoch got his hands on Football & Hurling coverage.

The GAA is changing, some people need to understand that fact and embrace it. Football, Hurling etc are all great sports and the Sky deal is going to help bring the national sports of Ireland to many more TV screens across the world. Anyway, in the grand scheme of things, there's far more important issues to be worrying about on this island than what TV channel shows GAA.

Any Given Sunday

Disclaimer: I am in no way religious. But I am not going to discriminate against those who are. 

So UEFA have decided that Northern Ireland will play a few Sunday matches in the next qualifying campaign for Euro2016. No big deal?

Well over the past 24 hours a few people have came out and argued against Sunday football (or soccer if you're that way inclined) or any sporting activity on a Sunday. This is a much more serious issue than the Bible play getting banned by councillors. This isn't just one play or one sporting event, this is a whole day. A whole 24 hours that we cannot play or attend sport because a minority say we shouldn't. It sets a dangerous precedent.

UEFA do not have it in for the religious folk of Northern Ireland, that is just paranoia. They have made a decision for the whole of Europe. International football breaks up the domestic season and in recent times the TV figures and money streams have declined. Most European qualifying matches kick off at the same time, so UEFA have come up with an idea to have matches on every night of the international break and not a handful of nights. Spreading the matches out so there is more exposure.

GAA have played games on Sunday since it started. The top leagues in Italy and Spain have the main bulk of their fixtures on Sunday. American Football is played on Sundays. Formula1 races on a Sunday. Vast majority of Golf tournaments finish on Sundays. Even the Ulster Rugby team played a league match in Italy yesterday (Sunday).

Earlier today I read an interview with Reverend David McIlveen of the Free Presbyterian Church on the UTV website. In this interview he claimed, 

'Football is played every day of the week and I don't feel there is an appetite for sporting activities on a Sunday in Northern Ireland.'

He is so wrong when he says there is no appetite for sporting activities on a Sunday. People in this country play Golf on Sunday mornings, most GAA matches are played on Sunday, and many cycling groups go out on Sunday. Thats only three sports and there are many others that occur on Sundays. I do not know who he speaks for but he certainly does not speak for the huge amount of people taking part in Sunday sport.

On the BBC website Stuart Elliott gave an interview. He is now a pastor and having played for Northern Ireland is an interesting person to interview about the Sunday matches. He claims that Northern Ireland is an evangelical country. I like many others would disagree. This is simply not true and even if it was religion should not dictate when a Football match should be played.

We all have to respect each other's views and religion. But respect goes two ways and the people who are not religious should not be discriminated against.

Religion should not dictate opening hours or what events can happen. To the majority of people in Northern Ireland Sunday is just another day. Some people are off work and some have to work. Those that want to celebrate the sabbath should be allowed to do so. That goes without saying. Just as those who choose not to celebrate the sabbath should be allowed to go about their business.

A few massive sporting events are coming up in the next year. The Giro D'Italia is here in May and Day 3 of the event is on a Sunday and starts in Armagh. Should this worldwide event with world class athletes be stopped until the following day? The Irish Open in 2015 will be at Royal County Down in Newcastle and with the final day due to be played as always on a Sunday. Is Rory McIlroy showing disrespect by competing every Sunday? Should these highly lucrative events for the economy be scrapped as they fall on a Sunday? Of course they shouldn't.

Zach Johnson, a devout Christian, won the US Masters in 2007 on Easter Sunday, he commented afterwards that he went out and won it for himself, his family and for God.

We can keep Sunday holy as David McIlveen says, but the people that do not have strong religious views should not be discriminated against. Having a soccer match played in Windsor Park does not stop anyone from going to church. He has said there will be protests, but surely attending a protest at Windsor on the day of the match is just as disrespectful to the sabbath.

In my own opinion I would side with Zach Johnson. Its better to go out and play your sport and display the talent that God gave you rather than hide it away. That is the proper way to praise God, go out and make the best of the talent that he gave you. Surely that's the greatest compliment God can receive.

Aren't the PUP and UVF linked in the same way Sinn Fein and IRA are?

Disclaimer: I'm not a Sinn Fein supporter. never have been and never will be. 

Recently on Twitter I came across Gareth Cole, a PUP candidate for Carrickfergus. A quick look at his timeline shows him criticising Sinn Fein/IRA for the murder and terror campaign of the troubles. That's fair enough, I totally agree it was horrible. But as a member of the PUP it is a bit hypocritical to continually criticise Sinn Fein/IRA when Gareth is part of a party that is linked to the UVF. Surely it is time for this to stop.

The UVF are responsible for so many horrible acts in the past. Surely it is the time for supporters of the paramilitaries to stop the hypocrisy. I agree the IRA campaign was wrong as many others do, but there's two sides to every story and there was also a loyalist murder campaign. Either you're against all murder campaigns, or ignore that some loyalists also had a murder campaign, or you can try to justify one side of the campaign. Why are the blinkers on when it comes to the PUP/UVF's past? Was it only Sinn Fein/IRA that had a murder campaign?

Then there's Jim Allister who time and time again argues that a murderous group like Sinn Fein/IRA should not be in government or involved in politics yet he is willing to stand side by side with PUP member and alleged UVF member Winston Irvine at Orange Order speeches.

Taking a quick look at social media it seems that some loyalists are against a murder campaign unless it was carried out by their own side. When questioned about it the usual response is 'They were protecting the people of Ulster' etc, or just ignore the question totally. The people killed in Loughinisland that night posed no threat to 'the people of Ulster', just like the people murdered by the Shankill Bomb had nothing to do with keeping Northern Ireland part of Britain. Both these acts of terrorism were awful and unjustifiable.

Both Republicanism and Loyalism have a murderous past, I'm sure everyone can agree on that. The sooner both sides look at their past and address that then there will never be any progress made. All arguments end up going back to the 'Sinn Fein/IRA did this' and 'UVF did that'. It helps no one. Sort it out.

I've put the question forward to Gareth Cole a few times on Twitter now. No response at all. If he wants to be a politician then he is going to have to answer tougher questions than the one I asked him.

I'm not saying Gareth was involved in any UVF activity, my point is that he shouldn't condemn Sinn Fein/IRA for murder when his own party has it's own murky and disturbing past.

The PUP have some excellent people coming through their ranks. Some talk of common sense like Izzy Giles. The party's name is the Progressive Unionist Party but a lot of those involved in the party are the opposite of progressive.

Sinn Fein need to address the issue also. They argue it was a neccessary armed struggle. Hopefully they will come out and say they are sorry for ALL deaths caused by the IRA. That would be a step in the right direction.

It's Wednesday night, it's 10.35pm, I'm watching BBC2

Anyone who has been on Twitter and Facebook these past few weeks will have noted there's been quite a anti-Stephen Nolan campaign going on.

LAD seem to be championing that the Nolan Show should go. Only a few weeks ago we had the censorship debate of 'The Bible' play in Newtownabbey. I don't like the Nolan Show but I'm certainly not asking for it to be put off the air. I simply change the channel, read a book or go to bed. Unfortunately it is the biggest show in the country and many people do enjoy it and they have the same right to watch what they want as the people who had tickets for the Bible play.

What next? Try to get Lesser Spotted Ulster off the air for showing a farmer who owns a Massey Ferguson when you're a John Deere fan? Or boycotting Final Score from Northern Ireland because of Mark Sidebottom's autocue skills.

While I myself don't particularly enjoy Nolan, I don't really understand the problem people have with his show. Some argue he panders to those with extreme views, that he uses pantomime politics on his show and that he should be more hard hitting with his questioning.

The simple fact is that the Nolan Show on radio and TV are both entertainment shows. They are not designed to be hard-hitting political showdowns. For example, last night John McCririck and two other pensioners stripped down to their undies. Its hard to imagine that Deirdre Heenan and Rick Wilford would be stripped down to their undies on The View as it is a political programme that examines political issues. Shows like The View, Today at Stormont and Sunday Politics are very good at dealing with the political developments. Mark Carruthers is excellent in that role. He is fair and gets straight to the point.

The argument that Nolan uses pantomime politics on his show is more to do with the politicians than Nolan's questioning. Here in Northern Ireland we specialise in pantomime politics. 'He's behind you so he is. Oh no he isn't so he's not'. When the backward politicians from the two sides of the community clash on Nolan it makes for good ratings. Sad but it's true. Is it their fault for being backward or is it the electorate's fault for keeping them in government? The politicians are a representation of the people after all.

Nolan Show is no different from The Late Late Show or Joe Duffy's morning show in the Republic. They're a variety of things but definitely not hard hitting politcial shows. Late Late Show especially with its music, politicans, celebrities etc. By the way any old excuse to put this video of Pat Kenny getting heckled to his face.

Then there was the Ross Kemp programme the night before. Alex Kane criticised Ross Kemp for his 'Extreme World' programme. He argued there was no counter-balance showing the peaceful side of Northern Ireland. This is the only Ross Kemp show I've ever watched but I wasn't expecting Ross Kemp to show the peaceful side of Northern Ireland. The title of the show gives away what is going to follow. Some blame Ross Kemp and the show's production team for the show been unhelpful, but they are just exposing the hatred and violence that happened last summer from both sides of Northern Ireland's community. Ross Kemp didn't throw those petrol bombs, the producer of the show wasn't wielding a ceremonial sword. It's easy to say we learned nothing new from the show but to people in England, Scotland and Wales the show would have given an insight to some of the tensions in Northern Ireland. It's easy to criticise the people making the show but what they exposed was fair, unbiased, and most importantly it was factual.


If I'm looking for subtle acting I don't watch Eastenders or Hollyoaks. If I'm looking to listen to Stone Roses I shouldn't tune into Hugo Duncan show at 1.30 every day. If I'm looking for hard hitting political questioning I don't watch or listen to The Nolan Show, I go elsewhere for that sort of thing. Careful now. Newsnight on BBC2 starts the same time as Nolan. American Dad/Family is on BBC3 at that time too.

The truth is that if the politicians were doing their job then Ross Kemp wouldn't have brought his show to Northern Ireland, and Nolan would not have as much material to work with as he currently does.

Disclaimer: I do not have any associations with Mr Kemp or Mr Nolan in any way.