The Magnificent Seven...

Was thinking about the seven guys who attended the meeting in Hayes Hotel 125 years ago - and what they spawned.

They can not have thought that the little seed they planted would grow such fruit. That such an idea could become such an institution. That it would find its way to every corner of Ireland and across the world. That it would become an intrinsic part of the Irish psyche, would define us, shape us, identify us, sustain us, entertain us and become us.

They could not hope that it would weave its way into society in our townlands, our villages, our towns and our cities and across the world among our diaspora. That it would become so interwoven that never could it be removed - that it would become an integral part of most people's lives. That it would or could - breed so much hope, pride, despair, joy - that it would embrace the people of the nation so fully - so fully that many would devote hours, days, years and decades to it. That families would bond around it, that comunities would unite and grow under it, that enduring and unbreakable friendships would spring from it and even that families and future generations would be born into it as the union of their parents was borne from it.

That infrastructure would be acquired through voluntary effort and that every parish in the country would have a home for their branch, that pitches would dot the landscape and facilities would grow and prosper and that community centres would, in essence, be the local club - from cradle to grave the place where young boys and girls would spend waking and sleeping hours. Would dream of in their childhood years, their teens, their adulthood and likely through to their latter days.

That heroes would spring from every byway. Local heroes, national heroes - men and women of great deeds. People that Irish people could aspire to - not some US filmstar or soccer player - but someone they would meet every day. And someone who would give them time, and give back their knowledge - to build the next generation of heroes.

An incredible success story - in just 125 years. And all down to those 7 men. An idea and a spirit that achieved so much - something that the country could and should look at again now - especially now. What we can achieve when we wish to - a little of this spirit now may take us a long way ....

Superb Jayo. You do forget sometimes with all the little squabbles and rivalries that we have in the GAA of the bigger picture, the spirit, honensty, endurance and endevour that makes it all so worth it and rewarding. Hats off and a big huge thank you to the magnificent seven.

mossbags wrote:Superb Jayo. You do forget sometimes with all the little squabbles and rivalries that we have in the GAA of the bigger picture, the spirit, honensty, endurance and endevour that makes it all so worth it and rewarding. Hats off and a big huge thank you to the magnificent seven.

You going to pass that on to the Mullagh boys ask them to take a leaf out of Navan's piece of the book

JimWexford wrote:

mossbags wrote:Superb Jayo. You do forget sometimes with all the little squabbles and rivalries that we have in the GAA of the bigger picture, the spirit, honensty, endurance and endevour that makes it all so worth it and rewarding. Hats off and a big huge thank you to the magnificent seven.

You going to pass that on to the Mullagh boys ask them to take a leaf out of Navan's piece of the book

Sir James, Mullagh are only doing exactly what every other self respecting club in the country would do if 3 of their best players were banned for a year but I do agree that the whole thing is a right mess.

Moss no problem with appealing for the players but to hold up a championship over it is crap considering that they were beaten on the field of play

#BE agree with you especially the last paragraph. One change the club is everything in the GAA everything comes from it and should go back to it (and generally do eventaully).
Point of story, Lad I used to play with club and county has kids now (eldest was on our 12 team that won) Only after a glittering carrer is he only interested in getting back invovled with the club and this from a lad who was no way ever going to get back involved again. He gave up playing 10 years ago at a young age as well.

The fiddling and swindling that goes on in the GAA today makes me sick, you then have this hypocrits saying how great it is to celebrate 125 years of the GAA, why wouldn't you say that its probably paid for that new car you are now driving or even that new house you just bought. The amount of money people in high authority positions have stolen from clubs and county boards over the last number of years must be well up into the millions at this stage.

Great post JC, its incredible to think that the idea those 7 men introduced all those years ago is now such a focal point for the vast majority of people on the island of Ireland. When you look at the facilities some clubs have available to them nowadays the number of people involved in clubs throughout the land the number of people involved in administering our games, the people who have voluntarily given up so much of their time to devote to training/managing teams building clubrooms, cutting grass on pitches, lining pitches, washing kits, attending meetings and on and on the list goes. We also have one of the best stadiums in Europe if not the world.

It is astonishing to see the way the GAA has evolved, where would we all be without it, what would we have done without it how would we have put our time in, what would we talk about at work on a Monday morning and the rest of the week for that matter.

I wonder did those 7 realise what they starting all those years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!