Columns - Irish Examiner

John Fogarty

Will dual counties be the next to die in GAA’s new realities?

For the record, it wasn’t Podge Collins’ decision last month to concentrate on inter-county hurling that marked the end of the dual dodo. When the bionic Aidan Walsh opted for the hurlers in 2015, it confirmed this art of juggling had seen its day. When someone as insanely athletic as Walsh could no longer do it, nobody could.

Tue, 06 Dec, 2016

All-Stars game needs a revamp

After about five minutes of Friday’s All-Star game in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City, the crowd stopped cheering scores.

Tue, 29 Nov, 2016

Did we miss the mark this year? Did we miss it in our game to date? I don’t think so

There is a serious amount of negativity around reporting and reflecting on gaelic games, writes John Fogarty from Dubai.

Fri, 25 Nov, 2016

Rugby World Cup bid a no-brainer for the GAA

We put a call into an opponent of the opening of Croke Park last Tuesday. What did he make of the GAA’s heavy involvement in the Rugby World Cup bid? “Not much,” he said, “and don’t be quoting me.” Still, he wanted to give his take on the news.

Tue, 22 Nov, 2016

Like the Chicago Cubs, glory surely beckons for the GAA's great pretenders

The morning of last Thursday week, an elderly married couple wearing Chicago Cubs caps walked into a New York deli. The Big Apple has been their home for years, but the love for their native city had never dimmed. After their team had ended 108 years without a Major League title in Cleveland the night before, they had risen early to show their support for all America to see on NBC’s Today show at The Rockefeller Plaza.

Tue, 15 Nov, 2016

GAA helpless against AFL poachers

This Thursday evening Castleknock play in their first senior football semi-final. Formed in 1998, they truly are the nouveau riche of Dublin GAA. Their story is a heartening one, their defiance to make their presence felt in west Dublin all the more impressive with the mammoth St Brigid’s for company.

Tue, 25 Oct, 2016

Sin bin offers referees comfort

Derry, March 23, 2013. Overcome with emotion, Football Review Committee chairman Eugene McGee sheds a tear upon the announcement that the black card, against the odds, has received 71% support and will come into rule.

Tue, 18 Oct, 2016

Dublin v Mayo - GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Replay

A fairer football championship format?

The stale if necessary event that is next year’s provincial championship draw takes place in Montrose on Thursday evening. In an attempt to jazz it up, RTÉ are making available a number of their pundits for interview afterwards.

Tue, 11 Oct, 2016

Mayo’s resolve will now be tested more than ever before

On March 19, 2017, Kerry are set to entertain Dublin in their round five Division 1 game. Should Dublin extend their current 29-game unbeaten run to that point, they will have the opportunity to match the greatest invincible stretch set by the Kingdom between 1928 and 1933 when they went 34 matches without a defeat.

Tue, 04 Oct, 2016

Is Diarmuid Connolly chasing after All-Stars?

By now, you’ve probably heard where Diarmuid Connolly was the evening prior to the drawn All-Ireland final: Crossmaglen. You might have also caught where he should be right now: Ibiza.

Tue, 27 Sep, 2016