What are they smoking in Birr?

[townman]

yes their is lads doing great work at underage in Birr, and have been for the last 30 years, how do you think Birr won so much down through the years, them lads just walk on to a field and won everything.
this site goes into meltdown when they see Birr get a bad beating in underage, as i have said skill wise Birr don't have the talent they had years ago, and thats not running down who's over them or the work they are doing.

every club goes through lean times Birr did from 1971 to 1991 even the great Ballyhale Shamrock's of kilkenny slipped out out senior hurling in kilkenny and thats not 100 years ago, it just might take time for Birr to come again at senior or at underage, the one thing that gets under my tits is people having a fit or blame offalys state of hurling at the moment on Birr's lack of success at underage level,

as i said untill Birr get a bunch of players that will come on the scene together again we wouldn't win
yes undeage helps but just take Rynaghs another power house in offaly hurling, how many minor and under 21's have they won since their last senior win in 1993

Blinkers quote on k/k winning everything at underage and will for years to come and yes fair play to them, but Blinkers its not rubbing off onto the inter county scene in any grade we are at the bottom of the ladder in every grade in leinster at the moment, and this work been done at underage in K/K has also been going on for the last 20 years or more to with K/K winning most minor titles inthe 90's . and when Birr get a bunch of good young hurlers again iam sure we will be knocking on the door again.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I see a note in our dear local paper that the Birr club were organising a meeting of supposed like-minded clubs to outline details of the proposed national hurling stadium currently being built in Birr. No North Offaly clubs need apply. Pat Cleary must be pleased.

Now it it Birr's business who they invited to what was their meeting. But I wonder where they drew the border? Anyone any ideas? Brosna Gaels, Ballinamere, Shamrocks, Killurin, Killeigh invited?

[townman]

I see a note in our dear local paper that the Birr club were organising a meeting of supposed like-minded clubs to outline details of the proposed national hurling stadium currently being built in Birr. No North Offaly clubs need apply. Pat Cleary must be pleased.

Now it it Birr's business who they invited to what was their meeting. But I wonder where they drew the border? Anyone any ideas? Brosna Gaels, Ballinamere, Shamrocks, Killurin, Killeigh invited?

Lusmagh

[Bord na Mona man]

I see a note in our dear local paper that the Birr club were organising a meeting of supposed like-minded clubs to outline details of the proposed national hurling stadium currently being built in Birr. No North Offaly clubs need apply. Pat Cleary must be pleased.

Now it it Birr's business who they invited to what was their meeting. But I wonder where they drew the border? Anyone any ideas? Brosna Gaels, Ballinamere, Shamrocks, Killurin, Killeigh invited?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meF7NmfnXZ0
A local stadium for local people!

[Offalys Future]

Offalys future presume your a kilkormac man johnny pilkington has made huge strides at senior level with birr has turned everything around players are so happy with him and he's earned the respect of the players something none of them had when he took the job..He's not the same man that managed kilkormac a few years back and he's not the same man people think he is..he's open minded and has moved on with hurling unlike some other hurling people around the county..just another cheap dig at birr...birr is the hurling stronghold we might as well keep our hurling grounds in decent nick.birr more or less won everyting going on them figures

Clareen 3-17 - Birr 0-015 (On Birrs pitch)
Great strides under Johnny Pilkington!
In case it wasn't noticed, over the weekend Birr were beaten 1-10 to 0-05 by Na Fianna in the u-16 playoffs.
It is now looking increasingly likely that this will be the 6th year in a row that Birr GAA club has won no county title at any level.

Any person from the Birr club that is involved with county teams should be relieved of their duties straight away and their sole focus should be to sort out the mess that is their club at present.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

"Any person from the Birr club that is involved with county teams should be relieved of their duties straight away and their sole focus should be to sort out the mess that is their club at present."

Some statement. Yes Birr appear to be in a bad way, but that bates Banagher!!

Sack Sid, Joe Errity, and BArry Whelahan....and who else?

[llkj]

That's a very narrow minded view to take on this. Having 3 or 4 people in a club involved with a county is normal. In fact, it should be encouraged. Who's to say that they aren't learning and bringing some of those skills back to their club? Whelehan, Errity and co. have given years of service to Birr hurling, you can't just rely on a few the whole time - what about the hundreds of other people around the town who could be helping out too.

[sam88885a]

birr have been a top team for the last 25 years but yesterday confirmed what most people outside birr knew for a while now, that hurling is struggling in the town .
hopefully yesterday will be a wake up call to all great hurling people in birr to starting developing young lads that can bring birr back to the top table of hurling .
it take so much resourses to keep a team at the top that underage often get neglected ,i wonder did that happen in birr?

[townman]

Offalys future presume your a kilkormac man johnny pilkington has made huge strides at senior level with birr has turned everything around players are so happy with him and he's earned the respect of the players something none of them had when he took the job..He's not the same man that managed kilkormac a few years back and he's not the same man people think he is..he's open minded and has moved on with hurling unlike some other hurling people around the county..just another cheap dig at birr...birr is the hurling stronghold we might as well keep our hurling grounds in decent nick.birr more or less won everyting going on them figures

Clareen 3-17 - Birr 0-015 (On Birrs pitch)
Great strides under Johnny Pilkington!
In case it wasn't noticed, over the weekend Birr were beaten 1-10 to 0-05 by Na Fianna in the u-16 playoffs.
It is now looking increasingly likely that this will be the 6th year in a row that Birr GAA club has won no county title at any level.

Any person from the Birr club that is involved with county teams should be relieved of their duties straight away and their sole focus should be to sort out the mess that is their club at present.

go way you bitter little bolix ................ you must have been waiting 25 years to blow your horn about this, yes Birr are weak at the moment, Clareen 18 years without a senior title Rynaghs 20 years, kinnitty's last 1985 don't see you talking shit about that. kilcormac/killoughey have 2
yes might take years for Birr to come back, Offaly to.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

OF, you never answered whether you applied for the administrator role or not?

[babsandbond]

After OFS comment I don't think he should be anywhere near a job of any sort in any club....bitter is not the word!!! Johnny Pikington is not to blame for the way Birr are performing.The players themselves are not performing,all year they have not performed.Johnny made some bad decisions on Sunday but I don't think anything would of sorted the way they are hurling whatever is wrong with them..!!Offalys future you sound like a man who is delighted to see birr struggle.As I stated before birr are now doing work at underage again it will take time.We had a team win sliver in the community games All Ireland this year which shows we are on the way to recovery.Teams come and go,birr are struggling a bit...but that birr team are nowhere near as bad as they are been made out to be you would be a fool to think they are.Clareen players have even said that themselves since Sunday!

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Methinks at the back of all this OF is a WUM.

Few soundbites and away with him.

[Offalys Future]

Brian Whelehan
Paul Murphy
Gary Cahill
Joe Erritty
Declan Pilkington
Oisin O'Neill
Donal Franks
Paddy Kirwan
Barry Whelehan
Johnny Pilkington

All I am saying is that all the above are ex hurlers of Birr and many have managed teams outside of Birr. Many of the teams they managed were unsuccessful. My point being that they would be better served coming together and putting a plan together for Birr GAA to get it out of the absolute rut it's in at the moment. They also need to attain the correct level of coaching that should be a must to manage club teams never mind county teams.

Managing or been involved at county level should be based on two things - the success you have had with other teams and the really creative ideas and plans that you present and are capable of implementing.
This doesn't happen in Offaly though and now we have Brian Whelehan and Joe Erritty over county teams who have had little or no success at club level managing teams and from what I have observed bring nothing in terms of creativity to the table. They are not the only ones mind you, but in my opinion they would be best served as would the other names above sitting down together and working out a very clear and concise strategic plan on how to make Birr great again. Offaly hurling would be all the better for it.

[babsandbond]

From the information I gathered Birr are finally putting in an interest into underage development especially Gary Cahill who I think is doing his level 2 coaching course,something very few people have in the county.Donal franks is training birr under 8s and 6s so you can't say all of them men are not doing anything.Birr is in a bad state but as I stated before got silver in the all ireland community games at u 11 this year so they must be doing something right.There was a blip and you can see that from u 12 up to u 16 but there is work been done again.I See a big hurling wall is been put up in the primary school also.Birr are not the only club struggling it's across offaly fully..and you can see that by the results at underage at county stage.

[kingscounty]

Birr were the kingpins of club hurling in Ireland let alone Offaly on many occasions . Teams come and go , Birr will be back in a few years no doubt . They qualify every year from the group stages , so they can't be to far off the pace.