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should we not be more concerned about the state of our underage hurling over the last 15 years rather than worrying about a venue, I have no problem with the games been played in either pitch but the Birr pitch has to get funding from somewhere to improve the drainage . At the end of the day a pitch never won anything for a team , if your worried about where a game is been played your bet before you take to the field . Of the 2000 in Birr yesterday I hope the same amount travel to Wexford next weekend will that happen I doubt it very much. Give up this nonsense of Birr v Tullamore and get on with supporting all the teams from underage up , that's what a Faithful follower is all about .

Very good point Bord Na Mona man. The decline for Offaly had started well before the county set up and the club semi's and final were moved to Tullamore. I don’t think it is the cause of the decline at all to be honest. I lay that firmly at the door of the county board who were in charge throughout the 90’s and 00’s.

But by keeping the games in Tullamore I believe that it may be a contributory factor in the delay in the upturn of our underage as nowhere near as many youngsters go to watch our seniors as there did in years gone by, mainly down to parents not attending with their children in as big a numbers as the past. Sparking the imagination of a youngster and the desire to represent Offaly is gained from attending these matches in my opinion. I know there is no fact to my opinionin that these parents may well have stopped coming to watch Offaly regardless of where their home games are played, but I think people will see where I’m coming from. If playing a few matches in SBP early in the year gives the support a shot in the arm to follow the senior hurlers then it’s a good thing and maybe it might just spark the imagination of a couple of future Offaly seniors down the line, and get some of the regular Offaly supporters back who used to go to every game in more successful times.

I’m growing tired of Keiap and Greenairfield…..your contributions on here need to be refined a bit better lads. Arguing with other contributors and asking questions they’ve been asked and answered multiple times just looks like an attack at this stage. We all know your position which is ALL OFFALY GAMES SHOULD BE HURLED IN BIRR. I am a big supporter for Offaly returning to Birr and was over the moon when the Walsh Cup and league fixtures came out. You need to construct your posts a bit better by balancing the pros & cons and looking to the future not the past all the time.

To be honest I agree with Eamon Kelly an equal divide of the games between the 2 venues is as good a solution to this as any. Playing the games that draw the bigger attendances for Offaly in Tullamore is the logical step and playing other games like Walsh Cup, lesser league games and perhaps even a round robin game or two could be the next step for SBP.

Back to the subject of this thread though……..I see we play Wexford in New Ross next Sunday at 2pm.

I know I’ve asked already but does anyone know are Conor Mcdonald and Jack Guiney allowed play for Wexford on Sunday as they have already played against Offaly for DIT?

Wing Back wrote:But by keeping the games in Tullamore I believe that it may be a contributory factor in the delay in the upturn of our underage as nowhere near as many youngsters go to watch our seniors as there did in years gone by, mainly down to parents not attending with their children in as big a numbers as the past. Sparking the imagination of a youngster and the desire to represent Offaly is gained from attending these matches in my opinion. I know there is no fact to my opinionin that these parents may well have stopped coming to watch Offaly regardless of where their home games are played, but I think people will see where I’m coming from. If playing a few matches in SBP early in the year gives the support a shot in the arm to follow the senior hurlers then it’s a good thing and maybe it might just spark the imagination of a couple of future Offaly seniors down the line, and get some of the regular Offaly supporters back who used to go to every game in more successful times.

That point may have some merit. At least it's a thought out point. Perhaps games could have been distributed more all along to give everyone a better look at the county team to keep the connection.

Some of the pro-Birr sentiment suggests that SBP is some sort of magic field where an Offaly lad who normally couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, suddenly becomes a hurling immortal on this particular field of grass.

Anyone who questions this magic field theory is simply from the wrong part of county and wouldn't be able to understand.

Well entitled to give my opinion when the first things lads on this do,is try and pick as many bad points about st Brendan's park as they can..wing back you can scroll over any comments made by me easily if you don't want to read them..bumm has contributed nothing only sarcastic comments about st Brendan's park..

It's the venue everyone in the south of a he county is on about,way more people will attend more youngsters which is what it's all about

I have to say watching this Birr / Connor park debate for the last while has been amusing to me if at times quite tiresome.

A pitch has two sets of posts. same all over the country.

Great attendance, good result. Enjoy it - any day you beat the Cats is a good one.

Learn a few lessons out of it, train hard, hopefully improve and get the standards up.

No, WB. Jack Guiney and Conor McDonald would be ineligible for Wexford having lined out with DIT in the Walsh Cup and therefore would be considered 'cup-tied'.

Wing Back wrote:Back to the subject of this thread though……..I see we play Wexford in New Ross next Sunday at 2pm.

I know I’ve asked already but does anyone know are Conor Mcdonald and Jack Guiney allowed play for Wexford on Sunday as they have already played against Offaly for DIT?

All the south Offaly posters here just seem to emphasise the fact that they're not real Offaly supporters! And the attendance backs that up even more! If ye had any interest in the game there'd be no problem in making a short half hour journey to Tullamore! Not as if we're living in Cork where it could be a two hour drive to Pairc Ui Choibh! If the 2000+ of ye are worth a shite you'll be down in Wexford next week but seeing as Tullamore is too far away thats unlikely!

Just wondering since the 1998 AI final how many times have we beaten Kilkenny at senior level ?

Was yesterday the first time since 1998 , surely not ?

EiC, Offaly beat Kilkenny in a Welsh Cup in (believe it or not!) Tullamore a few years ago (might be 2010, but certainly in the Joe Dooley era). But that was the only win at Senior grade since 1998. There was a draw in a Welsh Cup around 2003 but Kilkenny won in the extra time which followed.

Exiled in Connacht wrote:Just wondering since the 1998 AI final how many times have we beaten Kilkenny at senior level ?

Was yesterday the first time since 1998 , surely not ?

POTH - thanks, a pretty dismal record indeed !

Where we are playing our home games seems to exercise the thoughts of many posting here rather than the real issues.

I despair.

Plain of the Herbs wrote:No, WB. Jack Guiney and Conor McDonald would be ineligible for Wexford having lined out with DIT in the Walsh Cup and therefore would be considered 'cup-tied'.

Wing Back wrote:Back to the subject of this thread though……..I see we play Wexford in New Ross next Sunday at 2pm.

I know I’ve asked already but does anyone know are Conor Mcdonald and Jack Guiney allowed play for Wexford on Sunday as they have already played against Offaly for DIT?

Thanks for that POTH, much appreciated. Quite optimistic heading to New Ross now on Sunday as Wexford will be without a sizable Oulart contingent aswell. #Estofidelis

Anyone care to talk about the match than the venue?

Standouts on the day? Any KK young uns impress?

we are lucky to have to quality venues in offaly sbp and ocp .
They thing that surprised me yesterday was with around 2000 people in birr there were a few hundred standing out in the rain . If that a big league game , maybe a fine spring day with more than 2000 offaly fan and if they other county {clare , limerick laoise ] brought 1500 or 2000 fans also, there would be some atmosphere but would sbp cope with that crowd .
They real test is the next time offaly play in birr .will all those 2000 fan turn up Again?? lets hope they do and offaly keep on winning.

Just seen that the Leinster Council have changed the date of the Walsh Cup final on their website from the 31st of January to the 30th of January in order to be part of a double header with the Dublin Kerry Football league game. Up to yesterday it had been for the Sunday and the date in the programme at the Offaly Kilkenny game last weekend stated this also. The Leinster Council only just changed their website yesterday evening. The Offaly GAA website is still showing the incorrect date. Just thought it was worth pointing out in case people were making plans for travelling to the game on that Sunday or have something else on Saturday. Pretty poor announcement of date changes to be fair. A friend of mine is from Wexford so both of us are attending this weekend and at least one of us will have an interest in attending the final next weekend.