‘Codology’ by Joe McVeigh

My late father had a great word for anything he disagreed with or considered foolish -which was quite a lot. The word is ‘codology’-nothing to do with fish but more to describe being conned or hoodwinked. It’s not a word I have ever used before but I will introduce it now in relation to the GAA. I know it’s not a subject (i.e. GAA) that gets much attention on Jude’s blog –but after yesterday I cannot ignore it. I sat down to watch two matches on TV -Tyrone v Armagh and Dublin v Monaghan yesterday afternoon. Actually, I had to travel across the border to watch it as I do not have Sky TV and it was not broadcast on the national broadcaster. Sky pays the GAA bigger bucks. It reminds me again of my father who was asked one time if he had Sky. ‘Oh’, he says. ‘I open the window and I see plenty of it.” Mick was a man for the smart sayings.

Now to get back to the football yesterday. I was looking forward to two good games. The papers were full of it for weeks and Joe Brolly had many column inches with his theories about what tactics the teams would employ. The first match Tyrone v Armagh was a complete wash-out. It was over after 15 minutes and this was the All-Ireland quarter final. The second game was just as bad. It too was over shortly after it began. Two teams completely outclassed, out of their depth -no contest. And the amazing thing –Croke Park was packed with 80,000 committed GAA fans – half of them from the occupied six counties.  So the GAA did well out of it anyway – and so did businesses in the rip-off city of Dublin.

Whoever organises this competition needs to be brought in. This competition is ‘a cod’ or pure ‘codology’, as my father might have said. It’s a complete rip off. There are only 3 or 4 teams in Ireland with a realistic chance of winning the Sam Maguire cup any year and yet every year 32 counties enter the competition. It costs a lot of money to prepare a team nowadays. Fermanagh have been competing since as long as I remember and rarely get past the first round. The season is over in July. They were beaten by Monaghan this year in the first round -and then the players sacked their manager Pete McGrath -one of the great football managers in modern times. More ‘codology’.

Now, come to think of it, that word ‘codology’ –if it becomes a recognised word- could have a lot of uses in any discussion about politics and the things politicians say. But maybe that’s being too cynical. And I would not want to be cynical, whatever about being ‘provocative’. Come on Tyrone! (My grandparents were from Tyrone-the Hills above Drumquin to be exact.)