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Curse Folklore

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https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0528/1052114-gaa-curses-myth-magic-or-excuse/ RTE website has a funny article about GAA Curse folklore. Some good ones. I see a different Kildare curse talked about in the article than the one I had previously heard. The one I had heard was people involved with Kildare team of the 1930's informed to the Bishop of Meath that a priest in his diocese was playing for Meath under a false name (that time priests who wanted to play for GAA teams had to play under false names as the church officially banned their priests for playing). The said priest had played great in a drawn game against Kildare and Kildare did not want to face him in the replay. The Bishop was said to have stopped him playing in the replay. It was said the priest's retaliation was cursing them from winning All Ireland's from then on. Any other interesting Curse folklore anyone has heard related to GAA teams ? bdbuddah (Meath) - Posts: 768 - 17/09/2020 00:23:12 2292599 Link
Replying To bdbuddah: "https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0528/1052114-gaa-curses-myth-magic-or-excuse/ RTE website has a funny article about GAA Curse folklore. Some good ones. I see a different Kildare curse talked about in the article than the one I had previously heard. The one I had heard was people involved with Kildare team of the 1930's informed to the Bishop of Meath that a priest in his diocese was playing for Meath under a false name (that time priests who wanted to play for GAA teams had to play under false names as the church officially banned their priests for playing). The said priest had played great in a drawn game against Kildare and Kildare did not want to face him in the replay. The Bishop was said to have stopped him playing in the replay. It was said the priest's retaliation was cursing them from winning All Ireland's from then on. Any other interesting Curse folklore anyone has heard related to GAA teams ?" The Catholic church bans the weirdest stuff. Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 17/09/2020 11:27:17 2292638 Link
Ha - great article. I liked this one too. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0810/1158305-gaa-goal-celebrations/ It goes into a lot of weird reasons for low key goal celebrations but doesn't mention the obvious - the ball might be in your own goal soon if you don't get back and defend. lionofludesch (Down) - Posts: 369 - 17/09/2020 11:35:08 2292642 Link
It's funny how Priests and Bishops apparently have the God-like power of preventing certain things from happening for all eternity, yet apparently all they have ever used these powers for is to bar select counties from winning the All Ireland senior football championship. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1391 - 17/09/2020 12:10:28 2292652 Link
I suppose the Mayo curse is the most infamous and has even featured on countdown in the UK. Teams with long loosing streaks often have curses associated with them...the Clare hurlers, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Cubs.... But take a stroll down to Tralee and talk to Paddy Prendergast and he will tell you the incident with a funeral in Foxford never happened. It's a myth... yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 10339 - 18/09/2020 08:27:56 2292820 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I suppose the Mayo curse is the most infamous and has even featured on countdown in the UK. Teams with long loosing streaks often have curses associated with them...the Clare hurlers, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Cubs.... But take a stroll down to Tralee and talk to Paddy Prendergast and he will tell you the incident with a funeral in Foxford never happened. It's a myth..." We're keeping paddy good and healthy down here yew :-) KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 11732 - 18/09/2020 10:08:52 2292844 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I suppose the Mayo curse is the most infamous and has even featured on countdown in the UK. Teams with long loosing streaks often have curses associated with them...the Clare hurlers, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Cubs.... But take a stroll down to Tralee and talk to Paddy Prendergast and he will tell you the incident with a funeral in Foxford never happened. It's a myth..." Jaysus I didn't know Paddy Prendergast was still alive, that's a great age, he must be one of the oldest surviving all-ireland winners. I wonder how that story of the Foxford curse ever got started anyway? I presume it was just a local myth that spread far and wide. As for the teams on losing streaks, you could add the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions to that. 2 older NFL teams who won 4 pre-superbowl NFL championships but have been in the wilderness since the 60s, neither having qualified for a single Superbowl. Apparently a Browns fan called Scott Entsminger who died in 2013 had it stated in his obitruary that he "respectfully requests six Cleveland Browns pall bearers so the Browns can let him down one last time." Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8583 - 18/09/2020 12:41:53 2292882 Link
Replying To CastleBravo: "It's funny how Priests and Bishops apparently have the God-like power of preventing certain things from happening for all eternity, yet apparently all they have ever used these powers for is to bar select counties from winning the All Ireland senior football championship." I'm pretty sure curses are very uncatholic too. Don't you get burned at the stake for that kind of thing Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 18/09/2020 12:42:18 2292884 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I suppose the Mayo curse is the most infamous and has even featured on countdown in the UK. Teams with long loosing streaks often have curses associated with them...the Clare hurlers, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Cubs.... But take a stroll down to Tralee and talk to Paddy Prendergast and he will tell you the incident with a funeral in Foxford never happened. It's a myth..." Ach - just because it never happened shouldn't ruin a good story. It's called Poetic Licence. lionofludesch (Down) - Posts: 369 - 18/09/2020 13:07:06 2292896 Link
The church were the feckin curse lilypad (Kildare) - Posts: 1357 - 18/09/2020 15:47:21 2292926 Link
Replying To lilypad: "The church were the feckin curse" Amen Brother Lilypad. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 5955 - 18/09/2020 16:48:49 2292933 Link
When Waterford won the 1948 All-Ireland there was such a crowd at the home coming that a child was trampled on the bridge. Folklore has it that the mother put a curse on, that stated we would just win one more All-Ireland ever. Now we have won minor and under 21 since but just one senior. Who knows the origin of these tales. Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 979 - 18/09/2020 17:51:31 2292936 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I suppose the Mayo curse is the most infamous and has even featured on countdown in the UK. Teams with long loosing streaks often have curses associated with them...the Clare hurlers, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Cubs.... But take a stroll down to Tralee and talk to Paddy Prendergast and he will tell you the incident with a funeral in Foxford never happened. It's a myth..." I watched a programme on TG4 away back about it, Paddy was interviewed, they did come across a funeral in Foxford, they were in the back of a lorry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kocuYdf5aOI Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 1076 - 18/09/2020 21:58:01 2292969 Link
Replying To lilypad: "The church were the feckin curse" green thumb Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1106 - 19/09/2020 09:39:13 2292997 Link
Replying To Tirchonaill1: "I watched a programme on TG4 away back about it, Paddy was interviewed, they did come across a funeral in Foxford, they were in the back of a lorry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kocuYdf5aOI" He literally says I don't know if there was a funeral or not but the story goes............. There wasn't a funeral in Foxford that day. Not that anyone should have to explain that when debunking stupid stories. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 6893 - 19/09/2020 15:47:09 2293039 Link
Replying To lilypad: "The church were the feckin curse" in the 80s we had a mission in the parish , we had a county senior semi the following weekend, we trained on the sat as a service was going on, the 80 year old priest went mad on the alter, we got beat, and the management board blamed me [manager] and wanted me to resign, but sure our year was over anyway, but it was not forgotten by the a g m. i had to listen to some crap, but got job again, thankfully those days are well gone Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 1925 - 19/09/2020 20:25:13 2293072 Link
I heard 50 years ago that the funeral was in Longford , it would have been fresh in peoples minds then jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 39 - 19/09/2020 20:58:26 2293079 Link
Replying To Canuck: "When Waterford won the 1948 All-Ireland there was such a crowd at the home coming that a child was trampled on the bridge. Folklore has it that the mother put a curse on, that stated we would just win one more All-Ireland ever. Now we have won minor and under 21 since but just one senior. Who knows the origin of these tales." That would explain their loss, 3-30 to 1-13 against Kilkenny in the 2008 AI senior final. When here was me thinking all along that it was down to the brilliance of that Kilkenny team; Shefflin, Walsh, Kavanagh, Hickey, JJ, Brennan, et al. Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 1115 - 21/09/2020 13:35:51 2293389 Link
Replying To Cockney_Cat: "That would explain their loss, 3-30 to 1-13 against Kilkenny in the 2008 AI senior final. When here was me thinking all along that it was down to the brilliance of that Kilkenny team; Shefflin, Walsh, Kavanagh, Hickey, JJ, Brennan, et al." At least the curse was decent enough ensuring that it was the cats were on the end of the beaten on the last win. Canuck (Waterford) - Posts: 979 - 21/09/2020 14:06:08 2293393 Link
Replying To Cockney_Cat: "That would explain their loss, 3-30 to 1-13 against Kilkenny in the 2008 AI senior final. When here was me thinking all along that it was down to the brilliance of that Kilkenny team; Shefflin, Walsh, Kavanagh, Hickey, JJ, Brennan, et al." Ya , that was a handy one alright. catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 21/09/2020 14:49:27 2293402 Link