The GAA Social BBC Radio Ulster

Pete McGrath is a Gaelic football legend. He won Sam Maguire in 1991 & 1994 with his native Down. A lifetime coaching at the great Down/ Armagh nursery St Colman's College, he's coached some of the best players to wear the red and black- from the early days to their biggest. He's had an incredible life. Totally devoted to football, no family, just devotion to faith and Down. He wasn't in the top ten picks for the Down job in the late 80's- but he got the job, on his terms. Success followed.
It wasn't all comfortable. A falling out with players, including All-stars Greg Blaney and James McCartan threatened to derail the Down campaign of 1994.
One of the more interesting elements of the podcast is how McGrath was forced to change when he was Fermanagh manager. Showing humility after being called out. It shows enormous strength. At 71, Pete McGrath is the senior football manager of Aghagallon and the minor manager of his native club Rostrevor. Modern players are different people now, are they less resilient?
In 1994 the UVF burst into a local bar in Loughinisland when the Republic of Ireland were playing in the World Cup. The killed six civilians, wounding five more. Down had an Ulster championship semi-final game the next day. Normality then, seems unthinkable now. It's a remarkable insight into one of the darkest times in our history.
There's the Meath/Down saga from 1991, crossing the border with Sam Maguire, 71 going on 41 and runs in the Mournes to clear the head!
Nothing off-limits. It's the iconic Mourneman Pete McGrath. Down legend. Forever young

We know the quarter-finalists of the Tailteann Cup and we now know Limerick will win five All-Ireland titles in a row. Don’t we? They picked up a 6th consecutive Munster championship over the weekend, surely now the greatest of all time? Kilkenny may have something to say about that after comfortably picking up another Leinster title, beating Dublin.
Th All-Ireland minor semi-finals have now been decided. Derry will play Kerry, while Aidan O’Rourke’s Armagh will play Mayo. Are we underselling the minor product?
We also look ahead to the final football championship group matches. With so much on the line, it feels that championship summer may finally have arrived. We’ll see.
We also reflect on the phenomenal reaction to the Kevin McElvanna Podcast.
It’s the GAA Social, on a Monday with Thomas Niblock & Oisin McConville

It was a tragedy that rocked the Co Armagh village of Madden. Still does. Three of their own, killed in a road accident returning in a taxi bus after a 40th birthday in Dundalk. 2002 All-Ireland winner Kevin McElvanna lost his wife Ciara and their four children are now without mum. A life changing moment. Kevin is a surgeon and broke his neck in the accident. He's continuing to recover.
For the first time, Kevin explains what happened, how he's coped and what the future holds. It's a remarkable podcast- one of our most powerful. A deeply personal story told with strength and dignity. Perhaps strangely, It's also uplifting, inspiring and laced with moments of laughter.
The strength and power of Kevin McElvanna shines through. Madden as a community lost their of their best, but the community survives and thrives. Patrick Grimley, who also died on that November night, would have been proud watching his younger brother Niall tear Derry apart at Celtic Park on Sunday. GAA people. Decent people.
This is the story of Kevin McElvanna, on the GAA Social with Thomas & Oisin. A must listen.

Is this Derry team at an end? How good are Armagh? Cork are back, Donegal will regroup and the Tailteann Cup prelim quarter-final draw

This weeks is the fourth anniversary of East Belfast GAA. It all started with a tweet and now the club has more playing members than any other in Ulster. It's a remarkable story. The path, has been challenging. Pipe bombs, graffiti, oil poured on playing surface, threats and just this weekend past, another security alert.
The club has not just survived, but blossomed. With more than 1/4 of its players from a protestant background the club is challenging perceptions around the GAA. In a traditionally unionist area of Belfast, the establishment of the GAA club raised eyebrows. Dave thought it made sense in an area with the same population as county Kilkenny to have its own club. This podcast is very different.
Love, loss and the birth of Ulster's newest (and biggest) GAA club.
This is the story of East Belfast GAA, explained for the first-time in full, by co-founder Dave McGreevy
(Podcast recorded as part of BBC 100 anniversary at the Saint Patrick centre in Downpatrick, with a live audience) #BBCComesToTown

Review of the games in hurling and football. Despite the amateur status of GAA- should the sport move to some Friday/ Monday games? Oisin McConville believes it should