Ireland World cup bid.

First topic message reminder :

Don't know if this has come up before, but its the first I'm learning that Ireland are bidding for the 2023 World cup

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/government-to-consider-rugby-world-cup-bid-1.1598136

I do like that it says
The next finals will take place in England in 2015 and the one after that will be held in Japan in 2019. and he says "“It is the northern hemisphere’s turn in 2023"

Japan moved to the southern Hemp?

World cups are getting bigger and bigger events. NZ held the last one and it was though that it would prob be to big an event in the future for them to be able to host, by 2023 would it maybe be to big for Ireland?

I'd love Ireland to win it, but for the sake of rugby the US-Canada joint bid may be the better one. After hosting USA 94, nearly 20 years ago football has grown there and I think the 3rd most popular sport in the US, (there was a lot of work done after the WC to grow this). Could rugby grow as something similar if hosting the 2023 comp?

Then again Japan are hosting it in 2019 to grow the sport there and maybe it should return to an established Nation like Ireland, can't always select countries to grow the game and not play it in Countries that already love the game?

The big bit for hosting it is the decision of the GAA at its last congress to make its grounds available for the rugby world cup has given a huge boost to the bid.

Final in Croke Park, Casement Park in Belfast will be a 40,000 all seater stadium by then.

With the GAA on board there are plenty of suitable stadiums available, think Ireland could host a very successful World cup, and it would be a real boost for Rugby here.

Garth Brooks and Ireland is a natural.  He's a 'country music' star - Irish people (despite how posh Dubs would like to think otherwise) love country music.  It's there on many local radio stations throughout the country.  There are many country singers making a neat living playing up and down the country too.  And of course the cultural links between American country/bluegrass music and that music that was exported from Ireland by the early Ulster Scots arrivals and the other migrations that came later with their traditional music.

So no mystery that Irish people are connected to country music (Johnny Cash was also a frequent visitor).  The mystery for me is that people call Garth Brooks stuff "country" !!!  - it's not, it's pop/light rock/show-bizz schmaltz with a cowboy hat - much like the music of that other well known 'country' act, Taylor Swift.....
Genuine classic country music of the 60s and 70s can hold its own with any musical genre. Garth ain't in that league.

Garth Brooks is the biggest selling solo artist of all time - recently overtook Elvis

Personally cant stand him but there you go - it is not an Ireland thing it is a World wide thing

Even Daniel O'Donnell can carve out a decent career in Ireland!  

san wrote:Even Daniel O'Donnell can carve out a decent career in Ireland!  

And an even bigger one in England! There's money in them there hills amongst the cows, chickens, wife that ran out on you and the four country roads of Glenamaddy