All Ireland Battle of the Brands #1
Talking Balls
Here we begin an occasional series in Talking Balls focusing on the offerings of each of the Championship Sponsors. This week, first up is Etihad Airways - sponsor of the GAA All Ireland Hurling Championship.
Probably the sponsor raising the most eyebrows when the new tripartide Hurling Championship deal was announced was the inclusion of Etihad Airways - National airline of the UAE - the only carrier flying directly from Ireland to the Gulf.
“Yerra, what have a bunch of them Arabs got to do wit de All Ireland hurling Championship” was the query through tight Sweet Afton clenched lips in some of Munster’s deepest hurling strongholds. Already sponsors of Chelseas, London Harlequins and the Ferrari F1 team, Etihad certainly seem to choose their branding partners carefully. Certainly from the GAA perspective it is a great coup to have such a internationally profiled corporate partner on-board. About hurling the Etihad website says:
Hurling is a game similar to hockey, in that it is played with a small ball and a curved wooden stick. It is Europe’s oldest field game. When the Celts came to Ireland as the last ice age was receding, they brought with them a unique culture, their own language, music, script and unique pastimes. One of these pastimes was a game now called hurling. It features in Irish folklore to illustrate the deeds of heroic mystical figures and it is chronicled as a distinct Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years.
To explain this for the local folks over in the UAE we asked a Professor of Codology at one of Ireland’s leading universities to pen a short explanation:
“Ah yes - the ice retreated leaving behind the flat lands of the central plains of Southern Ireland. From their ball-freezing hovels the natives emerged - stick and ball in hand. ‘Well bayi, you ready for some hoorling?’ was apparently the first word spoken by these early shower of Celts.
“Indeed - a unique language - that would be Micheál Ó Muicheartaigh. Music - that would surely be the Sunday Game theme - Da,na, na, na, na, naa. Da na na na na naH. Dah, Dah Dah, dah da na na. . . you know the ditty?
“As for Script, that would be the scrawled teamsheets and the referee’s report - “I observed No 5 from Pearses striking No 12 from Sarsfields with his hurley. A melee ensued - it was not possible to identify individual culprits thereafter. . .” and unique past-times - that has to be Championship Sundays, trips to the CAC and the DRA and the unique habit of hangin’ over the wire at matches giving colourful comment on all that pass this way and that on the field of play.”
Mr James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “In less than a year Etihad Airways has developed a strong affinity with Ireland, with Dublin quickly establishing itself as one of our most popular routes. We are very proud to begin this partnership with the Gaelic Athletic Association and look forward to contributing further to the Irish market which has supported our airline so enthusiastically since we started flying to Dublin in July 2007.”
Next time we take a look at the risible goings on of Toyota’s ‘Meet Mike’ - the worst thing to happen the GAA since the Irish News published Donny’s Diary. We’d rather not thanks. . . but the things we have to do in the name of Talking Balls. . .