A P McCoy

I think its all been said, Kelly.  I for one, AP for another, is glad the whole retirement circus is over.  Nothing to do with nationality though typical of your paranoia assume that it is.

As an aside, Moneyglass is in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK.  It is both incorrect and incediary to suggest otherwise.

Why can't you just be proud about coming from Northern Ireland?  Why do you need our love and appreciation so badly?

Ozy , I was in the UK last week , had to take a boat or plane to get there ...I can drive my CAR to Moneyglass without either ...Kelly is CORRECT its in IRELAND.......

I just assume that most of the people in Ireland , north or south  , view themselves as Irish and not West Brits , Ozy . But sometimes I am not so sure .

Tony Mccoy is 100% Irish , Ozy . Just like me , even if history decrees he was born in a part of Ireland annexed by England and abandoned by most of those in the south ultimately .

I identify 100% with people from all over the 32 counties in Ireland , mix with them all over Ireland ,  but I suspect the feeling is not reciprocated by everyone from the 26 southern counties regarding those in the North . If that is regarded as paranoia , so be it . But you got to call it as you see it .

I think that the whole population of the 32 counties needs to accept that the most Gaelic part  of Ireland is the North . A fact which has been lost in various debates about Irishness in the last couple of hundred years .

Dublin 4 is not the whole Ireland  , even if sections of the southern media think so .

It happens to be on, rather than in the 'Island of Ireland', in the geographic sense, but as even you are aware, politically it is part of the UK of GB & I.  Like it or lump it.

The political aspect matters most because it determines your currency, who you pay your tax to etc etc.

You don't find Haitians or Domnicans claiming they are from Hispaniola.

I just assume that most of the people in Ireland , north or south  , view themselves as Irish and not West Brits , Ozy

Again you miss the point , the landmass is ONE island ....

I just assume that most of the people in Ireland , north or south  , view themselves as Irish and not West Brits , Ozy

Amazing that even an educated Catholic like yourself makes such incendiary remarks that display zero respect for the wishes of your fellow citzens of Northern Ireland.  These people who live around you, in your communitiy...these are the people who matter.

And what do they want; they want to remain part of the UK.  Deal with it  Move down South if you can't handle it.

Wonk's, I think you will find ALL islands constitute a single landmass.  You haven''t stumbled upon a remarkable breathrough.

Questin fr Wnks; what s the Northern part of the island of Ireland known as?

Don't agree with that at all ozymandius. Ireland is 32 counties and all its citizens are irish.  Nationality has nothing to do with politics

Can only imagine how good (strong) he was in his prime, been way past his best for some time now. Lots of horses don't seem to jump for him. Binocular (another one) & MTOY both should have had Champion Hurdles under him for different reasons. Hands of stone & as the strength faded, a lot of his horses seemed to use a lot of gas too early.

I do believe there was a time when he was an unbelievable jock, though. edredon Bleu & that, but he has weathered lately. A lot of what he is riding against in the UK is garbage jockey-wise. He even alluded to it on Saturday.

I have the utmost respect for my fellow citizens who cleave to their Britishness , Ozy . Most of them are decent people who have been left isolated in a world where they were not always comfortable .  Ne Temere had a big part to play in that , and thats 108 years ago . Church and politics unfortunately have not always conspired for the greater good of the whole people of Ireland ( and that includes some well known non catholic clergymen lest I seem to be bashing just one church ) .

The proximity to our bigger neighbour clouds issues re nationality , all our friends who "kick with the other foot" are quite happy to be regarded as Irish when they are in America , Australia , or Europe etc . But their passport says "British" . Just an anomaly which time may eventually solve , but for the present thats the status quo .

firstimevisor, you do realise that the Ulster Unionists consider themselves British.  Simple as.  And they are in the majority up there. 

And GB will gladly offer NI a referendum anytime they want, because God knows they don;t want the God forsaken place anyway.  So as soon as the majority shifts we can have it back.  Do we want it?  Can we afford it?  I;m fairly ambivalent about the place frankly.

I see no one has anything to say about poor auld AP.

Perhaps if the OP had introduced AP as the subject with out getting political the thread might have been different.

Bottom line is down here we don't really give a sh1te about your politics as long as you keep all the boodshed and hatrid up there.  You are welcome to each other as far as i am concerned.

Now....AP......

Well the Scots and Welsh are british too but that doesnt mean they cannot be scottish or welsh.

the usual irrelevant rubbish from Ozy.

I cheered on AP during the grand national after my nags fell by the wayside. That would have been some send-off.

Hard to imagine the sport without him.

Ozy , if the Brits left , by agreement and peacefully , and everybody in the whole 32 counties pulled together , Ireland would be a lot better place , and would thrive economically . The northern "planters " have a lot to offer , they are hardworking , diligent , honest and intelligent generally . They have lost out recently , they themselves point the finger at "losing" their schools , educationally they have fallen behind .  Some of them love their Irishness , but cannot show it  , and the history of this small island is complex .  Nothing is irretrievable though .

I can identify sometimes more with those who would be deemed unionist than some of the people I meet in GAA circles ( some of whom until recently lived with a somewhat distorted view of other "islanders" ) . The unionists also realise the force that is the GAA , they admire it ( secretly) , but again they cannot participate because of history .

I think perhaps we are at cross purposes.  The orignial point was what country Moneyglass is in.  There is no country known as Ireland.  It is the country of Northern Ireland which is part of the UK of GB and NI.

Ap can feel whatever Nationality he wants, of course he can, but he cannot change his post code.

Dublin 4 isnt any part of Ireland Kelly. most of them wish the Brits never left!

Ozy , if the Brits left , by agreement and peacefully , and everybody in the whole 32 counties pulled together , Ireland would be a lot better place ,

Horsh1t.....the IMF would be in within a year.

Pull together you say...and what sing kumbaye and rebel songs?  That wont keep the wolf from the door.

Britain is propping NI up through Civil Service jobs and you should be damn thankful for it. We cannot afford to replace them as your Sugar Daddy.  So if I were you, I would suck away on that teat and not worry to much about 'Irishness'

That's my final say on the subject, it's all been said before.

he claims not to live 'down here'...so why do u care?

Doubt the Americans EVER refere to Northern Ireland ,unless its  politics  ...You seem a little perturbed this evening ,maybe its your obvious jealously of Kelly ...Seems you can switch sides in the blink of an eye...Big Ian would not be amused....

Sad to hear an Irishman talk so indifferently about regaining part of our country which is rightfully ours. I just wish they had taken Dublin 4 instead of the 6 counties, it would have a lot better fit and everyone would have been a lot happier.

Ozy showing signs of losing it ...Tubby and Pikey sure to arrive soon to bale him out ...

firstimevisor, you do realise that the Ulster Unionists consider themselves British.  Simple as.  And they are in the majority up there

Ozy,the Ulster Unionists are'nt even in the majority in the Unionist population in the North,never mind the overall population.The Democratic Unionists are the largest party "up there",you might enjoy reading/learning about them


http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/debateni/blogs/homophobia-sexism-islamophobia-name-any-prejudice-and-the-dup-are-probably-guilty-of-it-31168688.html

I lived in what is now Dublin 4 for the 2 years I worked in Dublin , freddiek .  But in the sixties it had not evolved to what it is now viewed as . Ronnie Drew lived around the corner I think , Brendan Behan socialised there ( and hospitalised there in Baggot Street I think ) , and Searsons served the best ( wild) salmon sandwich in the world ( or so it seemed) .

Then I suspect the pseuds took over .

everyone would have been a lot happier.

again, complete disdain and ignorance for the feelings of the Ulster Unionist. No wonder they are so resistant towards being part of a United Ireland, who could blame them?

I always enjoy the walk from Baggot Strt. over the canal bridge and up to Stephen's Green.  been in Searson's a few times meself, popular with the rugger-buggers

1,01, sorry about my inaccurate useage of the terms.  I meant to refer to the Unionist pop of NI.

All you cants on about D4, you could barely afford to take a p1ss there.

Apologies to TTK, who I know has a nice des res there.

Many unionists stayed in the republic after independence and were very happy and contented. If you had your way, the whole country would still be under British rule.

Yes, but I didn't have my way and am now very happily assimilated with and tolerate the natives. For the most part.

Not so many of the ruggerites then , freddiek . Wasn't as trendy as now . Got to give it to the rugby guys south and north though , they have fashioned it well for Ireland and the provinces , bit of vision there which would not always have been the case . But an example too of the benefits of all island organisation , golf also .

Ozy ,PLEASE , no need for that kind of language ,you're always the same when you are losing a argument...

No matter what country you talk about, it is sad to hear someone say that they rather their country wasn't free and independent. Our people have suffered greatly at the hands of the British, anyone who wants a return to their control is suffering from massive bouts of delusion.

Similar to what we saw during the scottish referendum where independence and freedom was in their grasp but fear and self doubt meant that they didn't have the balls to take it. We have thrived since independence, both socially and economically, after a difficult start. Bump on the road the last few years ecomonically and there's a lot wrong with the country but I am very proud of the Republic we have created.

yeah agreed, we have done pretty well, all told.

Especially in the last two decades when we have begun to finally shake the last shackles of the influence of the Catholic Church from our legislation.

We tend not to produce statesmen of note, but then we have only had a century of practice.  We are lucky the EU came along when it did because it gave us a marketplace to access and an association to take advantage of.

Ozy , do you think the Presbyterian Church has had a big influence on people up North ,and whats your opinion of their draconian teaching mate..?

I wouldn't know much about them, Wonks.  As far as I know their beliefs aren't enshrined in the British Constitution so that automatically limits their influence on the wider population.

I think its all been said, Kelly.  I for one, AP for another, is glad the whole retirement circus is over.

This said it all in a nutshell. Haven't read all the thread but how it spilled over into the above crap is quite strange.

People recognise AP for what he is and what he achieved. The past two months has been non-stop praise and it was getting a bit nauseating in the end when it was being placed above the sport itself. Hopefully he finds other areas to fill the void that race riding will leave.

Cant blame AP if the media grind us to death with stuff about him , they see that as their job .  AP would probably have preferred to ride out a winner and announced his retirement  , but I guess when you are so high profile it would be hard to do that .

When he announced he was going to retire I wondered had he lost the desire to ride , bearing in mind the injuries he has picked up in the last couple of years . But his ride in the Grand National was excellent , and thats one race you would avoid if you wanted to be guaranteeed coming home in one piece .

Reckon his decision was more to do with family considerations than anything else , fair play to him , you only get one set of everything , glad he has retired hale and hearty . Even after 21 years or so at the very top , still the guy you wanted on your horse . Following him will be a big ask for anyone .

That his association with JP and Jonjo survived intact with no interruptions for so long is a tribute to all concerned  , dont recall any recriminations , twas all positive even on the "bad days" ( of which there were few thankfully ) .  They all loved the racing game , winners part of that , but jockeys cant go on forever . I just wonder will it lessen JP's interest in the NH game . Only time will tell I suspect .

I enjoyed McCoys farewell tour. It gave us a chance to savour his presence @ the smaller tracks in England like fakenham and newton abbott et al which are going to be a lot duller without him especially throughout the summer. I don't follow low grade english racing but if AP was riding, it would always give you a good reason to watch. Happy retirement AP.

I enjoyed McCoys farewell tour. It gave us a chance to savour his presence @ the smaller tracks in England like fakenham and newton abbott et al which are going to be a lot duller without him especially throughout the summer. I don't follow low grade english racing but if AP was riding, it would always give you a good reason to watch. Happy retirement AP.

It did turn into a bit of a circus but given his position in NH racing it was deserving and he handled it very well under the pressure of it, always kept given out his autograph when stopped. Utmost respect to him as a man,a credit to the country.

Arise SIR Anthony Peter McCoy.....congrats for getting out in one piece (even if he is only stuck together).
Ap Mccoy To Be Knighted In New Years Honours List 2016 - 6/4 Lads.


"Tony McCoy, is an Irish former horse racing jockey, based in England and the Republic of Ireland".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_McCoy

The people of the Ruhr never considered themselves French during their occupation..

Ian Paisley was famously and correctly called by James Dillon " an excitable Irishman "

The poster that posted the stuff that he thought discredited the Unionists made me admire and respect them.

The retirement went on too long was repetitive and exaggerated.
McCoys achievements are staggering,the fact he broke the record of winners of flat jockeys hard to credit.

Now its time for some sacrilege,I wouldn't put him in the top ten of jump jockeys,I wouldn't put him in the top three of current jump jockeys.
I never liked the way he presented his horses at fences,thought he was hard on them.
What he had was an incredible will to win which he managed somehow to transfer down the reins,he also seems a very likeable fellow.

still the guy you wanted on your horse

Eh...hello?  Certainly not in recent years.

Would love to know how he would manage his retirement if he had the chance again  Very differently, I would imagine.

I think McCoy was a superb jockey but i think he ruined a number of horses as well esp in his earlier days. That throwing the kitchen sink line at a horse was great for the punters but trust me owners would have hated seeing that.

"Presenting" a horse at a fence is a vital aspect of jump racing .  But it is only one of the many parts that make a good jockey .

No jockey is perfect , just trawl through the many posts on the Betfair forums when a jockey gets into trouble . I would have to say that in the course of having probably thousands of bets on AP's mounts over the 21 years , I cant recall many where I felt I had been let down , and there were dozens and dozens of times when I thought ,  "Phew , glad AP was on that one ( winner) , nobody else would have won on that ".

A punter speaking .

If you want pure style , than its Paul or Ruby , but anyone telling me they haven't mucked up occasionally ?

The sum of the parts of AP was the reason for the 21 years unchallenged dominance .

It isn't just style with Ruby, though. His method at fences is just objectively better, as is Carberry's but there is other baggage there. Think they say it is to do with seeing a stride & finding the right take off point relative to the scope of your horse and how well he is going.

McCoy's greatest quality was his strength to galvanise/hold together reluctant/flagging horses as well as his strength in a finish. He also had amazing tactical acumen on ordinary horses.

SIR Anthony Peter McCoy makes a comeback tomorrow...rides at Doncaster on Wednesday.

McCoy is to be joined in the race by two Derby-winners in Johnny Murtagh and Michael Hills, the 2000 Champion Flat Jockey Kevin Darley and plethora of other stars of the saddle – and Luke Harvey.

Read more at http://www.greatbritishracing.com/news-and-features/features/leger-legends-d...