Spirit Of 16 Dublin Supporters Club

Spirit of 16: Last year a few of us  Dublin fans sat down  after another year of defeat in the championships, and we discussed how we might bring more atmosphere to Dublin football and hurling matches, in the hope that this could help to drive the team on that step further.

A wide range of things came up: some complained about some of the old songs not been sung anymore, younger lads suggested some new songs or chants. Others commented on a lack of coordination of pre and post match celebrations/commiserations of like-minded Dubs

We asked a couple of local publicans around the Croke Park area what supporters bring the best atmosphere on match days and how Dublin fans compare to them. Most of them said they would say that the Dublin games tend not to have the best atmosphere.  We thought this was strange as you can get 60,000 + Dublin fans at most games in Croker during the summer. 

A few publicans explained to us that supporters from other counties will tend to know each other more as there are less of them they know each other better and stick together  Dublin fans are spread out over a bigger area, so you get a pub with fans from all over the county who don't know  one another.

One barman told us that several counties even bring pipers with them to rally the fans together and then head up to the match together, uniting the fans. So we decided that maybe a supporters group/club could be set up to bring more atmosphere, sound and colour on match days.

GAA fans and players from all over this island for many years have often spoken about how special the Hill 16 atmosphere is when Dublin are playing in Croke Park, and how the atmosphere of the Dublin fans there can spread around the ground and out to the Dublin team. So we though that maybe we could reclaim this spirit, so that the Dublin supporters will be known as the best fans in the country.

The First thing we needed was a name that summed up our ethos. Something that embodied the history, integrity, and sporting culture of Dublin.  We looked around at other counties to see what they bring on match days. One of the counties that stood out for us was Wexford. The Wexford crest has a pike linking them to the 1798 rebellion. They are proud of this, and there crossed pike flags allude to their history when they wave them on match days.

As we are trying to reclaim the spirit of the Hill 16, which was built from the rubble of the Easter   Rising 1916, we thought why not merge the two? The spirit of the Hill as a symbol of our sporting culture, and the spirit of 1916 to celebrate the integrity of the ordinary men and women of Dublin who participated in the Rising. Hence the name Spirit Of 16

SO16: We plan on building upon last year, encouraging people to use their own creativity in celebrating their Dublin identity. Last year I think we walked before we crawled, but we have been humbled since and are enjoying it without the grandiose plans that can be bandied about when you're trying to get something off the ground. We have been getting buses for the away games so far, and we hope to continue that practice. We also will keep making flags to show that the Dubs are here, and here to stay.
This summer we hope to establish a base for ourselves. At the moment we are talking to a local publican about the hiring out of an upstairs lounge for match days. From here the plan is to have a piper to rally the lads together and head up to the games. We  also hope to have post-match trad sessions with some food for the hungry troops!
 

SO16: With the name Spirit Of 16,  we thought, why not link the Rising and the Hill within a flag? After a lot of talk we came up with the starry plough of Easter week. The starry plough flag of the Irish Citzen Army Easter week was a green flag with gold stars on it. As over 200 members of the GAA fought in Easter week, and many of them were from Dublin, why not fly it like the men of Wexford with there pikes?

But as the original ICA flag was green this would not fit in with our Dublin colours. Also the starry plough has changed shape and colour over the years, and has been used by political parties and various organizations. We did not want to mix ourselves up in this, so we decided to change it to our  own needs and have our own flag.

The colour had to be Blue&Navy. There were some suggestions of three GPO's instead of castles but we thought that some people might think there might be some political agenda behind this. We are Dublin GAA fans and are proud of our history, but we all have our own political views. But GAA's  we are not affiliated to any political party and politics will not come into our games. So instead of  three GPO's, we decided to add two crossed hurleys and a football to the starry plough flag.
 
We had around ten of our flags on the Hill the last day. They were very visible and we got good feedback from them. We are hoping to march up to Hill 16 with a piper for the next match.  We have contacted the Hill 16 Bodhran Orchestra (yeah those lads who are always at the games have been promoted) to coordinate with us on this. We also have a number of banners made and are in the process of customizing our flags. Our next step is to acquire some basic funds to help us with these and to get more members to wave them, so feel free to get involved. We want to promote a colourful, carnival atmosphere and urge people to come up with their own banners, flags and to generally express themselves.

For many years Dublin fans asked their mothers for an old sheet from the bed, or liberated  one from the hot-press, then got there some paint from the Da's shed! Two sticks from the factory and you were on your way to Croker for the all Ireland. This tradition has been lost and it would be great if it could return. 

 SO16: We are particularly excited at the prospects of the hurlers this year, at all levels, minor, U21's and seniors. The footballers should hopefully at least get their fourth Leinster in a row, but there has been so many surprises already in the Championship this year it is hard to see past that just yet.

SO16: At the moment we have no phone number, no funds, just a few home made flags but you can contact us at our email spiritof16dsc@gmail.com or through Blue&Navy. But when you see our flags at any hurling, football or camogie match countrywide, you know you are in a welcoming area for everyone young, old and even the odd culchie or two!!!!!! Basically you know you are with GAA people and people who have a love for our sports, history and culture who enjoy the craic.          ps Phone Number Spirit Of 16 DSC 085 2880 182

SO16: Everyone is welcome from to 9 to 90, from black to white, short to tall, East or West, North or South! The more the merrier. 

SO16: We also encourage all Dublin fans and friends to bring musical instruments. Not only for the matches but also for pre and post match music sessions. One idea in the pipeline is to pick a different GAA club after each game or book a room or a venue. So a game of seventy minutes can extend to being a day of culture.

What we have here in Ireland is unique and precious and we in the Spirit of 16 like the thousands of other selfless people country wide in their local clubs that give their time voluntarily have a responsibility that the genuine ethos of our games be protected.

"If one generation should drop the baton through disinterest or neglect, the loss to all of us would be immense." An Uachtaran Mary Mc Aleese 

We thank Blue&Navy for their support and hope to enjoy a close relationship with them in the future. Athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise daoibh go léir agus tá súil againn go bhfeicfimid thú i rith na mbliana. 
 
BAN: Best of luck going forward lads.

Maynard.