In Ireland the Sunday Game is a GAA game and this Sunday was no different, Kilkenny played Galway in the hurling. But this Sunday it was the Wimbledon final which took to Centre Court. I decided I might walk down to the pub and watch the game to soak up some of the atmosphere. Just like the surrounding areas of Wimbledon and cities in the UK where they had erected a large screen to watch Andy Murray. Andy the first English male in a Wimbledon final since Fred Perry in 1936.
Watching Tennis in an Irish pub is a little different, here are just a few of the comments I overheard.
As the tennis statistics were displayed on the TV – “ what f**kin good are statistics sure they mean f**c all you either win on the day or you lose.
“Hey Brain, change the channel and put on the hurling this shit is to slow”
“This game looks fairly easy to me but I say you would have to be well fit to play it”
“That fellow Murphy – it’s Murray – Murphy, Murray it’s all the f**kin same, I say he is shitin himself playing your man Federer. You know he has won hundreds of times”.
“For F**k sake the fastest part of this game is the f**kin ball boys running up and down the line”.
“Oh! there’s that English guy in the crowd who is riding half of London. I wonder has he read 40 shades of grey?”
“Look it’s Cliff f**kin Richard, who’s that beside him?”
As the guys are joined by a friend at the bar the friend is greeted with “See you are here again, you must be very fond of this place – not talking to the missus then?”
Just then Murray hit a great shot that nearly hit Federer. – “Good man Murphy take his f**kin head off”.
After the first set was over – One of the guys turned to the other – “It’s going to be a long day” he said – Why?, replied the other guy “are you here for the night” – No, he replied “I mean the tennis its taking f**kin ages to play a set”.
Then the rain started and play was stopped. Immediately there were calls to Brain the barman to put on a real game- Hurling. To everyone’s surprise Galway were winning 1.10 to 0-0
The next table was joined by a young man and girl – “How r ya – your French, welcome to Ireland” – As the young man had introduced his new girlfriend to the people at the table. “French are ya, Mick and me were in Paris – yeah we were up the tower and what was the name of that place Mick were Quasimodo lived – Notre Dame love – ya Notre Dame – We were also up the Seine – then after a short pause she added “in a boat”
“So love you are studying English language here” – “yes in Cork” the young French girl replied – “holy f**k you’ll never learn English in Cork”.
The tennis play started again and as another customer stood to the side of the TV he was shouted at “good man Paddy stand there, you’ll not get hit by a f**kin tennis ball standing there”
The shouts at the TV continued – “Go on you good thing Murray –never hurry a Murray”
If he f**kin wins this game he’ll be English but if he loose he will be f**kin Scottish
Just another Sunday Game watched in an Irish Bar.
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