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GAA ANALYST JOE Brolly has apologised to the people of Kolkata after Monaghan County Council demanded he apologise for comparing the town of Clones to the Indian city in an article about the Ulster gaelic football final.
In a piece published in the Sunday Independent on 5 June, the former Derry footballer referenced a young boy charging for parking outside his house, squeezing multiple cars into the front lawn with “no gaps between them” and no lane for exiting after the match.
“Welcome to Calcutta, Ireland,” Brolly wrote. The article also referred to the journey home after the game saying: “Six or so miles outside Calcutta, driving at an average speed of 4mph…”
The article prompted Monaghan County Council to pass a motion calling on Brolly and the Sunday Independent to apologise for the “critical and disrespectful” comparison.
After passing the motion on Monday the council will be writing to the newspaper and its columnist to express its “deep disappointment”.
Speaking to The Journal today, Brolly said he would like to issue an apology to the people of Kolkata (the official way of spelling the city’s name) for comparing their city to the Monaghan town.
“Upon reflection, I would like to extend my apologies to the people of Calcutta. In no way did I intend to demean them by comparing them to Clones,” Brolly said.
The outspoken pundit said he was stuck in traffic in Clones for three hours after Derry’s win.
“Every single person charges you to park in their lawns, driveways, fields. Then you’re just jammed-in, you can’t get out after the game. There’s nowhere else to go,” he said.
Speaking in a jovial manner, Brolly added: “The sooner Casement Park’s built the better.”
The redevelopment of the stadium in Belfast was given the green light in recent weeks after a legal challenge was rejected.
Brolly previously referred to Clones as the “Bangladesh of Ulster” and a “capital of gombeenism” in an article in 2019.
Monaghan County Council’s motion was brought forward by Councillor Richard Truell who said comparing Clones to Kolkata, which contains one of India’s poorest slums, is completely wrong.
The Fine Gael councillor said it was a “bit rich” that Brolly apologised to the people of Kolkata, saying “He may as well keep his apology then.”
“[Being] compared to Calcutta, that’s what the motion is about, that’s what I’m angry about and that’s what the people of Clones are angry about. It’s insulting to the people of county Monaghan,” Truell said.
Despite this, the local politician added that an invitation, contained in the council’s letter to Brolly, to visit Clones and get a tour of the town remains open.
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Never change joe……never change
@Sean Mc Cabe: hahaha class Joe…..
Is Monaghan the county bordering Londondelhi?
@Alex Marquis: take a bow
@Alex Marquis: You’ll be in the running for Comment of the Year with that one. Terrific.
He does absolutely love the sound of his own voice, but full credit to Brolly for this one. The Councillors of Monaghan should have known far better than to tangle with their intellectual superior. Maybe they should just focus on a better matchday product in their town.
Hope the apology is printed in the Calcutta Herald also!
Outstanding, love it!
I think Brolly was trying to curry favour with the local politicians.
Sorry.
@Alex Marquis: Good..very good.
@Alex Marquis: Should have gone home through Tandoorigee….
I’m from Monaghan and Joe is right. The council are wrong here.
Thats a headline i probably thought I’d never read.
Love Joe Brolly
Cmon the joe ,wears his heart on his sleeve and says it like it is ,he’s very sadly missed on the Sunday game as well ,we have too many humourless snowflakes looking to be offended
@James Delaney: Maybe some people think he’s a K#0b? Just a thought
@Bennett blaster: Exactly. And that’s what RTE Sports analysis has always excelled at. Bit of divisiveness and niggle.
Bring him back, he did no wrong
Nearly sure it was renamed Kolkata in 2001, Calcutta not Monaghan……..
Interesting to note the Irish republican not using the correct name for the city and, instead, using the colonial name for it. I assume he also refuses to use Cobh and Dún Laoghaire and sticks with Queenstown and Kingstown.
@Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa: Wha ?
@John A. Dixon: The name of the city is Kolkata, Brolly referred to it by its colonial name of Calcutta. Cobh and Dún Laoghaire are Irish towns that used to have colonial names and we would not appreciate people using them now.
@Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa: He might not have an encyclopaedia of things to be offended about.
@v39e84kK: I find your repetition offensive
The offendkin are detestable.
Are there any ‘black holes of Clones’ that the Council needs to fill in? Twinning with Kalkata City Council might be an auspicious project.
@Garreth Byrne: I think the build houses far quicker in Calcutta
Monaghan County Council….. They the lads that were on prime time demanding envelopes full of cash for favours etc….? Nods head..
Well he’s a dam sight better than that clown Cantwell !
@Alan McDonagh: that’s not nice Alan. BTW, If you are going to call someone a clown make sure you get your spellings right or someone might think you are a clo..
Gaa supporters use our area as a free car park. Had to park in an adjacent estate last week. A real nuisance and not a thing done about it. F the gaa and it’s attitude to its supporters and to local residents.
@alan: presumably if its free to park there then its a council issue rather than GAA?
Joe loves the oul Queen’s shilling when it suits him.
I have attended many Ulster finals in Clones and it is without doubt the worst and most unsightly venue I have ever seen.
Never been to Calcutta but I doubt if its in this lamentable state. Not often I agree with Brolly but “roll on Casement”
Sweet dreams. By Annie Lennox could explain all.
I think their twined!
Love Joe. But is it a bit derogatory to be talking about places like Kolkatta or Bangladesh like that?
have your say