Have you ever stood outside the bars around closing time on St. Patrick's day or any weekend night in Allston? Hurling seems extremely popular. Watch your step.

Joking aside the whole point of the beanpot is to pack TD Garden with fans from schools which is a major part of the popularity. Why would the schools want to take that huge alumni/PR event away?

The Boston Irish I've seen on

By Steeve on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:19am.

The Boston Irish I've seen on St. Patrick's Day seem to love hurling.

2 Notes, 1 I have actually seen people play Hurling in Brighton, 2 they at least play Professional Ice Hockey in Belfast unlike say American Football which they seem to want to have played there for some reason.

Except

By Kaz on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 4:35pm.

The National Hurling championships just took place in Boston about 2 weeks ago. So, yeah.

The rink's too small

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:18am.

It has the capacity of Conte Forum, and half of the TD Banknorth Shawmut Center. Yes, the students won't travel (but Harvard's fans don't show up anyway) and a lot of the season ticket holders might not want the expense and time of flying, but hockey does have a following in the North. I'd go, if only for the trip.

That said, it ain't happening. Perhaps some other kind of tournament, with a Catholic college like Notre Dame, a proper Protestant school like BU, and a few state schools thrown in. It would work. If Penn State and Central Florida can play football at Croke Park, why not college hockey in Belfast. Couldn't be worse than the tourney the play every December in Estero, FL.

Oh yeah! Just what Belfast needs

By JimGaffigan on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:25am.

Catholic schools playing against Protestant schools.

They still have giant walls separating themselves in different parts of town, but you want to put them in a stadium with sticks.

Good luck with that!

No, it works

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 12:01pm.

I've been to a Belfast Giants game. It is the unifying sport in the city. I don't think BU-BC would be a good fit, although the Terrier in me likes the fact that both unionists and republicans would be rooting against BC. I think that having schools from across the sectarian divide meet up and be friendly would be a great "we can all get along" moment.

I did have a scary moment after the game. For some reason I took the bus to and from the game. While waiting, a drunk guy came up to me and asked where I was going. I know that that question could be loaded, but in the end he was a happy drunk who even asked the off duty bus driver to get me home. Lesson- drive to the arena next time (which I did)

"(but Harvard's fans don't

By anon on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:40am.

"(but Harvard's fans don't show up anyway)"

Their hockey team usually doesn't either.

Wait, I am not the only Bears

By Muerl on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 12:27pm.

Wait, I am not the only Bears fan on uHub?

Having been to the Tournament in Florida a number of times, it was a welcome addition to what was time with grandparents over christmas.

I agree that this a bad idea to move the beanpot, but a good general idea to do a tournament out there at least once. I mean its closer to Boston than UAA for example.

oh, I thought he meant Belfast, Maine?

By Ron Newman on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:22am.

U2?

By anon on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:25am.

I want the Undertones!

The Undertones

By Allstonian on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:45am.

That would make more sense, wouldn't it?

Speaking as an American

By anon on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 11:48am.

of part Irish (Catholic and Anglican) descent, I have zero desire to go to Belfast, or Northern Ireland, period. Why would I want to go someplace where a very large percentage of the population dislikes me? Where just a generation ago they were quite open about their hate, and very violent. They should just build a big wall around it and let them do as they please, but I want nothing to do with it, and don't support the idea. They in the north (all of them) have been coddled for a long time now by the British government throwing welfare money at them. And one of the main ruling political parties are still horrendous bigots and quite open about it. Fuck 'em.

Seriously?

By Nonymouse on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 1:07pm.

Then they probably shouldn't ever hold events in Boston, either, because of the busing riots. And the Tea Party. And Los Angeles really shouldn't host anything major for at least another 20 years because Rodney King, right?

Northern Ireland is not the same place it was 20 or 30 years ago. Belfast in particular has undergone enormous change. Blaming it for past sins isn't productive and doesn't help it continue the transformation.

Northern Ireland vs Forced busing in Boston?

By anon on Sat, 09/27/2014 - 2:10pm.

You are out of your effing mind, zero comparison. N.I. was a WAR ZONE for 30-40 years, thousands died from urban terrorism, indiscriminate bombing, shooting with automatic weapons, 'executions', suspension of civil liberties, giant 'peace walls' to isolate and block warring people and neighborhoods, suspension of local government for extended (years) period of time, regular army troops quartered in civilian areas to act as police, complete with armored vehicles.

There is no comparison in modern day America. For all intents N.I. was under full Martial Law for decades, pretty much all the 1970s,1980s, into the 90s. They still have hardcore 'terrorist' who engage in violence, kidnappings, shootings,bombing, etc.

The comparison is there

By Waquiot on Sat, 09/27/2014 - 10:02pm.

Ask an African American from some other part of the country if they would visit Boston and racism and busing would come up. Yes, this has lessened, but were you to do the same thing 20 years ago, or 20 years after Boston was in the headlines for the protests, and you'd hear it more. I'm not going to claim that there isn't racism in Boston, but Boston's no worse than pretty much anywhere else in America.

I've been to Belfast 3 times in the past 15 years. I almost proposed to my wife at the Giant's Causeway (too much people there when we went). Even in 1993, when I visited Armagh and Derry for the first time and dealt with roadblocks, it was okay for tourists. Apart from the 1970s, I'm sure visitors were safe in the North since busing came to Boston. However, I still would not visit the area in July or August, even to a quiet place like Enniskillen.

Oh, you should visit the North

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 1:36pm.

Admittedly, Belfast isn't the most exciting of cities to visit. You can go on bus tours of the peace lines, which is pretty cool. Queen's University and the area around there are nice too. My thing against Belfast is that I've been there 3 times, and I swear I have gotten drenched with rain two of those times. It is a great city that is emerging from a tough period. My first trip was in 1999, so it wasn't hard times. My hockey trip was in 2002, and other than the drenching it was great.

Now, the Antrim Coast- that's amazing. Starting at Larne going west, you get impressed, then you go around the bend and realize that what you just saw was nothing.

I've got to get to Downpatrick next time over. I don't know if it will be for hockey or something else. My gut is that no hockey will be involved, but we'll see.

Belfast

By PeyoteEatingWaterBear on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 3:27pm.

I went to Belfast in 2008 in between Christmas and New Year's and I loved it. Out of all of the cities that I have ever visited in Europe (Paris, London, Amsterdam, Dublin, Brussels), the people that I met in Belfast were by far the friendliest, most welcoming, most down to earth, and most interesting. I had new drinking buddies every night. The Antrim Coast and Giant's Causeway were spectacular. Not once did the whole Catholic v Protestant thing come up with anybody I met. The only time anybody mentioned anything even remotely about religion was a guy I met in a pub with a huge ZZ Top beard who told me that he and all of his friends were Pagans who worshiped the "Old Gods" Belfast is massively awesome. Anybody who doesn't want to go there is making a horrible mistake. Quite possibly the best vacation I have taken in my adult life.

Why?

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 12:20pm.

Let's take the 64 year old (in 2016), self-proclaimed "social event of winter season" and "official battle for Boston's hockey bragging rights" out of Boston for a year. Why? Just...why?

It's one thing to play a single pro game overseas, or even something like the Super Bowl that "regular" Americans rarely have access to anyway, but taking a local, collegiate tournament that many in our community embrace as a holiday of sorts? No.

$$

By johnmcboston on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 1:25pm.

I'm just wondering who is going to pay for these college kids to fly over for this game...

The same 99 percent of students who pay for everything else

By Nick on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 2:21pm.

As in the ones not on the hockey team.

I'm sure the colleges are frothing at the mouth at the thought of such exposure overseas. Northeastern especially (speaking as an alum) jumps at every possible opportunity to raise its international profile and recruit students who don't qualify for financial aid.

Zero chance

By bosguy22 on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 2:51pm.

This ever happens. Huge money maker for the schools, great exposure for the teams, and crazy expensive to keep 4 teams in Ireland for a week mid-semester. Dumb idea Marty.

However

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 4:19pm.

A Belfast tournament during Christmas break could be genius. I don't know about BC, though. From what I've gathered from their football fans, I believe they like to stay home around New Years.

But yeah, keep the Beanpot the Beanpot. I'm already penciling in a BU-Penn State and Notre Dame-Alaska Anchorage first round.

Beanpot in Belfast is a terrible idea for at least one reason

By issacg on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 12:25pm.

Given the enormous amount of controversy stirred up by the BC project to record the histories of various people involved with the Troubles (and how the handling of it was absolutely bungled beyond belief by everyone from the British and US governments to BC itself), it would be an absolutely unnecessary and potentially incendiary act to have an event in which BC figures so prominently (and which has no significance to anyone in Northern Ireland) held in Belfast so soon after the controversy.

The last thing we or the people in and around Belfast need is to see scenes of a bus full of college kids (who have nothing whatsoever to do with anything involving the Troubles) getting pelted with rocks by a very small minority of idiots chanting "Boston College Touts".

Many of you might think that I'm blowing this out of proportion, but friends in NI have indicated that I would do well to not even mention my alumnus status the next time I visit. Given what these people have lived through, they are not prone to hyperbole.

This is a terrible idea and I hope that the Mayor was at least well-informed enough to think of this - it does not appear so, however.

I can't believe that the BBC didn't mention the issue either.

Speaking as a BU fan

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 1:47pm.

I would love to see the protesting at the touts.

Speaking as a fan of the peace process, I say screw you to the PSNI, the Crown, and anyone else who decided that selective prosecution is worth destroying academic research. BC was trying to preserve history and got screwed in the process.

Does this mean

By bulgingbuick on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 2:42pm.

Syracuse will get a Beanpot invite?

They're a club team.

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 5:20pm.

Could still beat Harvard.

Someone

By bulgingbuick on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 3:57pm.

explain. I'm tired.

He's saying he went to Northeastern

By Waquiot on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 4:13pm.

I mean, he's saying that Harvard is the weakest link in the Beanpot.

Since I believe the Crimson own a winning streak against the Terriers, I will remain silent on the issue.

Nailed it

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 09/26/2014 - 5:20pm.

Yes, I did actually go to Northeastern, for graduate school anyway.

But I'm also from the Syracuse area originally, and last I knew they only had club team. When I went to fact check that for a witty (read: cheap shot) response, I found that this is still the case: They have a club team that plays in ACHA Division I.

My original headline was a bit confusing, and has since been fixed.

So we don't get U2, but Belfast gets the Beanpot?

Comments

Ice hockey in Ireland

Lots of Hurling around Boston