Ireland About Ireland
It’s still called a “pint”
In a move that will prevent a lot of tongue-tied stuttering at Irish pubs around the country, the European Commission decided on September 11 to allow traders in Ireland and the UK to continue using pint measures for milk, draught beer and cider as well as miles on road signs.
For those who are scratching their heads over this you should know that there is a UK movement called the “metric martys” who steadfastly refused to use the metric system in their business dealings.
Date: September 15th, 2007 |
No Comments
Irish bare-knuckle boxing match
Yep - this is what the fuss is all about.
Date: September 10th, 2007 |
No Comments
The rugby world cup
It’s one of those things I’ve never really understood. You meet these hard-core Irish guys who live in the country, listen to trad, have family with questionable political affiliations and carry a general disdain for anything anglo . . . and then you discover that they absolutely love rugby or soccer. We’re talking Man U stickers on their car/president of their local Liverpool supporters club kind of love.
Tres bizarre.
Speaking of, er, IN French, I sat down with the grumpy frenchman yesterday to watch the inaugural match of the rugby world cup between France and Argentina. Thanks to his apt, if steeped in irony, commentary I picked up enough to understand and, to my surprise, enjoy the match.
Date: September 8th, 2007 |
2 comments
The old Galway town walls
In today’s expanding Ireland where ancient sites are regularly paved over in the name of progress it’s nice to see some glaring exceptions.
In Galway, anyone building over a known historical site must both accept responsibility for maintaining the site and allow viewing access to the public. One of the more overt instances of this law is the huge Eyre Square shopping centre, built right over the old Galway town walls.
Rather than demolish them, the new shopping centre was built over them, like a giant warehouse. Shoppers entering the Eyre Square centre will stroll past modern glass storefronts and come face to face with the medieval entrance to the city: the old town walls, standing ancient and proud beneath the glass atrium.
Date: September 5th, 2007 |
No Comments
Irish traveler video
I’ve done a few posts on Irish travelers. Here’s a video post they’ve done themselves:
Date: August 30th, 2007 |
2 comments
Ireland’s dismal European soccer cup situation
Try again in 2010.
It rhymes. It also pretty much sums up the situation for Irish world cup soccer.
While the pundits lambast the coach and more than a few Irish players nurse serious injuries, tonight’s loss to the Czech Republic pretty much means that Ireland will not be playing in the 2008 European cup.
It just doesn’t seem that long ago that I awoke around 6am in a Munich hostel with just one thing on my mind. Closing the door behind us, wifey and I traipsed across the still slumbering German city. At that early hour of the morning the sun had yet to slip her fingers down past the rooftops and it was through a lingering chill between the buildings that we approached a nondescript wooden door and descended down a flight of stairs.
Date: September 12th, 2007 |
1 comment
Irish Slang - Shanks Mare
So you speak English. Why not travel to the land of saints and scholars where English has been lyrically embellished since the dark ages; a week or two in Ireland and I won’t even need a translation dictionary!
A few weeks of hearing your language dancing gracefully and coherantly across the Irish tongue might be more challenging than you think! Ireland may be a predominately english-speaking nation, but the thing that tickled my ears the most when I first moved here and that tends to confuse our stateside guests is some of the slang. So, below is the 40th (!!) in a series I’m publishing on some common Irish slang that used to confuse us when we first arrived.
Date: September 9th, 2007 |
2 comments
The Irish National Tayto
Everyone knows that Ireland is famous for her potatoes. What you may not know is the reverence in which Irish people hold their potato crisps.
Specifically, their Tayto crisps.
So ingrained into Irish culture is the Tayto brand potato crisp that Irish people often refer to all potato crisps, be they Doritos or Pringles, as “Taytos.” There is a good reason.
When wifey and I first moved to Ireland we met some friends in a pub and when they found that we hadn’t tried their “Irish potato crisps” they immediately went to the bar and returned with two foil bags, placed them proudly on the table and waited for us to sample and react.
Date: September 8th, 2007 |
1 comment
Irish Slang - Grand
So you think you’ve got a handle on the English language. So ya think you’ll take a holiday (that’s vacation to you, Mr & Mrs USA) to Ireland and understand what folks are saying.
Think again.
Although Ireland is a predominately english-speaking nation, there will be moments when you’ll wonder whether that’s true or not. It’s not the Irish language, but the way the Irish use English that is truly unique. One of the things that tickled my ears the most when I first moved here and that tends to confuse our stateside guests is some of the slang. Below is the thirty-ninth installment in my series of common Irish slang that used to confuse us when we first arrived.
Date: September 2nd, 2007 |
No Comments
The Old Shamrock Bar
I love this old pub on Connacht Street here in Athlone. There’s something so poignant about its dereliction. Vacant shopfronts like this are fading fast - Athlone is a growing metropolis. Across the street from the old Shamrock Bar is a brand-new shopping/apartment complex.
Date: August 27th, 2007 |
1 comment
