Irish life (page 2)
Weather, habits and oddities of everyday Ireland.
Cheltenham Racing
So there I was, innocently minding my own beeswax at work when the deputy editor stuck his head in and asked if we wanted to go watch "the race." I must proclaim my ignorance at this point.
Irelandlogue AWOL
It's been a few days since I blogged here - I know there are throngs of you suffering from withdrawals. It's okay, we are intact and the mechanations of the logue are back in working order.
The Bogman by Walter Macken
I have to say that the majority of the Irish fiction I'm familiar with come from Ireland's luminaries - Joyce, Swift and the like. I have decided to make an effort to change that.
The wearin' o' the green
Yes folks, it won't be long now. The day when all the world is Irish and people everywhere do silly, silly things all in the name of Ireland. Poor old St Patrick.
Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink
In a country where it falls from the sky almost every day, it's not surprising to find that Irish people do not pay a water bill. But it also gives one pause when the water stops flowing.
The Outsiders - Exposing the Secretive World of Ireland's Travellers
This book concerning Irish travellers was recently published and, as I had recently blogged here about "the Hulk" I decided to alleviate some of my ignorance on the matter by reading this book.
The Irish Sideways bike
We were talking on Sunday about mountain biking in Ireland , but here's something completely different.
The Thirsty Traveller samples Irish Cuisine
This is a travelistic piece featuring the Thirsty Traveller sampling Irish cuisine.
Smoothie and not-so-smooth Rides
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Hey, isn't that the smoothie bike?" Yes, my apt friend, it is.
Ash Wednesday
Yeah, today is the beginning of Lent and the day when, back in the states, people would be constantly stopping me to point out the dirt in the middle of my forehead.
Lessons in social photography
My bizarre weekend as social photographer came to an end on Saturday. Friday night was, as I mentioned in an earlier post a bit mad, if predictably so. Saturday was a bit more, em, task-oriented.
From Dusk til Dawn
Yesterday was a beautiful sunset, as you can see from above there. That's the Athlone town centre and her attendant cranes silhouetted against the sky. I have taken on a strange task.
Terry Wogan receives lifetime achievement award
Terry Wogan, the Limerick-born TV and radio announcer received an award from Limerick last week for his achievements in journalism.
Blackthorn bushes
You've probably seen those "Irish shilelagh" sticks or "Irish walking stick" made from some brambly-looking wood with little gnarls and knobs all over it.
The Superbowl in Ireland
Did I forget to mention that I watched the Superbowl last weekend? I think I did. That might sound fairly mundane to those of you stateside, but here in Ireland the Superbowl usually happens between…
Ireland plays in San Marino tonight!
OPEN LETTER TO THE WORLD CUP BLOG It may have come to your attention that Ireland is playing tonight in a European Championship qualifier match.
Hitler is funny, Gandhi . . . not so much
What with all the uproar over racism on the Big Brother program, you'd think people would be a bit more cautious.
Dublin Riots
I just found this substantial video shot at the corner of Parnell and O'Connell streets of the riots in Dublin last year. Holy crap:
Gaa gaa over the GAA
It's one of those quiet phenomenons that never register on a tourist's radar: the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Like the 'logue?
Wanna be a 'loguer, eh? Seems glamorous and exciting, does it? Um. Not usually. But THIS on the other hand, sounds like the dog's bollix.
Demise of rural Ireland
It's everywhere in the news lately - the death of rural Ireland. The topic that brings it to the headlines lately is the drink driving laws that are keeping your rural Irishman at home, leading to…
Bord Failte website redesign
Failte is Irish for welcome, so it's appropriate that the tourist board here in Ireland is called Bord Failte which is Irish for, essentially, "The Welcome Committee." I just happened across their…
Beheamoth blocks blogger
*sigh* Well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose. Now, instead of the lovely river Shannon, this is our view: It's only a matter of time before we're staring, open-robed, into windows where other…
M50 tollbridge - lowest BASE jump in Europe!
Wow. Who knew? That's right folks, the lowest BASE jump in Europe was off the M50 toll plaza. Rock on: For more kee-razy shite like this, you should check out the adventure blog . Power to the people.
Winter vomiting bug strikes Galway hospital
Every winter in Ireland the winter vomiting bug strikes. When wifey was pregnant with the munchkin, she caught it (a dangerous prospect for a pregnant mother).
Tragedy for Irish Tourism
I can't believe I didn't hear about it earlier - sligozone.net has died! Good lord, it seems like just yesterday we were watching our Aine on Podge and Rodge and now it would seem she has hung up her…
Beheamoth further obscures blogger's view
It won't be long now. A number of months ago, I blogged about the last time I noticed our view disappearing behind this beheamoth . Well, the march of progress and all that, I suppose.
Rural Ireland dying?
Just over a month ago, I mentioned that many rural Irish communities may be facing extinction . As it turns out, recent news stories are reporting that is exactly what is happening.
Ireland and Oy-rishness abroad
Well, I've just returned from 10 days abroad in France. It's a good place, and you should definately (after Ireland, of course) consider a trip to France.
Irish Fuel - Coal
If you light a fire in Ireland and think you'll be burning wood you'll need to think again.
New Irish Monopoly
I was doing some Christmas shopping when I came across this, the new Monopoly board game.
Conversation with the chimney sweep
Okay, so we're huge dorks, but we think Chimney Sweeps are just so Mary Poppins we feel like running around in footed pajamas and jumping into sidewalk chalk drawings when we even hear mention of…
The Grove
The Grove is another one of those off-the-beaten track pubs that most visitors miss.
Irish Fuel - Briquettes
If you light a fire in Ireland and think you'll be burning wood you'll need to think again.
To knight tonight?
Well, the queen has rung up our man Bono and made him a Knight. Word is, the Prime Minister is delighted. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be.
Irish Fuel - Turf
If you light a fire in Ireland and think you'll be burning wood you'll need to think again.
Reindeer in Jerusalem?
I couldn't help but post this one - I was walking past a local nativity scene and saw, among the camels and kings three stuffed (and mechanized, I might add) reindeer.
The winter vomiting bug
It comes around every winter in Ireland - the winter vomiting bug. Highly contagious, if a hospital admits patients with the bug they will be quarantined from the other wards.
Irish santa hat
So you want to be festive in Ireland for Christmas, but maybe red isn't your colour?
Fog and Flood
Once or twice a year, usually around the winter months, a fog hits Ireland and stays for 48 hours or more.
Top 10 What have the Brits ever done for us?
Oh dear lord, stop what you're doing right now and watch this: A lot of this humour requires some knowledge of Irish culture, but it's still fecking, side-splittingly hilarious.
Word up, ya spailpín!
I have a degree in literature. I have worked both as a journalist and in the computer industry as a technical writer (its own distinct application of the language, it should be noted).
Kin Khao Restaurant in Athlone
When wifey and I first moved to Athlone we lamented the fact that, while there are loads of wonderfully fresh meats, breads and vegetables to be had in the area, we anticipated a certain lack of…
Light up, Light up
So today at 5pm Athlone town lit up her Christmas lights. So we mightn't be a big city and our lights might be a modest display next to some other urban centres, but there's still something lovely…
Where the weir went?
Above is the flooded weir today, below is a pic I took two months ago, so you can see where the weir went. It takes a vast amount of water for the Shannon to have risen this high at the weir wall.
How do you drive a computer?
The man pictured there on the left once said that the greatest engineering achievement of this century might be "Getting rid of the credit card." You may, however, know him better as the first man to…
Last glimpse of a naked bridge
So Dublin and Galway may have already decked themselves out for the season, but Athlone is waiting until . . . well, probably until the storms have died down.
Tallest Cranes Revisited
Well, the Athlone town centre project procedes apace. The last time I mentioned these cranes you couldn't really see the results of their efforts easily, but look above there and you'll see emerging…
The Bell Circle
This is an audio blog post about The Bell Circle - a charity gambling sheet run by a local man. The woman speaking is a lifelong Athlonian with what would be called a "town" accent.
Podge and Rodge Dolls
In what is bound to be Ireland's Tickle me Elmo fiasco, RTE has released talking stuffed Podge and Rodge dolls for christmas.
King of the Travellers
Duuuude, look at this guy. This man is Joe "The Hulk" Joyce, who, sources tell me, is the king of all travellers.
Sheepish Tourism in Ireland
Ireland has a lot of sheep. Okay, maybe not as much as New Zealand (where there's so many of the little blighters that they're farting a hole in the ozone ), but it's hard to travel far in the…
Perfect Irish Girlfriend in a box
Okay, so this is a link to an internet service provider's website. May I state that it is NOT my intention to endorse their services in any way.
Aran Sweaters
Called an Aran jumper here (one of the many anglo words I can't get used to - my US tongue still stubbornly says "sweater" for a long-sleeved, warm upper body garment.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes indeed, it is the most yankee of holidays - Thanksgiving. Sure, you might think independence day should have that distinction, but I beg to differ!
Parking in Cork
Most cities (and towns) in Ireland have, either out of necessity or with eyes wide at the potential revenue bottom line, installed some sort of paid parking system for their streets.
The "aww" factor - three men and three babies
This is the most adorable thing I've heard in a while. Just look at the three fellas there with those little babies. Those three guys are brothers and they all became grandads ON THE SAME DAY.
Nuclear giveaway in the Irish Sea
So I'm a little squeamish when it comes to matters of things nuclear. I may have mentioned this in a previous post about Athlone being threatened by nuclear fallout or when Sellafield, the nuclear…
Who wants to be a millionaire?
In case you were all wondering, I am not one of the two Irish winners of last night's euromillions lotto jackpot. Hey, I'm no different than anyone else.
Bizarre Irish Kidnapping case
Has this story registered a blip on the US news radar? A pair of grandparents in Ireland flew to the states and kidnapped their grandson.
Irish Emergency Room
If you should ever find yourself unfortunate enough to need emergency services while in Ireland, you could find yourself in worse straits.
Dublin Port Tunnel to open
It was one of the biggest fiascos in recent Irish history: the Dublin port tunnel.
Traveller Funeral
The building I do a bit of work in is adjacent to the new town centre construction site.
European economy to surpass US
So next year the euro will outstrip the US dollar. I remember when we first moved here the exchange rate was 90 US cents to the euro. Today the exchange rate is $1.29 = €1.
Armistice Day
Today commemorates the end of The Great War; WWI. It has been 88 years. Here's a story And here are the words to Eric Bogle's wonderful song on the subject, The Green Fields of France , a very…
Already??
Okay, so I know that Halloween is over. I know that, in this country, there is no Thanksgiving holiday to cushion one against the inevitable . . .
Military funeral
On my way home today through town for lunch I noticed traffic was seriously backed up. Upon arriving at the bridge, I saw the following: a military funeral.
Global warming befuddles sheep
We have, as I've mentioned before , had a fantastically warm summer and it seems to be affecting all things Irish. . . . . . even the sheep.
How not to impress the Gardai
This weekend I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the fruits of the new garda anti-drink-driving campaign.
Dublin Airport conversation
So there I was sitting on a bench in Dublin airport minding my own business when this guy came up to me. "How's it goin?" he asked. "Good," I replied.
First frost
I awoke this morning to a glorious chill in the air. That's right, the onset of winter has announced itself in the first frost of the season this morning.
River S
So we went for lunch in the River S in Athlone the other day. The great thing about this bar is its location.
Podge and Rodge's Scare at Bedtime
It doesn't get much more Irish Halloween-y than this, folks. Podge and Rodge are now huge Irish celebrities running their own talk show on RTE .
George Best is on the money
So the folks up north are issuing a five pound note with soccer legend George Best's picture on it. First off I need to state that I mean absolutely no disrespect to George Best here.
Me on the Gerry Ryan show
So there I was, riding my bike into work this morning when the mobile goes off. I pull it out and look down: a Dublin number. Hm.
Monkey nuts reloaded
So at this infamous party last friday there was a bowl of . . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . MONKEY NUTS on the table.
Life imitates art
So yesterday I posted an Ali G video he recorded in Northern Ireland. Sometimes life imitates art. Today I came across this article about Vince Vaughn in Northern Ireland interviewing politicians.
Ali G in Northern Ireland
British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen has a character a lot of you may be familiar with: Ali G.
Oh my gourd
Yayyyy! Well, the party was a huge success. This was our fourth annual pumpkin carving party and by far the largest pumpkin slaughter we've witnessed in Ireland thus far.
Tuli fog
Oh, how appropriate. Preparations for tonight's shindig are well underway and then I looked out the window to see that nature had decided to chime in with an appropriately spooky natural phenomenon.
Travelistic
Bootsnall has just partnered with www.travelistic.com which is kind of a YouTube for travel videos. There's loads of strange and wonderful videos up there.
Monkey Nuts
You may not have believed me without the accompanying picture, but peanuts in Ireland are also called "monkey nuts." I felt about 13 years old when I saw this sign proudly hung out the front of a…
Radiation leak
Oh no, this is not good. Okay, so I was raised in the states during the cold war. My fourth grade teacher read us Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes in class.
Illness and construction
I woke this morning with an achy head, joints and a sore throat. Wifey got up extra early to deliver the grandparents to Dublin airport. You lose the in-laws and get a flu virus.
Breastfeeding in McDonalds
I recently posted about breastfeeding in Ireland . I spotted the sticker there on the left at the local McDonalds.
Beanies magical soup
What you see above you is the legendary soup of Beanies. This stuff has been eluding my grasp for weeks now.
The Rising
I've just discovered that the lads over at langerland.com (the geniuses behind Top Ten What Have the Brits Ever Done for Us? )have produced a new toon parodizing the 1916 rising . . .
Travel Gear Blog Launches!
Love gadgets, gizmos and gear? Bootsnall (the parents of this site) have just launched a new blog dealing with cool travel stuff.
Ireland ties with Czech
Ireland has had a rough time of it in the realm of international soccer. After coming up from a seemingly impossible position in 2002, they lost their star player in a personality conflict with the…
Wagamama
For dinner in Cork, we went to the much-talked-about Wagamama restaurant . Through a full-length glass storefront, Wagamama is a vaguely Japanese-style restaurant furnished with long tables and…
From Cork to Kinsale
Today was a good day in Cork . We woke early and headed down to the Beamish and Crawford brewery for their brewery tour.
Interview with the brewer
So today we awoke in Cork city. The room we had stayed in (more about that later) was an absolute sauna and the munchkin voiced her protests late into the night.
Snakes return to Ireland?
Jiminy Christmas I feel so high tech. I have been using a palm pilot since my friend Jason introduced me to them in the 90s.
Drum Heritage parade
This is just a snippet of a bit of Irish life: a charity walk from the centre of Athlone town to Drum (a small village in the environs) happened this past weekend.
The saga of Noel O'Gara continues . . .
Quirky Athlonian Noel O’Gara, the man taking on Dublin city council, is back in the news. Click here to read my last post on this topic.
21st Birthday party
In the states, a person's 21st birthday is a big deal: that's the year you can drink alchohol. In Ireland it's a big deal too. It's the year you can . . . um, . . . drink more alchohol?
Garda reserves?
Welcome to the Garda Síochána . As their website says, "We do hope that you like it." This is not the welcome that new garda reeserve recruits will be having when they show up for training.
Ploughing Championships
Where there's muck, there's luck! Your eyes do not fool you. The photo above there is from last year's International ploughing championships and, yes, those are dancing diggers.
Fecking hamsters
So, when we first arrived in Ireland we got everyone's best George Bush/texan impersonation. Usually something along the lines of a VERY bad "Oh miiiie gaaahhhhd, yir frum UH-mare'kuh?" We laughed.
Soup-hungry rain
God help them Ryder Cuppians (can you say that: "cuppians"?) The rain hit today in an uncharacteristically fierce blast. If there was any doubt before, winter has certainly arrived this weekend.