ExplorA8tion Ireland! 5th - 15/16th June 2016

[HPsauce]

I think we'll be on the M2, then the M1, then A1 then M1 again.

[tintin]

Originally Posted by steamship

Stumbled across the following today. Now you know why people here have a hard time explaining where they live!

Ireland is an island to the west of Britain but Northern Ireland is just off the mainland - not the Irish mainland, the British mainland. The capital of Ireland is Dublin. It has a population of a million people, all of whom will be shopping in Newry this afternoon. They travel to Newry because it is in the North, which is not part of Ireland, but still pay in Euros. Under the Irish constitution, the North used to be in Ireland, but a successful 30-year campaign of violence for Irish unity ensured that it is now definitely in the UK. Had the campaign lasted any longer the North might now be in France. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. It has a population of half a million, half of whom own houses in Donegal. Donegal is in the north but not in the North. It is in the South. No, not the south, the South. There are two parliaments in Ireland. The Dublin parliament is called the Dáil, (pronounced "Doyle"), an Irish word meaning a place where banks receive taxpayers' money. The one in Belfast is called Stormont, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'placebo', or deliberately ineffective drug. Their respective jurisdictions are defined by the border, an imaginary line on the map to show fuel launderers where to dump their chemical waste and bi-products. Protestants are in favour of the border, which generates millions of pounds in smuggling for Catholics, who are totally opposed to it. Travel between the two states is complicated because Ireland is the only country in the world with two M1 motorways. The one in the North goes west to avoid the south and the one in the South goes north to avoid the price of drink! We have two types of democracy in Ireland. Dublin democracy works by holding a referendum and then allowing the government to judge the result. If the government thinks the result is wrong, the referendum is held again. Twice in recent years the government decided the people's choice was wrong and ordered a new referendum. Belfast democracy works differently. It has a parliament with no opposition, so the government is always right. This system generates envy in many world capitals, especially Dublin. Ireland has three economies - northern, southern and black. Only the black economy is in the black. The other two are in the red. All versions of the IRA claim to be the real IRA but only one of them is the Real IRA. The North's biggest industry is the production of IRAs. Consequently, we now have the Provisional, Continuity and Real IRA. The Real IRA is by far the most popular among young graffiti writers simply because it is the easiest to spell. I trust this clarifies things and has answered many previously unanswered questions for you.

All right, and all wrong - which is why (one of the reasons) I'm looking forward to the tour. It's a mad, mad world - especially in the Emerald Isle (North or South)

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by tintin

All right, and all wrong - which is why (one of the reasons) I'm looking forward to the tour. It's a mad, mad world - especially in the Emerald Isle (North or South)

Just give that, along with a description of cricket (the ins and outs one) to an American, then sit back and watch their brain implode.

[Ameiseuk]

......oh, and just to confuse the brain even more, we have Sterling up here in 'the north' but the bank notes are a completely different design depending on which of the 4 main banks you use!

[steamship]

Originally Posted by Ameiseuk

......oh, and just to confuse the brain even more, we have Sterling up here in 'the north' but the bank notes are a completely different design depending on which of the 4 main banks you use!

Yeah, I forgot about our fondness for different bank notes In fact, we'll take anything with Sterling printed on it, we're not fussy.

[HPsauce]

I have had a VERY STRONG recommendation for a seafood restaurant in Dingle. Out Of The Blue http://www.outoftheblue.ie/

It's from my daughter who was over there for a friends wedding recently and loved it. Was taken there by locals.
She (largely) shares my tastes in food, especially seafood. Noteworthy comments from the web site:
- Meat eaters need not apply: Out Of The Blue is strictly for seafood lovers!
- Everything depends upon the catch of the day and nothing but the best will do. If there’s no fish, the restaurant doesn’t open.

Sadly it's evening only, but does open from 5pm. You do need to book.

Given we are staying in Killarney for 2 nights (Tue and Wed?) and it's about an hours drive from there, is anyone interested in eating there on the Wednesday evening?
I'm not sure what Wednesdays drive will be though - maybe the Ring of Kerry? That would work OK we could just head on to Dingle at the end, being already booked in accommodation is no problem, though as the (very strongly) recommended route is anticlockwise we would return to Killarney anyway before heading to Dingle.
I'm guessing that we will leave Bantry on Tuesday morning, go round the Ring of Beara and head for Killarney to check in.

[tintin]

Right then folks, thanks mainly to the excellent design input from Neil and Sean, we're now in a position to announce the very exclusive, very limited edition clothing range for this tour that we're all looking forward to so much.

The range is limited to the following one-off items, so could you please let me know what you'd like for you/your SO (no of items and sizes).

1. Rugby Shirt: £22.50 each. Good quality traditional weight garment (ideal for windy/wet west of Ireland summer evenings ..)
2. Polo Shirt: £15.00 each. High quality Gildan soft-touch wicking fabric - very nice.

The attached images gives you an outline of what these will look like in design terms - so could you please take a quick look, and then PM me with your orders over this weekend. I'll then PM you back with the bank details to send these payments to, and get these ordered on Monday, so that they arrive in plenty of time for the annual meet weekend.

Thanks

Stephen

[HPsauce]

Stephen, no map on the back of the polo shirt?

[Architex_mA8tey]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

Stephen, no map on the back of the polo shirt?

I think that the rugby shirt has the full package of "advertising" front and back and then the polo shirts are supposed to be a bit more formal and a bit less "in your face" than the rugby shirts.

All looks great to me - I would rather have my name on the front than a forum nickname in both cases

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by Architex_mA8tey

All looks great to me - I would rather have my name on the front than a forum nickname in both cases

Agree with both of those points, just need to discuss with SWMBO who doesn't really go for such things.