Cead mile failte - we love Ireland!

[pete75]

This topic will be shifted to the Tea Shop shortly.

Please try to avoid comments/"jokes" that may cause offence and involve moderator workload.

Thank you.

I though the *joke* was a bit off, not the sort one tells now

It is safest to use self-irony like Wilhelm Busch

Die Selbstkritik hat viel fuer sich..

It is good to practice self-criticism
People will think: he is so modest, so honest!
It also removes the need for others to criticise one
The best is: one may expect to be contradicted
So everyone will agree that the initial criticism is the opposite of the truth

Sorry for the translation, it is better in German

Self criticism? Some might call that fishing for compliments as the last couple of lines appear to confirm.

[661-Pete]

It is good to practice self-criticism

Agreed. I do it all the time, especially after I screw up a hand in bridge.

[Euskadi]

One of my favourite rides is along the coast of the southern edge of Belfast Lough and down the eastern edge of the Ards Peninsula.

Starting at Hollywood there is a tarmac path around the coast all the way to Bangor.
From Bangor there is a quiet urban route along the coast to Groomsport and a flat coast road, or cycle way, to Donaghadee and Ballywalter.
Some rolling small hills along the first section and stunning views at all parts.
About 25 miles and some of the best coast line in Ulster.

Love that ride. Also getting to know the roads east of Lough Neagh is cool. The roads run down to the Lough with great views especially from the top near Stonyfood. Sure there are plenty of more stunning vistas in Ireland I'm sure, but I'm very familiar with that part of Northern Ireland and can't wait to get back there to cycle. County Down is just brilliant. I live in West Sussex so am used to hilly cycling, and County Down is just magnificent for rolling hills. In fact it has a bit of everything. And the cyclists you meet on the roads are so friendly. Can't recommend Northern Ireland enough as a place to cycle.

[Boyd]

I’ve dipped into this thread and frankly I wonder what it’s all about. The idiocy of the comment about the cultivation of maize in Ireland in the famine period has forced me to respond. Maize was imported by the British authorities as a cheap food replacement for the starving populace. Instructions as to it’s preparation and cooking had to given out. The population did not like the Indian Corn or ‘yella meal’, however it was eat it or death. Incidentally the corn had to be purchased.
The reasons for the famine are straight forward, over reliance on one crop, however the social political and economic responses are complex, starvation was not inevitable.
And I think the ‘joke’ about the chip on their shoulder is out of order.
And no, the Good Friday Agreement was not a disaster, seventeen years of peace is progress.
Neil

Starvation was inevitable. With all our vastly improved communication it still happens today, so bound to happen then..... a certainty.

[Boyd]

I spent a while in NI. I have always fancied a ride around the places I served with my battalion and as a search dog handler. Crossmaglen, forkhill Dundalk basically South Armagh.
I wonder if those who despised the IRA feel safe today to say so openly or would they still feel they can only whisper it as they pass you by in the street. Or pass on the same info that you heard from 3 other farmers that day when away from prying eyes (and ears). No doubt there will be no flowers where squadies died...to much to hope for.

[Cyril Haearn]

I’ve dipped into this thread and frankly I wonder what it’s all about. The idiocy of the comment about the cultivation of maize in Ireland in the famine period has forced me to respond. Maize was imported by the British authorities as a cheap food replacement for the starving populace. Instructions as to it’s preparation and cooking had to given out. The population did not like the Indian Corn or ‘yella meal’, however it was eat it or death. Incidentally the corn had to be purchased.
The reasons for the famine are straight forward, over reliance on one crop, however the social political and economic responses are complex, starvation was not inevitable.
And I think the ‘joke’ about the chip on their shoulder is out of order.
And no, the Good Friday Agreement was not a disaster, seventeen years of peace is progress.
Neil

Starvation was inevitable. With all our vastly improved communication it still happens today, so bound to happen then..... a certainty.

Back then it was possible to produce enough food. Now enough food is produced but much is fed to animals or vehicles or turned into alcohol or destroyed (butter mountains etc)

[Boyd]

Starvation was inevitable. With all our vastly improved communication it still happens today, so bound to happen then..... a certainty.

Back then it was possible to produce enough food. Now enough food is produced but much is fed to animals or vehicles or turned into alcohol or destroyed (butter mountains etc)

you are assuming they had the same technology then as they have now. They were producing at full output both food and children.

[NUKe]

The People, the scenery, pubs, the music, the literature, big fan of Colin Dexter's Dan Starkey books, I also have a soft spot for Irish films generally low budget, but fun the Barrytown trilogy by Roddy Doyle gave us the Commitments, the Snapper and the Van. And don't forget Irelands latest offering to the world of entertainment , Game of Thrones.

My Wife is a Tyrone lass, so consequently we spend a lot of time there.

One of my all time favourite rides was with my father in law crossing the Sperrins in the early of the morning in late August. It was a full moon mist in the valleys gave it a surreal quality.

Dublin is my favourite capitol city spent many happy hour there sharing the Craic over a Guinness or five.

Visited Derry/Londonderry for the first time last year, and immediately fell in love with the place.

One thing I noticed last year was that because its one of the poorest parts of the UK. What that means is the rich aren't quite as rich as else where, house price are lower as a result, so are rents, which means normal folk are better off. Strange that

[bigjim]

I was born in Ireland and brought up there up till the age of ten but had frequent visits to England. When I was ten it was reversed and I lived in England but spent all my school breaks in Ireland. Ireland was the place where I was happiest as a child and I hated living in England. We had a small farm in Clare and a smallholding kind of place in Navan in Meath. All my family are Irish but most are settled in the UK. I have memories of been sent out to bring cattle back to the farm for milking. I had to do this twice a day. A young boy with a stick and a dog at his heels, slowly walking half a dozen slow cattle to and from the milking shed. Happy as can be.
My mum told me stories about how she used to pinch her dad's bike to cycle to dances in the 40s. She would ride back miles through the lanes by moonlight. No bike lights. No cars. Bike would be parked up and she would climb through the bedroom window at dawn. Dad never knew. We think.

[Boyd]

". ah well, accusing moderators of hypocrisy is unlikely to get posts approved, either."
Just moderators?

[Cyril Haearn]

Hmmm..... 50-50 whether this thread is a candidate for Tea Shop, I think. Not much about cycling, at any rate....

This is Ireland you are talking about! If you keep politics and history out of it you are not talking about Ireland.

Well: I think that, unlike Basil Fawlty, I could talk for a while about Ireland without once mentioning politics.

Or even history. Well, perhaps not that last. There are many famine memorials scattered around the country, we've come across one or two; each has a tale to tell....

One could talk about geography, geology, weather, literature, beer..

[Si]

Only been once...for a day, to Dublin, back in the '90s. My memories are of horrendous traffic queues tring to get from one side of the city to the other over the river, loads of hipster looking cycle courriers sat round drinking coffee on street corners, and that the people we were working with were pretty relaxed and laid back......judging a whole country by that brief encounter is hardly fair, thus i'd like to go back at some point for a proper look around.....only issue isthat ofsacrificing scarce holiday time to some where with a greater chance of rain than many other options!

[Cyril Haearn]

Tomorrow is Saint Patricks day, there are lots of parades and celebrations in Ireland, trumpland and elsewhere

I plan to celebrate by going for a long cycle ride, 50+ km

Must try to apply for an Irish passport too, before the fateful day

[pwa]

Only been once...for a day, to Dublin, back in the '90s. My memories are of horrendous traffic queues tring to get from one side of the city to the other over the river, loads of hipster looking cycle courriers sat round drinking coffee on street corners, and that the people we were working with were pretty relaxed and laid back......judging a whole country by that brief encounter is hardly fair, thus i'd like to go back at some point for a proper look around.....only issue isthat ofsacrificing scarce holiday time to some where with a greater chance of rain than many other options!

Similar weather to Devon. If you'd risk Devon weather you'll be fine with Irish weather.

[NUKe]

An Irish friend once said to me why do want to move to the only country where it rains 366 days a year.