NUKe wrote:An Irish friend once said to me why do want to move to the only country where it rains 366 days a year.
Amen to that. My parents are Irish, all my holidays as a young kid were spent there, my memories are (like of Scotland) rain, wet, grey & pebble dashed bungalows, nothing but depressing memories, I don't go back. My late father used to bang on about Ireland, nothing there wasn't 100x better than the same thing in England, I think he went back once in his last 30+ years.................
NUKe wrote:An Irish friend once said to me why do want to move to the only country where it rains 366 days a year.
Amen to that. My parents are Irish, all my holidays as a young kid were spent there, my memories are (like of Scotland) rain, wet, grey & pebble dashed bungalows, nothing but depressing memories, I don't go back. My late father used to bang on about Ireland, nothing there wasn't 100x better than the same thing in England, I think he went back once in his last 30+ years.................
Some things have changed and are better now, on the east coast there is less rain, the population is so low there is lots of country But there are lots of tourists, why, do they only go once? I refuse to change the title to 'we dislike Ireland' Maybe Amos Oz had it right: 'I love Israel, but I do not like it very much'
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
His Holiness Pope Francis is on the way to Ireland, Karel Wojtyla (JP 2) went there 1979, 2.7m people went to see him Fewer spectators are expected this time, not sure why
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn wrote:But there are lots of tourists, why, do they only go once? I refuse to change the title to 'we dislike Ireland'
It's been a long time since I saw either of them but I used to work with two blokes (not at the same time and they didn't know each other) who gave exactly the same reason for why they liked holidaying in Ireland - 'It reminds me of Britain 30 years ago...'
Cyril Haearn wrote:But there are lots of tourists, why, do they only go once? I refuse to change the title to 'we dislike Ireland'
It's been a long time since I saw either of them but I used to work with two blokes (not at the same time and they didn't know each other) who gave exactly the same reason for why they liked holidaying in Ireland - 'It reminds me of Britain 30 years ago...'
I have often said the same. Well 20 Years. But they have caught up a lot recently, it is not that they’re backward but the values of family and friendship, they didn’t go through Thatcherism, when community was replaced with self.
Been over to Eire a couple of times for dinghy racing (Cork was one). Persistent fine rain showed our tent needed reproofing - but the subsequent B&B was lovely, as was the subsequent tour of the south west
Ben@Forest wrote:It's been a long time since I saw either of them but I used to work with two blokes (not at the same time and they didn't know each other) who gave exactly the same reason for why they liked holidaying in Ireland - 'It reminds me of Britain 30 years ago...'
I have often said the same. Well 20 Years. But they have caught up a lot recently, it is not that they’re backward but the values of family and friendship, they didn’t go through Thatcherism, when community was replaced with self.
I don't think it had much to do with Thatcherism, both those blokes were (both are likely retired by now) self-employed skilled or semi-skilled agricultural labourers/forestry contractors, neither would have been much touched by the 80s and they would have been pro-Thatcher if they were at all political. They were definitely pro-hunting and fishing (one of them went to Ireland to fish).
I think they found it still a quieter, more relaxed pace, with little traditional pubs and probably a good exchange rate at that time. But l'm sure it has changed.
Just re-reading "Silver Linings, travels around Northern Ireland" by Martin Fletcher, makes one laugh and cry, must go back to Ulster of the six counties sometime
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
It is a time we remember my Dad, who went into hospital for the last time last St.Patrick's Day. He was Irish. But apart from that we ignore it. I'm not keen on flag waving stuff of any variety.
One theory about St. Patrick is that he may have been kidnapped and taken to Ireland from the small Welsh town of LLantwit Major, a few miles from here. There was a very early monastic college there. But the truth of the story is lost in the mists of time.
