Archive for January, 2008
You may wonder what these two things may have in common – well 2 things actually – firstly they are both great passions of mine and secondly and possibly more importantly as far as you’re concerned they are 2 things that in this very modern and changing Ireland have not changed very much at all.
Let’s take Irish Dancing first of all. And I don’t mean the Irish dancing that conjures up visions of little girls in traditional costumes and goldilocks ringlets. What I’m talking about is Set Dancing which is a completely different thing altogether.
January 31st, 2008
There are several things in life that one can take for granted. Kerry win football titles, Kilkenny win hurling titles, Cork win some of each but don’t win enough of either of them. One of the reasons for this may be detected in the current civil war between the players and the County Board which has resulted in the players refusing to play. There is no point in engaging in a minute analysis of who said what and when, not least because in general the public, me included have no interest in the detail. As a true rebel I’m only interested in having the team play at its best and to be in the shakedown for either or both titles come September.
January 31st, 2008
So you cannot think of where to take your loved one for that special valentines break well why not take them to St Valentine himself. Take a look at some of our Dublin Hotels
It may not be known outside Ireland that the Carmelite Church in Whitefriar Street in Dublin City claims to hold the remains of St Valentine. The Carmelites first arrived in Ireland in 1271, and today there is a community of 17 in the Monastery attached to Whitefriar Street Church. The story of how the remains of St Valentine came to rest in Whitefriar Street is interesting, and involves a nineteenth-century Carmelite attached to the Church, Fr John Spratt. Fr Spratt visited Rome in 1835, and apparently on the strength that he was such a great preacher , Pope Gregory XVI decided to make his Church a gift of St Valentine’s body, then believed to be in the Cemetery of St Hippolitus in Rome. The remains of Valentine were then transferred to Whitefriar Street Church in 1836.
January 30th, 2008
While the Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, and Australian surveillance ships track the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean in an effort to stop them killing minke whales and fin whales, they plan to kill 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid April, the whales and other marine life off the Irish coast are thankfully under no such threat.
West Cork is now recognised as one of the best places in Europe to go whale watching and sometimes they come so close to the shore that it is not even necessary to go out in a boat. From the kitchen window at home, near the village of Castletownshend in West Cork, I have seen a pod of more than 20 fin whales (the second largest animal ever to live on this planet) less than a mile from the shore. They stayed there for a couple of weeks feeding on sprat before moving on. Fin whales are most commonly seen between August and December. Minke whales are also common and even the occasional humpback whale.
January 30th, 2008
Yesterday in Dublin Air Canada announced the resumption of their scheduled services between Toronto and Dublin starting on 20 May 2008. Due to high demand Air Canada have started the service earlier than in previous years with flights four times a week between 20 May and 2 June 2008 and a daily service after that until 02 October. The service then reverts back to a four day service until 19 October. Air Canada has extensive network throughout Canada and North America making it an excellent choice of airline for vacations to Ireland. Arriving in Dublin at 9.15 am means that visitors avoid the early morning traffic grid-lock and can pick up their car rental or make their way into their Dublin city centre hotel with ease.
January 24th, 2008
Clare O Leary from Bandon, West Cork, Ireland made history on January 8 by becoming the first Irish woman to trek to the South Pole in a four-person “Beyond Endurance” expedition team lead by Pat Falvey from Cork. Claire who works as a consultant in Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel is one of the worlds leading female adventurers and high altitude climbers. She is the first Irish female to climb Mt Everest and also the first Irish female (15th female worldwide) to complete the Seven summits. Walking to the South Pole and Beyond involved travelling a distance of over 1100km with each team member hauling a sledge weighing in excess of 150kg. myguideIreland is proud of of this fantastic achievement by the “Beyond Endurance” team. Congratulations!
January 23rd, 2008
Excellent culinary and Ireland, a few years ago these were two different things, which did not fit together. Up to recently when people considered Irish cuisine, people always thought first of the traditional bacon and cabbage, colcannon, brown soda bread and Guinness stew as being the only type of cuisine available in Ireland. Fine cuisine was not to be expected. This has changed fundamentally in the last few years.
The “culinary desert” of Ireland does not exist any longer. People love to go out for food and are free to choose between a multiplicity of restaurants and a great variety of culinary delights. These days there are a huge number of international influences, which make the cuisine available on this wonderful isle more varied and even more delicious.
January 22nd, 2008
So far today the air traffice control services in Dublin Airport operated with as normal with no delay to passengers. At this point it is impossible to predict how and when the ban on overtime may affect services and cause delays or flight cancellations.The unofficial overtime ban being imposed by air traffic controllers is due to the lack of air traffic controllers at Dublin Airport and around the country. There are approximately 300 air traffic controllers in Ireland with 100 of those based in Dublin. No new air traffic controllers have been recruited since 9/11 and although there are currently approximately 70 in training many of these will not come on stream until later this year or next year. Air traffic controllers go through an intensive 2 year programme before they are qualified.
January 18th, 2008
Sometimes, flying can be a nightmare. With all the different regulations you might feel anxious especially if you travel to a place you have never been before. But, this is not the case when you arrive at Cork airport. Going through immigration, getting your luggage, picking a rental car will only take you few minutes and you will be on the Irish roads.
Cork airport has a brand new airport terminal building. It is bright, modern and airy and you will find your way very easily through it. The airport is situated only ten minutes from Cork city centre. There are buses and taxis right outside the terminal. Cork city itself is a nice destination for a city break or long weekend. Cork airport is also the ideal base to start a trip along the Irish West Coast. In two hours driving, you can reach the famous Ring of Kerry and Killarney Town.
January 16th, 2008
The Aer Lingus service between Shannon Airport and London Heathrow has come to an end after almost 60 years in service.
Aer Lingus decided last August to transfer its Heathrow slots to Belfast, from where a new daily service to London begins today. When the decision was made this caused quite an up roar in the mid west region of Ireland as hotels and other companies feared they would loose business and this then would lead to job cuts in the area. Also there is a fear that this would also lead to a decline in the number of people visiting the west of Ireland.
January 14th, 2008
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