Today was the end of an era in Irish broadcasting as the legendary Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh presented his last All Ireland Final. Micheál has been commentating on GAA games for over 60 years and announced earlier this week that he was to retire at the age of 80. He will be missed by hundreds or thousands of listeners both in Ireland and worldwide for whom he was as much a part of a game as the players or the referee.

It was commonplace for Irish GAA fans to watch a game on TV with the sound turned down and have the radio nearby to enjoy Micheál’s unique style. His knowledge of the game itself was second only to his ability to put it in context from so many points of view. He also entertained and many of his quotes will last the test of time as the history of the GAA is written for decades to come:
Being from Cork, I remember some of those that relate to Cork best; For example:

“Sean Óg o Hailpín….his father’s from Fermanagh, his mother’s from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold.”
Or
“Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. It’s over the bar. This man shouldn’t be playing football. He’s made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn’t kick points like Colin Corkery.”
Or
“Teddy McCarthy to Mick McCarthy, no relation, Mick McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation”

But for me, what I will never forget is the sense of literally seeing a match through Micheál’s eyes;

I lived in Philadelphia in 1997 and at the time the internet as a mass media outlet was in its infancy. RTE had only recently started streaming radio content and on the morning of the second Sunday in September I decided to put it to the test. Being 5 hours behind Ireland, the match started about 10:30 in Philly and having been out the night before, I was not interested in going to an Irish pub as would have been the norm to watch a match from home.
So at about 10:25 I logged into rte.ie and found the link for the live stream, it took a while to ‘buffer’ but once the stream started it was just like having a radio from home. The All Ireland hurling final was about to start
I lay on the couch with Micheál’s tones booming from the PC nearby and as I listened to his description of the action closed my eyes. Micheál’s commentary is so descriptive, as I relaxed I began to picture the game. To this day I recall actually seeing the action as it unfolded and what a game it was with excitement from beginning to end and Clare eventually emerging as victors over Tipperary with the minimum score advantage.

Micheál’s ability to bring the action into the living room or indeed the car meant that if you had occasion to miss a game on the TV, the disappointment would be short-lived as the radio coverage was often better. Hard to see now if that will ever be the case again.

At myguideIreland we wish Micheál the very best in his retirement!!

The eagerly anticipated staging of Cork Week 2010, Ireland’s premier biannual sailing regatta is just weeks away and is shaping up to be a spectacular event.  The organisers have confirmed boat entries from throughout Ireland & the United Kingdom and also from France, Holland, Australia the USA and Canada.

Cork Week is the largest international sailing regatta in Ireland and is held in July every two years but it’s not just about sailing……..There is a huge lineup of entertainment provided within the grounds of the Royal Cork Yacht Club during the week-long event in Crosshaven.

The competitions on the water are complimented by a party atmosphere back on dry land making Cork Week a favorite destination for sailors and non-sailors alike every 2 years.

Read more about Cork Week:

http://www.myguideireland.com/cork-week

http://www.accbankcorkweek.ie/

Latest News
Fastnet Line the number 1 Ferry to Ireland is back up and running after 4 years.

It is with great pride, here at myguideIreland, that we welcome the announcement that Cork City has  been listed alongside well known cities in the USA, Canada, UAE and Japan in a new Lonely Planet  guide for the top places to visit in 2010.

The “Best in Travel 2010″ published earlier this week lists Cork as the only city in Britain or Ireland among the best places to go and best things to do in the year ahead.
Cork was listed as a “top city” alongside Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Charleston  in South Carolina, USA, Cuenca in Ecuador, Istanbul in Turkey , Kyoto in Japan, Lecce in Italy, Sarajevo, Singapore and Vancouver in Canada.

The guide describes  Cork as being now “at the top of its game: sophisticated, vibrant and diverse”.

Tourism figures in Cork have strongly welcomed the inclusion of the city as being “a major boost”. This achievement brings Cork out from the shadow of Dublin as the city destination when tourists plan travel to Ireland and may be start of a movement that will see other commentators take notice and give Cork the recognistion it deserves.

Fundraising efforts to reintroduce the sorely missed Swansea to Cork Ferry are now entering a crucial period where time is running out and donations are quickly needed.

The West Cork Tourism Co-Op are aiming for one final push to re-establish the Swansea to Cork Ferry service which aims to revive the ailing tourism industry in the area.

Over €2 million has already been successfully raised from all over Cork and Kerry but they still need one final push to reach the magic €3 million figure that will see the Ferry active again.

More Roadshows announced and Kerry hotline established  for fundraising

On its dedicated website www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com ,  further details have been released on new roadshows as well as a Kerry hotline set up for ferry share pledges – details can be be found here

The Ferry service between Cork and Swansea is estimated to be worth €35 million annually to the South West region and its loss is being sorely felt amongst its business owners.

Here at myguideIreland, we wish organisers all the best and lets hope they prove successful in seeing their enormous effort get over the line and bring prosperity back to this beautiful part of Ireland.

The appointment has been announced that Gerry Walsh, former CEO of Board Gáis, will take over the position of Chairman of the Cork Airport Authority.

At myguideIreland we are huge fans of Cork Airport and often receive reviews from travellers highlighting the ease of transit and the quality of the experience at Cork Airport.

We welcome the appointment of Gerry Walsh and wish hime every success in steering the airport to even greater success in the coming years.

Cork Airport has announced that passengers can now book flights between Cork and the USA in one single transaction.

In a deal between Aer Arann and Aer Lingus, passengers will now be able to book flights from USA airports to Cork with a stopover in Dublin. Checked luggage will be transferred automatically to the connecting flight and boarding passes will be issued for the Dublin-Cork leg in the USA.

This deal will benefit both inbound and outbound travel through Cork Airport as Irish passengers will be also be able to book flights from Cork to eg JFK via Dublin in one transaction.

Managing director of Aer Arann, Garry Cullen, issued a statement stating “The ability to through check luggage all the way to your final destination from Cork, and transfer seamlessly to Aer Lingus’ USA services in Dublin will be of great benefit to Aer Arann and Aer Lingus customers. The partnership with Aer Lingus will benefit Munster by making the region more accessible to the USA inbound tourist and USA corporate travel markets.”

The streamlined booking process allows customers to book flights both to and from Cork direct to seven destinations in the USA in one single booking transaction and opens up Cork as a final destination for US Guests wishing to travel to Ireland.

Throughout Ireland and in many other countries, the day before Ash Wednesday – Shrove Tuesday – is commonly known as Pancake Day. This day is celebrated before the beginning of Lent, the fasting time up to Easter. We learn from the historians, that on Shrove Tuesday everybody used up the supplies of fat, butter and eggs. These foods were forbidden during austere Lent. To make pancakes was the best way to do so!

How much can you eat? Try on your own, make up for it this year by gorging yourself until you’ve got pancake batter coming out your ears.

Recipe: Pancakes

100g flour
2 Eggs
200ml milk from West Cork pastures, mixed with 75ml sparkling water

1. Sift flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it
3. Whisk well
4. Slowly add the milk and water, whisking as you go
5. Cook in a pan over a medium heat

Toppings

• Sugar and lemon juice. It is vitally important that the juice be from a plastic lemon. Otherwise it may as well be any other day of the week because it’s just not Pancake Tuesday without plastic lemon.
• Nutella. Nothing else. Okay, maybe ice cream. You’ll be bouncing off the walls for days.
• Bacon and maple syrup. Friend in work gave me a bottle of maple syrup from Canada, since all I seem to be able to find in Dublin is maple-flavored Golden Syrup.
• Blueberries. Awesome when they’re dropped into the batter as it cooks in the pan.

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.

Along the way, I’ll have spent my euros supporting the teams, I’ll have had my say in the car and bar on the composition of the team and I’ll have thrown myself wholeheartedly into the business of being a Cork man who cares passionately about the success or failure of his team. Now it strikes me that that description probably fits the players who play for the county at every level, the administrators at all levels and the backroom team of physios, kit men, groundsmen and so on, the vast majority of whom, like the players are amateur, unpaid and do it because they love it and want to make a difference. Want in short, to win things.

What we have here in Cork is a power struggle between the old guard, the torch bearers, who for the past 125 years have caused this extraordinary cultural, social and sporting organisation we know as the G.A.A., to become the world-renowned phenomenon that it is and the legions of players who for too long have been the currency used and discarded by the very thing they have helped create. In Cork there is a passion amongst the players and supporters to be the best and for the players to be the best prepared. In the past the tradition has been that the players are told what they will be allowed to have, what can be afforded; sometimes that’s been enough but more often the standards have fallen below what is expected and indeed what is the norm in other counties. So along the way maybe we’ve not won as many titles as we should have but sure we do alright don’t we? And there is the crux of the problem. To some, the players are getting uppity and need to be taken down a peg or two, to others, the more vocal players are eyed suspiciously as fifth columnists “the enemy within” who have all sorts of agendas including pay for play. I suspect the majority just want the dispute to go away without caring how, so that the teams get out on the field and we have something to look forward to come May when the days are longer and all positive results are still possible.

For me, it’s not about democracy or indeed the G.A.A.’s preferred weapon of choice, bureaucracy, it’s about cutting the players some slack and giving them a bigger say in how things get done for them. It’s the players who work their backsides off, the players who make the sacrifices, the players who take the abuse and yes the players who also get the glory. But imagine at the end of your career looking back at the sacrifice, the pain and the glory and imagine thinking that your true potential went unfulfilled because bureaucracy and rules and egos put obstacles in your way. Wouldn’t you, given the chance to do something about it, do it? I would.

Whatever ones opinion check there is no denying that when everything within the Cork GAA camp runs smoothly, the action in Pairc Ui Chaoimh grounds can be electrifying when an onsong Cork hurling or football team takes on the might of the other GAA giants.

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.

As a result of our history and born out of a need to keep the wolf from the door traditional Irish food was based on what people could grow themselves such as staples like potatoes and cabbage. In a time when people had little food to eat and what they eat needed to keep them satisfied for a long periods of time.

That has all changed now so why not take the opportunity to be surprised and enjoy the new variety available around our wonderful country!

You can take a culinary trip through Ireland: start off in Dublin where you get the most unusual pizza I ever had; then onto Cork to the Hayfield Manor for the most exquisite breakfast buffet; to Kinsale for the best fish, the best smoked salmon you buy in Castletownshend, the most romantic dinner you can enjoy at the Glin Castle, child friendliest service you experience at the Adare Manor, the best cooked breakfast incl. champagne sorbet you enjoy at Sheedys in Lisdoonvarna and the best chips (Irish) / French Fries (according to my daughter Alexandra) you will be served at the Ardagh Hotel in Clifden. You see the variety is huge and nobody has to eat the same food every day.

BON APPETIT!

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.

More and more airlines have opened routes to and from Cork. The city is connected to many big European cities. If you have an early morning flight, you can stay in one of the two airport hotels, the Radisson SAS Cork Airport and Cork International Airport Hotel, both situated five minutes walking distance from the terminal. Within the terminal, there is a good choice of facilities to eat and shop.

For a relaxing beginning and end to your holiday or short break you couldn’t find a more convenient and stress free airport. So why don’t come and see yourself.