Stories from Ireland:
- Crusing on the Shannon, 2013
- Grannies on Safari - Ireland 2012
- Dylan Thomas in Donegal - video
- Around Ireland photographs - Clare, Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Galway, Mayo, Donegal
- Norman Ireland
- West coast Ireland
- Finding family I
- Finding family II
- Ireland's Twin Capital's
- Dublin
- Belfast
- One trip is never enough
Cruising on the Shannon
Two men are fishing for trout from a little rowing boat, an ancient ruin with dead-eye windows glowers down from the hillside, picturesque yellow and blue houses adorn the riverbank and I’m cruising up river to the smell of fresh baked bread from the galley kitchen.
This is European river cruising, which is a world away from mega-ship ocean cruising. Riverboats range from relatively large 300 passenger boats plying the Rhine and Danube down to four-person drive-your-own family cruisers. But at the top end are luxury hotel barges with just a handful of passengers, five star pampering and gourmet dining.
The increasing popularity of river cruising (up 14% on 2012) is down to their smaller scale, passengers don’t get seasick, you’re always in touch with the local landscape, you get off to explore most days and often you’ll get to see places that tourist crowds miss.
I’ve explored Ireland many times but have never seen it from the Shannon – Britain and Ireland’s longest river, flowing through the heart of the Emerald Isle. Running north-southwest the Shannon cuts Ireland in half but also links up canal systems going further north, some going east to Dublin and others winding southeast to Waterford.
This is European river cruising, which is a world away from mega-ship ocean cruising. Riverboats range from relatively large 300 passenger boats plying the Rhine and Danube down to four-person drive-your-own family cruisers. But at the top end are luxury hotel barges with just a handful of passengers, five star pampering and gourmet dining.
The increasing popularity of river cruising (up 14% on 2012) is down to their smaller scale, passengers don’t get seasick, you’re always in touch with the local landscape, you get off to explore most days and often you’ll get to see places that tourist crowds miss.
I’ve explored Ireland many times but have never seen it from the Shannon – Britain and Ireland’s longest river, flowing through the heart of the Emerald Isle. Running north-southwest the Shannon cuts Ireland in half but also links up canal systems going further north, some going east to Dublin and others winding southeast to Waterford.
My Irish river trip is a European Waterways cruise (www.gobarging.com) onboard the Shannon Princess II plying between Killaloe in Co Clare and Athlone in Co Westmeath. Skipper Ruairi (Rory) Gibbon collected us from our Dublin hotel and transferred us to his luxury hotel barge that has just five cabins for ten pampered passengers.
The cabins are beautifully finished and a reasonable 131sq ft in size, all with pristine en-suite bathrooms, bathrobes and a good selection of toiletries. There’s a choice of twin or double beds, ample hanging and draw space along with individually controlled central heating, bottled water, chocolates, orchids, hairdryer and a pair of binoculars for spotting wildlife. All cabins are outside and well above waterline with cabin length windows giving uninterrupted views.
Our chef Olivia Gibbons trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, made famous by celebrity TV chef Rachel Allen, and has worked around the world in top hotels and restaurants.
Olivia sources food en-route from farms, markets and local artisan producers and prepares everything in the barge kitchen. Olivia’s international experience brings a surprise to every menu; her take on traditional bacon and egg is duck egg with crispy Palma ham. And her straight from the oven breads (tomato, olive, rosemary), cakes and biscuits are superb.
West Australian, July 2013
The cabins are beautifully finished and a reasonable 131sq ft in size, all with pristine en-suite bathrooms, bathrobes and a good selection of toiletries. There’s a choice of twin or double beds, ample hanging and draw space along with individually controlled central heating, bottled water, chocolates, orchids, hairdryer and a pair of binoculars for spotting wildlife. All cabins are outside and well above waterline with cabin length windows giving uninterrupted views.
Our chef Olivia Gibbons trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, made famous by celebrity TV chef Rachel Allen, and has worked around the world in top hotels and restaurants.
Olivia sources food en-route from farms, markets and local artisan producers and prepares everything in the barge kitchen. Olivia’s international experience brings a surprise to every menu; her take on traditional bacon and egg is duck egg with crispy Palma ham. And her straight from the oven breads (tomato, olive, rosemary), cakes and biscuits are superb.
West Australian, July 2013
Irish Times: Grannies on Safari in Ireland 2012
Regina Fraser and Pat Johnson, known in the US for their TV show ‘Grannies on Safari’, have just completed their first shoot in Ireland. PETER LYNCH finds out what two sexagenarian African Americans made of it
REGINA FRASER and Pat Johnson are both grandmothers in their late 60s who remain wide-eyed and enthusiastic about everything they do. They are from Chicago and are better known in many parts of the world for their travel show, Grannies on Safari.
“We’ve been best friends for 30 years, ever since meeting when our children were at the same school,” says Fraser.
She has worked in marketing, media and communications and spent much of her life in management with United Airlines; Johnson was an arts executive and worked in India, Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, China and Indonesia.
Their shared interest in culture and travel helped them answer the question: “What are we going to do now we’re retired?” They decided to make a travel show.
That was in 2005. They have since travelled to 114 countries between them, and are working on their fourth series (which will be broadcast in the US and 120 other countries).
The duo have a spontaneous presenting style, making fun of each other and disagreeing on camera. “Our first major travel show was in South Africa,” says Fraser. “One of our guides said, ‘Hey, you’re really like a pair of grannies on safari.’ We liked that, and the name just stuck.”
Do their age and African American heritage play a part in where they decide to go? “Not really. We like to get off the general tourist trail and get inside communities, but basically we’re interested in people and places,” says Fraser.
REGINA FRASER and Pat Johnson are both grandmothers in their late 60s who remain wide-eyed and enthusiastic about everything they do. They are from Chicago and are better known in many parts of the world for their travel show, Grannies on Safari.
“We’ve been best friends for 30 years, ever since meeting when our children were at the same school,” says Fraser.
She has worked in marketing, media and communications and spent much of her life in management with United Airlines; Johnson was an arts executive and worked in India, Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, China and Indonesia.
Their shared interest in culture and travel helped them answer the question: “What are we going to do now we’re retired?” They decided to make a travel show.
That was in 2005. They have since travelled to 114 countries between them, and are working on their fourth series (which will be broadcast in the US and 120 other countries).
The duo have a spontaneous presenting style, making fun of each other and disagreeing on camera. “Our first major travel show was in South Africa,” says Fraser. “One of our guides said, ‘Hey, you’re really like a pair of grannies on safari.’ We liked that, and the name just stuck.”
Do their age and African American heritage play a part in where they decide to go? “Not really. We like to get off the general tourist trail and get inside communities, but basically we’re interested in people and places,” says Fraser.
Tuesday, September 18, 201Regina Fraser and Pat Johnson, known in the US for their TV show ‘Grannies on Safari’, have just completed their first shoot in Ireland. PETER LYNCH finds out what two sexagenarian African Americans made of it
REGINA FRASER and Pat Johnson are both grandmothers in their late 60s who remain wide-eyed and enthusiastic about everything they do. They are from Chicago and are better known in many parts of the world for their travel show, Grannies on Safari.
“We’ve been best friends for 30 years, ever since meeting when our children were at the same school,” says Fraser.
She has worked in marketing, media and communications and spent much of her life in management with AmericanAirlines; Johnson was an arts executive and worked in India, Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, China and Indonesia.
Their shared interest in culture and travel helped them answer the question: “What are we going to do now we’re retired?” They decided to make a travel show.
That was in 2005. They have since travelled to 114 countries between them, and are working on their fourth series (which will be broadcast in the US and 120 other countries).
The duo have a spontaneous presenting style, making fun of each other and disagreeing on camera. “Our first major travel show was in South Africa,” says Fraser. “One of our guides said, ‘Hey, you’re really like a pair of grannies on safari.’ We liked that, and the name just stuck.”
Do their age and African American heritage play a part in where they decide to go? “Not really. We like to get off the general tourist trail and get inside communities, but basically we’re interested in people and places,” says Fraser.
So what made them decide to come to Ireland to film? “I was born on St Patrick’s Day and delivered by an Irish midwife,” says Johnson. “If I had been a boy I would have been called Patrick. My son also lives here in Ireland, so it’s great that I’ll get a chance to see him.
“Our first shoot was Ardara, in Donegal. We had heard how it won an [Irish Times] award for the best village to live in, so it was a natural,” she says.
“We stayed in a castle because Americans are suckers for castles, but it was the people we met in the village that really blew us away. We nearly lost one of our cameramen, who said, ‘I want to stay: I’m coming back to buy a house here.’
“We spent hours with Eddie Doherty, one of the last independent handloom weavers in the area. What was fascinating were his traditional skills and craft that are, sadly, being lost in so many places. The tweed from his antique loom is prized around the world and was so beautiful we had to stop ourselves buying more than we could carry,” says Johnson.
“We had tea and cake with Jack Maguire and his wife, Carmel. What intrigued us most was how the Irish have such an attachment to place. Jack was born in the house, and, after 40 years working in London, he’s back there in his retirement, with enough stories to fill a programme of his own.
“We often do a cooking spot on our shows. I was taught how to smoke Donegal salmon – and, even though I say it myself, it tasted amazing,” Johnson says.
The pair also went to New Ross, in Co Wexford, and were captivated by the local skills there too. “I loved the monumental Ros Tapestry and the Norman story it has to tell,” says Johnson. “Talking with the women working on the last of 15 panels was a wonderful insight into local history, community collaboration and the rediscovery of traditional skills.”
The grannies, says Johnson, have a special interest in women who work. “We like to help struggling communities that are economically dependent on women’s work. We like to see if we can help women support their families and become economically independent.”
Fraser was keen to get behind the reins of the horse-drawn caravan that Neasa Clissmann brought to their film shoot at Glendalough. “It’s only tourists that are keeping this tradition alive,” she says. “It’s a green way to travel, and the slow pace is the best way to appreciate the landscape – and everyone you meet smiles and wants to talk to you.
“I thought the recession would be more apparent, but, to a visitor, the country still looks prosperous, and we travelled from the northwest to the southeast. But whenever the subject came up, the economic woes were not far beneath the surface.”
However, “Irish optimism always put on a brave face. ‘We just have to get on with it,’ was the usual response.
“Of course, Dublin and Belfast were great cities, and we enjoyed them immensely, but it was the people we met that made our trip so memorable, and it’s them that will make great television.
“Ireland’s friendly welcome may be a bit of a cliche, but, in all honesty, it seems like the whole country has been on hospitality training.
“Everywhere we went we found more places to see and people to meet – so I’m pretty sure that this is not the last that Ireland will see of the grannies on safari.”
Irish Times, September 2012
REGINA FRASER and Pat Johnson are both grandmothers in their late 60s who remain wide-eyed and enthusiastic about everything they do. They are from Chicago and are better known in many parts of the world for their travel show, Grannies on Safari.
“We’ve been best friends for 30 years, ever since meeting when our children were at the same school,” says Fraser.
She has worked in marketing, media and communications and spent much of her life in management with AmericanAirlines; Johnson was an arts executive and worked in India, Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, China and Indonesia.
Their shared interest in culture and travel helped them answer the question: “What are we going to do now we’re retired?” They decided to make a travel show.
That was in 2005. They have since travelled to 114 countries between them, and are working on their fourth series (which will be broadcast in the US and 120 other countries).
The duo have a spontaneous presenting style, making fun of each other and disagreeing on camera. “Our first major travel show was in South Africa,” says Fraser. “One of our guides said, ‘Hey, you’re really like a pair of grannies on safari.’ We liked that, and the name just stuck.”
Do their age and African American heritage play a part in where they decide to go? “Not really. We like to get off the general tourist trail and get inside communities, but basically we’re interested in people and places,” says Fraser.
So what made them decide to come to Ireland to film? “I was born on St Patrick’s Day and delivered by an Irish midwife,” says Johnson. “If I had been a boy I would have been called Patrick. My son also lives here in Ireland, so it’s great that I’ll get a chance to see him.
“Our first shoot was Ardara, in Donegal. We had heard how it won an [Irish Times] award for the best village to live in, so it was a natural,” she says.
“We stayed in a castle because Americans are suckers for castles, but it was the people we met in the village that really blew us away. We nearly lost one of our cameramen, who said, ‘I want to stay: I’m coming back to buy a house here.’
“We spent hours with Eddie Doherty, one of the last independent handloom weavers in the area. What was fascinating were his traditional skills and craft that are, sadly, being lost in so many places. The tweed from his antique loom is prized around the world and was so beautiful we had to stop ourselves buying more than we could carry,” says Johnson.
“We had tea and cake with Jack Maguire and his wife, Carmel. What intrigued us most was how the Irish have such an attachment to place. Jack was born in the house, and, after 40 years working in London, he’s back there in his retirement, with enough stories to fill a programme of his own.
“We often do a cooking spot on our shows. I was taught how to smoke Donegal salmon – and, even though I say it myself, it tasted amazing,” Johnson says.
The pair also went to New Ross, in Co Wexford, and were captivated by the local skills there too. “I loved the monumental Ros Tapestry and the Norman story it has to tell,” says Johnson. “Talking with the women working on the last of 15 panels was a wonderful insight into local history, community collaboration and the rediscovery of traditional skills.”
The grannies, says Johnson, have a special interest in women who work. “We like to help struggling communities that are economically dependent on women’s work. We like to see if we can help women support their families and become economically independent.”
Fraser was keen to get behind the reins of the horse-drawn caravan that Neasa Clissmann brought to their film shoot at Glendalough. “It’s only tourists that are keeping this tradition alive,” she says. “It’s a green way to travel, and the slow pace is the best way to appreciate the landscape – and everyone you meet smiles and wants to talk to you.
“I thought the recession would be more apparent, but, to a visitor, the country still looks prosperous, and we travelled from the northwest to the southeast. But whenever the subject came up, the economic woes were not far beneath the surface.”
However, “Irish optimism always put on a brave face. ‘We just have to get on with it,’ was the usual response.
“Of course, Dublin and Belfast were great cities, and we enjoyed them immensely, but it was the people we met that made our trip so memorable, and it’s them that will make great television.
“Ireland’s friendly welcome may be a bit of a cliche, but, in all honesty, it seems like the whole country has been on hospitality training.
“Everywhere we went we found more places to see and people to meet – so I’m pretty sure that this is not the last that Ireland will see of the grannies on safari.”
Irish Times, September 2012
Dylan Thomas's Summer in Glenlough Co Donegal, Ireland
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This is the true Story of Dylan Thomas's Summer in Glenlough Co Donegal, Ireland. Under orders from his Doctor to get out of London and lay off the drink things got a little out of hand when he got a taste for the local farmers poteen still.
Filmed by Peter & Adam Alexander. |
County slide show
Norman Ireland
The slick advertising for those so called ‘bargain flights’ (with an ever increasing array of hidden extras) often dupe us into believing that travel is quick, cheap and easy even when experience tells us differently. Early European tourists on their ‘grand tours’ saw travelling in a different way; to those adventuresome tourists travel was slow, prone to serendipity and focused as much on the journey as the destination.
Strangely this old style of travelling is very eco-friendly so in fact it’s also uber-modern – who was it that said ‘things that go around, come around?’
I recently discovered, with some degree of horror, that the name Lynch apparently has Norman rather than Celtic roots and only having heard of the 1066 Norman invasion of England I set off to find out about the Norman invasion of Ireland.
I decided to follow the original route of the Norman invasion of Ireland and I’d do it the old (or is it the new) eco-friendly way - without flying and without a car.
Its decades since I took the boat-train to Ireland, in fact I thought this was one of those childhood memories that had long since been consigned to the great waste bin of times past. So I was pleased to discover that, although eclipsed by cheap flight hype, Rail-Sail tickets still exist and cost around $50 (with no hidden extras). What’s even better is the ‘departure gate’ is your local railway station.....
.....The Norman invasion of Ireland wasn’t so much a military invasion as a group of disaffected adventurers and mercenaries led by Richard de Clare, the Earl of Pembroke (aka Strongbow). It was a devious internecine plot hatched in cahoots with the deposed King of Leinster - Dermot MacMurrough.....
......Strongbow’s small expeditionary force of well-armed knights landed at the secluded Bannow Bay and then laid siege to the town of Wexford. Things weren’t going well for the knights until MacMurrough dispatched his tame Bishop to parley with the Wexford Bishop. No one knows what was said but Wexford opened its gates and the knights stole everything and MacMurrough dished out land to the Norman’s that wasn’t his to give.
The Lady, August 2010
Strangely this old style of travelling is very eco-friendly so in fact it’s also uber-modern – who was it that said ‘things that go around, come around?’
I recently discovered, with some degree of horror, that the name Lynch apparently has Norman rather than Celtic roots and only having heard of the 1066 Norman invasion of England I set off to find out about the Norman invasion of Ireland.
I decided to follow the original route of the Norman invasion of Ireland and I’d do it the old (or is it the new) eco-friendly way - without flying and without a car.
Its decades since I took the boat-train to Ireland, in fact I thought this was one of those childhood memories that had long since been consigned to the great waste bin of times past. So I was pleased to discover that, although eclipsed by cheap flight hype, Rail-Sail tickets still exist and cost around $50 (with no hidden extras). What’s even better is the ‘departure gate’ is your local railway station.....
.....The Norman invasion of Ireland wasn’t so much a military invasion as a group of disaffected adventurers and mercenaries led by Richard de Clare, the Earl of Pembroke (aka Strongbow). It was a devious internecine plot hatched in cahoots with the deposed King of Leinster - Dermot MacMurrough.....
......Strongbow’s small expeditionary force of well-armed knights landed at the secluded Bannow Bay and then laid siege to the town of Wexford. Things weren’t going well for the knights until MacMurrough dispatched his tame Bishop to parley with the Wexford Bishop. No one knows what was said but Wexford opened its gates and the knights stole everything and MacMurrough dished out land to the Norman’s that wasn’t his to give.
The Lady, August 2010
West coast Ireland
As the sun warmed on my back, bees bumbled from Gentian to Orchid to Bloody Cranesbill and, as the umpteenth noisy tour group weaved off down the narrow road, the sounds of nature return to Poulnabrone. But not for long, if I’m lucky there will be a 5-minute gap before the next tour bus arrives.
High up on the limestone Burren in County Clare the dolman or portal tomb of Poulnabrone is the most photographed monument in Ireland. The Burren has an eerie, haunting quality (between tour groups) in part due to its stark, windswept landscape and partly to its 5-6 thousand year Stone Age ancestry. But I suspect its position on the tourist trail has more to do with its convenient location beside the Ballyvaughn to Corofin road so that tour groups can ‘do it’ in a 10 minute stopover.
But there’s always something else to see and do in Ireland so if you don’t want to follow the general tourist trail there’s no problem. So I set off across the Burren to find Cathair Chomain, a triple ring fort in the middle of nowhere. From the road a tiny sign is all that indicates there’s anything worth stopping for.
A track beside a cottage leads through a hazel grove, across fields of wild orchid and after a mile emerges onto a summit with the ring fort of Cathair Chomain in the distance. Ring forts are not military fortifications but protective enclosures for small communities with plenty of space to house grazing stock. When the last of the forest was cut down it became a harsh environment to live in. Not a living soul could be seen from the fort and as no tour bus could get within a mile, I had the place to myself.
The West Australian, July 2006
High up on the limestone Burren in County Clare the dolman or portal tomb of Poulnabrone is the most photographed monument in Ireland. The Burren has an eerie, haunting quality (between tour groups) in part due to its stark, windswept landscape and partly to its 5-6 thousand year Stone Age ancestry. But I suspect its position on the tourist trail has more to do with its convenient location beside the Ballyvaughn to Corofin road so that tour groups can ‘do it’ in a 10 minute stopover.
But there’s always something else to see and do in Ireland so if you don’t want to follow the general tourist trail there’s no problem. So I set off across the Burren to find Cathair Chomain, a triple ring fort in the middle of nowhere. From the road a tiny sign is all that indicates there’s anything worth stopping for.
A track beside a cottage leads through a hazel grove, across fields of wild orchid and after a mile emerges onto a summit with the ring fort of Cathair Chomain in the distance. Ring forts are not military fortifications but protective enclosures for small communities with plenty of space to house grazing stock. When the last of the forest was cut down it became a harsh environment to live in. Not a living soul could be seen from the fort and as no tour bus could get within a mile, I had the place to myself.
The West Australian, July 2006
Finding Family I
Ireland is the only country I know that’s greener than England and you just won’t believe how many shades of green there are until you see for yourself.
I’ve just returned from County Clare, one of the most overlooked gems of Ireland bounded as it is by the top tourist destinations of Galway to the north, Kerry to the south, and the Shannon River to the east and the Atlantic to the west. Clare was always a very poor rural county with an exceptionally high emigration rate. In the 30 years after the famine (1850 – 1880) more people emigrated from county Clare than actually live there now.
Less than 4 million people live in the Republic although there are 70 million descendents around the globe and this has generated some fascinating literature about the idea of a ‘global Irish Empire’.
Ireland would probably be unrecognisable to anyone who hasn’t been back for 15 years. On my first visit to Dublin in 1966 I was fought over by two old ladies in the street who wanted us to stay in their B&B. They shouted and argued saying what “a tip the other’s place was” and upping-the-ante with 'you’ll get two eggs and extra rashers with my fry' (breakfast). Neither mentioned that we were to be the gourmet meal for the bed bugs, but it was only 80 US cents per night.
Now Ireland is 4-5 star accommodation, brand new B&B’s, international cuisine and golf courses everywhere. Prices have gone through the roof and it’s now said to be one of the most expensive countries in Europe.
Reading Eagle, November 2005
I’ve just returned from County Clare, one of the most overlooked gems of Ireland bounded as it is by the top tourist destinations of Galway to the north, Kerry to the south, and the Shannon River to the east and the Atlantic to the west. Clare was always a very poor rural county with an exceptionally high emigration rate. In the 30 years after the famine (1850 – 1880) more people emigrated from county Clare than actually live there now.
Less than 4 million people live in the Republic although there are 70 million descendents around the globe and this has generated some fascinating literature about the idea of a ‘global Irish Empire’.
Ireland would probably be unrecognisable to anyone who hasn’t been back for 15 years. On my first visit to Dublin in 1966 I was fought over by two old ladies in the street who wanted us to stay in their B&B. They shouted and argued saying what “a tip the other’s place was” and upping-the-ante with 'you’ll get two eggs and extra rashers with my fry' (breakfast). Neither mentioned that we were to be the gourmet meal for the bed bugs, but it was only 80 US cents per night.
Now Ireland is 4-5 star accommodation, brand new B&B’s, international cuisine and golf courses everywhere. Prices have gone through the roof and it’s now said to be one of the most expensive countries in Europe.
Reading Eagle, November 2005
Finding Family II
Every family has its own history, sometimes there are heroes, sometimes black sheep, invariably there are unknown or missing relatives but always there is a story to tell. Genealogy has become increasingly popular in recent years and it’s no longer a trudge from building to building, trawling through dusty old files. Irish counties have been collecting and bringing together records from disparate agencies and with computerisation tracing Irish ancestry has never been easier.
The ‘Irish empire’ is one of histories most successful global stories. 70 million descendents now inhabit every corner of the planet and without the use of military force. Less than 4 million people now live on the Emerald isle – half what it was in the nineteenth century.
Adventure, religion, strife, famine, poverty and disease all fuelled Irish emigration but from today’s vantage point of Irish economic success the poverty of the nineteenth and twentieth century is hard to imagine. Maybe the past is ‘a foreign country’ but nowadays it’s easy to visit; scratch the surface of any family history and you are likely to uncover amazing and vivid personal detail.
I thought a bit of ancestor research would be some light-hearted fun and would answer my children’s nagging questions about our family history. In fact it turned out to be a more powerful and moving experience then I could have imagined - so be warned.
The West Australian, July 2006
The ‘Irish empire’ is one of histories most successful global stories. 70 million descendents now inhabit every corner of the planet and without the use of military force. Less than 4 million people now live on the Emerald isle – half what it was in the nineteenth century.
Adventure, religion, strife, famine, poverty and disease all fuelled Irish emigration but from today’s vantage point of Irish economic success the poverty of the nineteenth and twentieth century is hard to imagine. Maybe the past is ‘a foreign country’ but nowadays it’s easy to visit; scratch the surface of any family history and you are likely to uncover amazing and vivid personal detail.
I thought a bit of ancestor research would be some light-hearted fun and would answer my children’s nagging questions about our family history. In fact it turned out to be a more powerful and moving experience then I could have imagined - so be warned.
The West Australian, July 2006
Ireland's Twin Capitals
Ireland has many unique qualities not the least of which are its twin capital cities. Of course it has not brought Ireland much good fortune – more typically it’s been a symbol of division. Dublin and Belfast are frequently described as being poles apart even though there are just 160km between them.
There’s no discernable border between north and south and there hasn’t been for many years. It used to be you could tell where you were by the terrible state of the roads in the south but now, with massive EU investment, you have to look out for whether the road distances are measured in miles or kilometres.
Belfast and Dublin are both grand cities, similar in some ways yet in others very different…. Pubs are the lifeblood of both cities; a key part of social networking and each have a good claim to Ireland’s best pub. In the north Bushmills is the whiskey of choice whereas in the south its Jamieson’s or Powers. Harp lager is brewed and drunk in the north but in the south you’ll find every lager except Harp. Guinness is the classic icon of the south but in the north Caffreys is the creamy alternative of choice.
Irish drinking habits, like many aspects of north verse south, can be used to highlight how similar they are or how different. They’re virtually identical, yet miles apart and that’s Ireland in a nutshell….
Belfast and Dublin are so different yet with much in common. It is certainly a joy to see the end of hostilities and you can be sure that the Irish welcome will be as big in Belfast as it is in Dublin.
The West Australian, April 2008
There’s no discernable border between north and south and there hasn’t been for many years. It used to be you could tell where you were by the terrible state of the roads in the south but now, with massive EU investment, you have to look out for whether the road distances are measured in miles or kilometres.
Belfast and Dublin are both grand cities, similar in some ways yet in others very different…. Pubs are the lifeblood of both cities; a key part of social networking and each have a good claim to Ireland’s best pub. In the north Bushmills is the whiskey of choice whereas in the south its Jamieson’s or Powers. Harp lager is brewed and drunk in the north but in the south you’ll find every lager except Harp. Guinness is the classic icon of the south but in the north Caffreys is the creamy alternative of choice.
Irish drinking habits, like many aspects of north verse south, can be used to highlight how similar they are or how different. They’re virtually identical, yet miles apart and that’s Ireland in a nutshell….
Belfast and Dublin are so different yet with much in common. It is certainly a joy to see the end of hostilities and you can be sure that the Irish welcome will be as big in Belfast as it is in Dublin.
The West Australian, April 2008
Dublin
Dublin just gets better each time I visit, it’s now so smart and cosmopolitan. The range of foreign voices of visitors and new residents alike is startling.
But tragically I arrived on the weekend of the Dublin riot (25th Feb 2006). What an unbelievable affair – that it was allowed to happen and that the unseemly side of Dublin was so easily displayed?
Allowing a quasi-military style (uniforms, drums and whistles) parade of Protestants from Belfast was clearly an ill judged decision. Even though it was called “Love Ulster” and was to commemorate those killed by the IRA - for heavens sake, outside the GPO building on O’Connell Street - how tactless?
But the real tragedy was that all the injured were Dubliners, the shops looted and the cars burnt belonged to Dubliners. Some fools were actually stoning other protesters, not really caring who they injured. What might have been a legitimate and peaceful protest became hijacked by fanatics and criminal elements who disgraced the Republic. It shows how generations of fanaticism and inbred hatred breed contempt for law and order and can become the perfect cover for criminals. The parallels with Iraq are disturbingly obvious.
But the Irish are nothing if not resilient and they shrugged off the mayhem and Sunday was just like any other day in the easygoing capital of laughter and the craic.
Dublin has some great places to stay, from the elegant Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel to the sporty Roganstown Golf and Country Club as well as the usual international chains. But as ever, seeking out something different, I choose O’Shea’s hotel, 19 Talbot St just off O’Connell Street – in the centre of things and no need for a car.
Reading Eagle, March 2006
But tragically I arrived on the weekend of the Dublin riot (25th Feb 2006). What an unbelievable affair – that it was allowed to happen and that the unseemly side of Dublin was so easily displayed?
Allowing a quasi-military style (uniforms, drums and whistles) parade of Protestants from Belfast was clearly an ill judged decision. Even though it was called “Love Ulster” and was to commemorate those killed by the IRA - for heavens sake, outside the GPO building on O’Connell Street - how tactless?
But the real tragedy was that all the injured were Dubliners, the shops looted and the cars burnt belonged to Dubliners. Some fools were actually stoning other protesters, not really caring who they injured. What might have been a legitimate and peaceful protest became hijacked by fanatics and criminal elements who disgraced the Republic. It shows how generations of fanaticism and inbred hatred breed contempt for law and order and can become the perfect cover for criminals. The parallels with Iraq are disturbingly obvious.
But the Irish are nothing if not resilient and they shrugged off the mayhem and Sunday was just like any other day in the easygoing capital of laughter and the craic.
Dublin has some great places to stay, from the elegant Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel to the sporty Roganstown Golf and Country Club as well as the usual international chains. But as ever, seeking out something different, I choose O’Shea’s hotel, 19 Talbot St just off O’Connell Street – in the centre of things and no need for a car.
Reading Eagle, March 2006
Belfast
It’s hard to think of Belfast and Northern Ireland without thinking of ‘The Troubles’ and of course it’s had more than its fair share. I’m sure the biggest surprise to anyone will be that according to United Nations statistics Northern Ireland has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. So for ordinary visitors it’s far safer than Europe or the USA.
Belfast is a fascinating Victorian city, set in a spectacular landscape of lakes, mountains, rich farmland and the Antrim coast is said to be one of the most scenic roads in Europe.
Inward investment into the city has been on a grand scale and today employment, shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife are as good as they get. The compact city centre has kept much of its traditional charm and is easy to explore on foot. But the more energetic can walk or cycle for miles beside the river Lagan or climb Cave Hill for unparalleled views across the city.
In the 17th century Belfast was little more than a village but developed into one of the pioneering Industrial towns of the 18th and 19th centuries - famed for its rope making, tobacco, cotton, linen and shipbuilding.
The ‘unsinkable’ Titanic was built in Belfast and there are many memorials including one to the ships chief designer Thomas Andrews who chose to go down with his ship.
Reading Eagle, April 2006
Belfast is a fascinating Victorian city, set in a spectacular landscape of lakes, mountains, rich farmland and the Antrim coast is said to be one of the most scenic roads in Europe.
Inward investment into the city has been on a grand scale and today employment, shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife are as good as they get. The compact city centre has kept much of its traditional charm and is easy to explore on foot. But the more energetic can walk or cycle for miles beside the river Lagan or climb Cave Hill for unparalleled views across the city.
In the 17th century Belfast was little more than a village but developed into one of the pioneering Industrial towns of the 18th and 19th centuries - famed for its rope making, tobacco, cotton, linen and shipbuilding.
The ‘unsinkable’ Titanic was built in Belfast and there are many memorials including one to the ships chief designer Thomas Andrews who chose to go down with his ship.
Reading Eagle, April 2006
One Trip is never enough
There’s always something else to see and do in Ireland. If you don’t want to follow the general tourist trail, there’s no problem. So I set off across the Burren to find Cathair Chomain, a triple-ring fort in the middle of nowhere. From the road a tiny sign is all that indicates there’s anything worth stopping for. A track beside a cottage leads through a hazel grove, across fields of wild orchid and after a mile emerges onto the summit with the ring fort in the distance. Ring forts are not military fortifications but protective enclosures for small communities with plenty of space to house grazing stock. When the last of the forest was cut down it probably became a difficult environment to live in. Not a living soul could be seen from the fort and as no tour bus could get within a mile, I had the place to myself.....
.....The 16th-century Dromoland Castle hotel in southern County Clare and the 13th-century Ashford Castle in County Mayo both have preserved their historic character whilst upgrading their rooms to the highest standard of luxury. If you want to be the sole resident in your own castle you can rent Knappogue Castle in Quin, County Clare.
....I spent a few days in the county town of Ennis, which is considered the musical capital of Ireland. A walking tour with Jane O’Brien brought Ennis alive and her tales of witchcraft, ducking stools and murder in the cobbled streets and ‘bow-ways’ made history as interesting as it could be.
The Reading Eagle, August 2005
.....The 16th-century Dromoland Castle hotel in southern County Clare and the 13th-century Ashford Castle in County Mayo both have preserved their historic character whilst upgrading their rooms to the highest standard of luxury. If you want to be the sole resident in your own castle you can rent Knappogue Castle in Quin, County Clare.
....I spent a few days in the county town of Ennis, which is considered the musical capital of Ireland. A walking tour with Jane O’Brien brought Ennis alive and her tales of witchcraft, ducking stools and murder in the cobbled streets and ‘bow-ways’ made history as interesting as it could be.
The Reading Eagle, August 2005