Things you miss when you leave Ireland

1. Brown/White soda bread (Nobody outside Ireland has heard of Pat the Baker!!)
2. Lyons tea (or Barrys tea if you are from the People’s Republic, or Bewley’s if you’re a Dub)
3. Denny sausages
4. Nice meat, esp. steak (which doesn’t have bird flu, blue tongue, mad cow disease, a huge price tag …)
5. RTÉ news
6. Irish accents
7. Music in the streets, shops, etc.
8. That Ireland doesn’t have a class system, as in the UK.
9. That Irish people pronounce the letter ‘r’ and know that ‘th’ is not pronounced ‘v’
10. Nobody calls you ‘mate’
11. Nobody insults you for being Irish
12. Nobody thinks their’s a “Southern Ireland”
13. There is no chance anyone will confuse you with an American/Canadian.
14. Bertie Ahern’s amazing ability to get away with all the scandalous things he has done – it’s quite amazing really
15. Red lemonade (TK of course!)
16. Chef ketchup
17. Avonmore soup
18. Odlums porridge
19. Taytos, Perris, Kings (these are Irish “crisps”/”potato chips”).
I REALLY SHOULD NOTE THAT YOU CAN BUY TAYTOS FROM THE WEBSITE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD – WUHOO!!
20. Butter milk
…

NB this post is under construction – any additions that people can think of then let me know! I am also thinking up a post on things you DON’T miss when you leave Ireland! watch this space.

Bono is Irish?!

I meant to make this post a couple of weeks ago when I heard Bono’s heritage questioned by some friends over dinner in Cambridge. That’s right Colin Farrell and Bono are both Irish!

I wonder who else people don’t know to be Irish …

On a related note I would be interested to know of anyone who is partially Irish – i.e. 1/16 Irish or smaller fractions in particular!

 :)

Evan

An 30ú Dáil

Bunaíodh an 30ú Dáil an t-seachtain seo chaite. Chonaiceamar caidreamh nua idir Fianna Fáil, an Páirtí Glas, an Páirtí Daonlathach agus cúpla daoine neamhspleách eile. Bhuaigh FF an cuid is mó de na suíocháin le 78 as 166. Leis an comhaontú seo fuair siad i bfhad níos mó de na 6 suíocháin is gá le haighadh tromlach a fháil.
Ar dtús bhi sceitimíní orm faoin Páirtí Glas ach anois níl mé lán le misneach. Ceapaim gur chaill siad ar a saincheisteanna tábhactacht – an usáid mhíleata aerfort na sionna, an forbairt den mótarbhealach M3 agus go háirithe an saincheist tabhartais ó daoine gnó. An bfhuil sibh truaillithe cheana féin? B’fhéidir go bfhuil mé ró amhrasach – feicfidh muid …

[The 30th Dáil was elected this past week. We now see a new relationship between Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and a few independent candidates. FF won the most seats with 78 out of the 166. With this agreement they have much more than the extra 6 seats necessary to have a majority. At first o was excited about the Green Party but now I am not so full of confidence. I think that they have lost on their important issues - the military use of Shannon Airpott, the the M3 motorway through Tara and especially the issue of corporate donations. Are they corrupted already? Maybe I am too skeptical - we will see ...]

Colin Farrell is Irish?!

Did you know that Colin Farrell is Irish?!

… apparently his ability to put on an american twang has a few people convinced

… now THAT made me smile!

anyways watch this.