La Fheile Padraig Shona Diobh go lear/Happy St Patrick's day to you all!

[Tarek Morgen]

uhm..something I dont get..when the mexicans wave their flag (in the U.S.) everyone gets mad..but when the Irish do it..everyone gehts happy and drunk.

[glyn]

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

uhm..something I dont get..when the mexicans wave their flag (in the U.S.) everyone gets mad..but when the Irish do it..everyone gehts happy and drunk.

Oh, ain't that the truth!

[crooks]

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

uhm..something I dont get..when the mexicans wave their flag (in the U.S.) everyone gets mad..but when the Irish do it..everyone gehts happy and drunk.

We're not viewed as wishing to send 20 million of our citizens to the US - not that the Mexicans wish to so either, but it's all about perception.

As for the drunk part, not everyone gets drunk here........oh who am I trying to kid, everyone does, except the 'dessies' (designated drivers ) and me (the only teetotal Irishman ).

[Tarek Morgen]

Well yes..to don't send 20 million...because..well there arent nearly as many Irish in Ireland. I have been there for two weeks, staying at a small house near at the coast. With the Exception of the port where we landed, we did not meet ANY PEOPLE at all. That country is empty! All we did see and hear were lots and lots of sheep (which always blocked the road when we wanted to get where).

[crooks]

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

Well yes..to don't send 20 million...because..well there arent nearly as many Irish in Ireland. I have been there for two weeks, staying at a small house near at the coast. With the Exception of the port where we landed, we did not meet ANY PEOPLE at all. That country is empty! All we did see and hear were lots and lots of sheep (which always blocked the road when we wanted to get where).

There are about 6 million people in Ireland (4.3 million the the Republic, 1.7 million in the North), the 20 million gag was sorta sarcastic - I'm actually quite curious about your trip, were you on the West Coast?

Taking a faint guess I'd say you were in in either Mayo, Donegal, Galway or Kerry, though the 'port' would suggest the South Coast around Cork, which is where I live - the West Coast is very lightly populated, but then that helps preserve it's natural beauty.

The East coast is much more densly populated (particularly the Dublin-Belfast corridor, home to almost 2.5 million).

[Tarek Morgen]

I dont remember the name of the area (but to my knowledge the next town was over 15 miles away. It was at the northcoast, in a small, fjord like area. When there was no fog (at about two days) you could see one ir two islands of the coast. It was about 3 hours drive from North Ireland. (But we regretted that whe drove through it. That was in August 2001, and when we entered Londonderry it looked like a war zone. No one was walking on the streets, garbage everywherer. Every second car was an armored Police truck..we were pretty glad when we got it behind us.)

Ah and the one who managed to get to the town one time with car for a supply run, (it took several tries because of rain, fog, and sheeps blocking the road) did encounter some communication difficults as seemingly nobody spoke english there (or wanted to).

[crooks]

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

I dont remember the name of the area (but to my knowledge the next town was over 15 miles away. It was at the northcoast, in a small, fjord like area. When there was no fog (at about two days) you could see one ir two islands of the coast. It was about 3 hours drive from North Ireland. (But we regretted that whe drove through it. That was in August 2001, and when we entered Londonderry it looked like a war zone. No one was walking on the streets, garbage everywherer. Every second car was an armored Police truck..we were pretty glad when we got it behind us.)

Ah and the one who managed to get to the town one time with car for a supply run, (it took several tries because of rain, fog, and sheeps blocking the road) did encounter some communication difficults as seemingly nobody spoke english there (or wanted to).

Mmm the North can even now with peace be very grim and unfriendly, though the Fjord like place is almost certainly in Donegal...was it by any chance called Inishowen? That's also very close to Derry - which is a gawdaweful place, much of NI is like that, and I say that despite being from there (Newry, County Armagh, is my hometown).

Hopefully with a working government the 'sludginess' of urban NI will disappear, as well as the horrible segregation - it's a beautiful place when you see it shine, it just doesn't get to shine much.

If you ever come back, you should tour the South or West, we're friendly folk, our surroundings are stunning, and there's less sheep !

[Ray]

Have a Ball!

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by Tarek Morgen

Well yes..to don't send 20 million...because..well there arent nearly as many Irish in Ireland. I have been there for two weeks, staying at a small house near at the coast. With the Exception of the port where we landed, we did not meet ANY PEOPLE at all. That country is empty! All we did see and hear were lots and lots of sheep (which always blocked the road when we wanted to get where).

Of course not. Ole Vicki and Peel drove most of them over here.

[Ironduke]

In my city, all the buses are free on St. Patrick's Day. Guess why.

[crooks]

Originally Posted by BenRoethig

Of course not. Ole Vicki and Peel drove most of them over here.

Ah in fairness to them they didn't drive anywhere near a majority abroad -1.6 million (1 million of which came from the famine) over the last 200 years, according to most estimates.

The real tragety is that had the famine not happened Ireland's population would have likely hit 20 million by now - the only silver lining is that the population is now increasing very fast, it will be 7 million by 2020, possibly as high as 9 million by 2050......a baby boom combined with the attractiveness of Ireland to immigrants is serving us quite well, when other country's are suffering population decline we'll still be growing very steadily.

[glyn]

Originally Posted by Ironduke

In my city, all the buses are free on St. Patrick's Day. Guess why.

Too much bother trying to extract fares from pretend Irish?
Also most of them would have more alcohol than blood in their veins.