Ireland top list for friendliness

According to Lonely Planet travel guide, Ireland is now the friendliest nation on planet!
“Centuries of turmoil, conquest and famine – and subsequent immigration – have certainly taken their toll on the Irish; it’s left them with a delicious dark sense of humor and a welcoming attitude towards strangers” claims the guide.
That famous ability of the Irish to find the craic (fun times with convivial company ;-) ) in bum or bust times – means you’re always in for a treat.”
And it isn’t just the lack of food or abundance of invaders, that according to the book, has made Irish so happy – the sorting out of that unfortunate business up north has boosted Irish moods to an all-time high.
“These days, after the end of “Troubles”, a cautious optimism reigns supreme, infecting the land once again with the sense that anything’s possible” it adds.
The tip-driven smiles of the Americans have landed the US in second place, though residents of few nations may not agree.
“Blamed for the coming of World War III, the Anti-Christ, Bon Jovi, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, rampant street crime, and noise pollution through overloud talking, Americans just take it all in their stride” says the guide, claiming Americans will do anything to make you feel welcome.
Poverty stricken Malawi was third on the list (they can’t afford not to be) while Scotland, Turkey, Samoa, Thailand, Fiji, Indonesia and Vietnam made up the rest.
Needless to say Ireland also made it into the top ten on the Best Brews Bluelist – cheers for that, Guinness!

Four popular bathing spots fail water quality tests!

Four of the Ireland’s leading bathing spots have failed to meet the minimum EU standards for water quality, with high levels of faecal coliforms detected by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests. Swimming areas at Balbrigan and Malahide in Fingal, north Dublin, Clifden, Co Galway and Dunmore East Main Strand, Co Waterford, all failed the minimum cleanliness standards, with Clifden failing for the second year in a row. The presence of the faecal coliforms at the four sites indicated that inadequately treated (or worst, not treated at all!) was spilling into the bathing areas.
Overall water quality levels were high with 127 out 131 sites tested reaching the required EU standards.

Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April in history!

Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April on record this year. Irish weather stations at Birr, Malin Head and in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, where records began more than a century ago, reported the warmest April ever. Met Eireann says that the average temperatures varied between 10C and 11.50C – nearly three degrees higher than normal for May, never mind April! It was also the sunniest April on record almost everywhere, with monthly totals around 50% higher than normal.

Despite the very high monthly values, minimum temperatures fell sharply on several nights under clear skies and there were between 12 and 18 ground frosts recorded at inland stations, around a third more than normal for April.

Monthly rainfall totals were well below normal except in the northwest, with the driest April on record at Shannon Airport. The soil was very dry: soil moisture deficits increased significantly during the month – with the very dry conditions leading to outbreaks of gores fires in many parts of the country.

Ireland is larger!

Ireland has got bigger since the last time you saw it on the map. The country almost doubled in size after the United Nations agreed to give Ireland ownership of a significant slice of the Atlantic Ocean. The 56.000 sq km stretch of water is equivalent to 80 per cent of the land area of Ireland and is located off of the coast of Kerry and Cork. Under international maritime laws, Ireland can now legally explore and exploit the natural resources of the seabed and subsurface in the area. All the mackerels and salmons - better watch out!

Is the era of Guinness coming to an end?

Lent, finishing next week, is a time when many people in Ireland make sacrifice until Easter Sunday. Quite few gave up drinking alcohol for several weeks, though some made exception for St. Patrick’s Day.

But that’s not the main reason of falling Guinness sale (the 2006 figures for Ireland and Britain show a drop of 7%, continuing a trend that began years ago). The scale of the shift from drinking Guinness, which takes its dark colour from the roasted barley, appears even more dramatic given that Ireland has the fastest growing population in the European Union.

Some people blame the trend on the Irish Republic's smoking ban in pubs; others say it has to do with a crackdown on drink-driving. The main reason however is changing life-style as new wealth, new opportunities and immigration transform tastes and drinking habits in Ireland.

Alongside the decline of Guinness is an increasing appetite for wine, spirits, cider and imported beer. People are drinking more alcohol at home and are mainly choosing wine.

Is the era of Irish pubs filled with Guinness drinkers coming to end? Probably yes, but let’s hope that even when serving wheat bears from Czech Republic or …… Chardonney pubs won’t lose their unique and friendly atmosphere.

St Patrick's Day

Nearly here! Only few days left to the most important holiday in Ireland - St Patrick's Day. It all began only in the mid-1990s that the Irish government began a campaign to use Saint Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland. Now on 17th March everyone is Irish. The biggest parade in Ireland will be held in Dublin. I promise to put up some photos on both blog and the website as soon as I recover from celebrating Paddy's Day and watching Italy - Ireland rugby game (probably Sunday ;-)) I just hope the weather will be nice.

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2005

Carlingford

It's cold, cloudy and rainy - typical Irish winter, no snow, just rain, so I thought I'll add a page about Carlingford to my website; Carlingford is a small medieval town in between Dublin and Belfast. It's nicely located on the footsteps of Mourne mountains and the shores of Carlingford lough. Town is dominated by the castle which rises above the lough and offers magnificent views to the north, south and east. If you are looking for relaxing break it's a place for you. You can stroll the medieval streets, walk the mountains or fish for the sea-trout, bass and other.