Category: Ireland
Is this the year to make that long-delayed trip to Ireland? I asked myself that question at the beginning of 2009, and as in previous years, the answer was a resounding "maybe." Read more
This new year, 2010, will be the 12th anniversary of the start of the Saville Inquiry into the January 1972 massacre, Bloody Sunday, when 13 unarmed Derry citizens were shot to death by British paratroopers on the streets where they lived. A fourteenth would die later of his wounds. No one has ever been charged, no one has been adjudged guilty, and the fact that it has taken a dozen years - with the end not yet in sight - to try to clean up his Lordship Widgery's disgraceful whitewash should be an acute embarrassment to the British legal establishment. Read more
At Christmastime, as the creche is unpacked and set up on the mantelpiece, I pause when I take out the old gray donkey and think about the wonderful work done by Paddy Barrett and his dedicated and caring staff at The Donkey Sanctuary in Liscarroll, Mallow, Co. Cork. Read more
As a friend and I drove along a curvy stretch of the Atlantic Drive on Achill Island in Co. Mayo this spring, I spotted a sign on the side of the road that said: Aire Ailtreacha Arda. Read more
You can probably imagine that, over my years as a travel writer, I have had the opportunity to stay at countless lovely Irish inns, hotels, and manor houses.
Many of these properties have every amenity you could ever want from a place where you really only hang your hat for a night or two. Despite my acquaintance with so many wonderful accommodations, I stayed this spring at a hotel in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, that beats them all by a country mile. Read more
In case you've questioned whether you should visit Ireland this summer, be aware the country is alive and well despite the current economic crisis gripping most of the world. True, the economy isn't great in Ireland and there are layoffs and businesses closing there, too, but the upside is that there are also some excellent price breaks everywhere you look - in accommodation, flights (Aer Lingus, for instance, has been offering many good deals lately) and other areas. And, as always, Ireland offers so many varied activities to suit every age group and any and every interest that you're absolutely certain to find something you'd like to do. Read more
As Leaders Work on Recession Woes, They're Creating Future Benefits
January 6, 2010 by Joe Leary, special to the BIR
Every once in a while we have to be told to "slow down, you are going too fast; stop and think." Sometimes it is a speeding accident, or an exciting idea gone wrong, or a personal excess that should be controlled. Read more