# Free "Rough Guide to Ireland"



## Tom (27 Oct 2004)

*Free "Rough Guide to Ireland"*

You'll need to give a UK address:

[broken link removed]


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## ajapale (27 Oct 2004)

*whingeing poms*

I dont like the "Rough Guide" series. Full of  whingeing poms complaining that foreign countries are not more like England. I prefer the "Lonely Planet Guides"

ajapale


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## Tony Soprano (27 Oct 2004)

*What?*

Why would many similar minded Irish citizens need one of these - we know it is crap here.


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## Horrible (27 Oct 2004)

*.*

Here's a free 'Rough Guide to Ireland':

1. Ireland averages 3.9 hours of daylight.
2. It rains almost constantly.
3. The Inland Revenue are like the gestapo.
4. The oppressive regime makes day to day living a nightmare.
5. Rediculously expensive.
6. On the verge of a property crash.
7. The last reason to visit Ireland has bitten the dust. Pubs are now overpriced and crap.

In summary, save your money and go somewere better than this cursed land.


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## Tony Soprano (27 Oct 2004)

*Hee hee - horrible*

well said.  I just couldn't be arsed typing it all up.  Agree with what you said and much more.


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## okidoki987 (27 Oct 2004)

*Re: Hee hee - horrible*

Horrible:
Can I take it you're not a HUGE fan then?


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## piggy (27 Oct 2004)

*Re: Hee hee - horrible*

Why would you choose to live here if you hate it so much?


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## Guest (27 Oct 2004)

*.*



> Here's a free 'Rough Guide to Ireland':
> 
> 1. Ireland averages 3.9 hours of daylight.
> 2. It rains almost constantly.
> ...



8. Many natives revel in wallowing in self pity and criticism of the status quo instead of getting up and doing something about it or moving elsewhere...

By the way, since when did the UK authorities assume responsibility for our tax affairs (see (3))?


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## Tony Soprano (27 Oct 2004)

*FAO: Piggy*

Lived in the UK for many years.  Had to come back and have no choice but to stay here.  Not going into details but - suffice to say that I get out of this damn country as much as possible on holidays.


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## Horrible (27 Oct 2004)

*.*

I would LOVE to move elsewhere. Unfortunately, like many others, my personal circumstances trap me here. As soon as the opportunity arises, I will leave.


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## Tony Soprano (27 Oct 2004)

*FAO: Horrible*

Again I agree with you here.  However in my personal circumstances I cannot see the opportunity arising for at least another 12/13 years.  Buy that time I will probably be too old to feckin even bother leaving.


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## piggy (28 Oct 2004)

*Re: FAO: Horrible*

Horrible and Tony Soprano,

I don't mean to be nosey and by all means if you don't want to divulge details I understand completely...but what is keeping you here that you cannot leave? 

You can be vague if you don't want to go into too much detail but I'm genuinely wondering why you want to leave so much but can't.


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## Dan The Man (28 Oct 2004)

*Re: FAO: Horrible*

I'm considering a move, based simply on the cost of living.

Will miss the occasional golf and fishing and local library, but not much else to be honest!


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## Cuchulainn (28 Oct 2004)

*moving on out*

A few years ago I read somewhere we had the highest home ownership in the EU. In retrospest that was a very good thing indeed, but the article also pointed out that in Germany for instance most people rented. In moving abroad where there is more uncertainty over house prices, I was thinking that  maybe in Cu's old (er) age he might rent abroad for say 6 months of the year and come back for the other 6 when all the hot spots are full of lager louts and tourists anyway. That way you could move around from year to year. There would be no hugh outlay involved, inheritance taxes etc wouldn't raise their ugly head and you wouldnt have to pay local taxes etc, and if you didnt like the place/neighbours or house etc , you just walk away. anyone else think like this?


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## Henny Penny (31 Oct 2004)

*I love living here ...*

... I don't care what detractors say ... I love Ireland ... I love all the rain that keeps it so green ... I love the variety of plants I can grow in my garden because of it ... I love the seasonality of the climate ... the frosty mornings in winter and the unpredictable weather the rest of the year ... it keeps us guessing and therefore on our toes! I love the fact that we still live in a reasonable moral society ... that I can send my children to school and know they won't be gunned down by a classmate ... I love the countryside and the quiet ... I love the LUAS and I love that the see is all around ... I am not going to leave .... I here for the long haul!


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## Dan The Man (31 Oct 2004)

*I love living here ...*

I love living here too! I just can't afford it anymore!


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## Silvera (1 Nov 2004)

*Ireland*

Having traveled to several foreign countries over the last nine months, I can say that we are not doing too bad here in Ireland by any means !

We have a lot to be proud of here, and it's high time people stopped complaining so much and started taking pride in their country !


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## N0elC (4 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

Just got my guide through. Not bad for a freebie !


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## Chrisb (4 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

As much as I hate the rip off Ireland culture, I don't think the majority of us would be significantly better off elsewhere. I think that the buying power of people in the countries they work in is pretty much the same; for Europe anyway and probably US as well. 
For example, I would earn about 25% more in the same job in Germany (gross), but I would be paying about €450 per MONTH for health insurance alone; that's before income tax, social security, etc. Now I wouldn't have to pay €40 every time I went to a GP, but I'm not a sickly person. From my colleagues I have heard that the situation in France and Italy are pretty much the same.
I'm staying put, love it where I am.


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## sunnyday (5 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

Is it such a stretch of imagination for some people that others in society may have comittments in this country that prevent them from moving away much as they may want to? eg. old and/or frail relatives/dependents


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## Dan The Man (6 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

"Is it such a stretch of imagination for some people that others in society may have comittments in this country that prevent them from moving away much as they may want to? eg. old and/or frail relatives/dependents "

This is usually the biggest factor why most people don't move. I think the post would be aimed at those without such commitments.

While we have a lot of good in this country, we also have a lot of bad, and that is what is driving people away. Maybe by learning from other countries, they might then return and try to improve things here a little.


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## househunter1 (6 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

The economist did a survey some time ago calculating how long a person had to work for to earn the price of a big mac in their local city, turns out Dublin was reasonably cheap using this index.....having said that big macs are not produced by irish style cartels....


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## getoffthepot (7 Nov 2004)

*Re: Ireland*

Got mine on Friday thanks.


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## Guest127 (28 May 2006)

*Re: Free "Rough Guide to Ireland"*

the author of the rough guide to ireland was on the matt cooper radio program last week. said he 'loved' coming to ireland. obviously he and michael oleary share the same view 'theres no such thing as bad publicity'
just publicity.


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## Itchy (28 May 2006)

*Re: .*



			
				Horrible said:
			
		

> Here's a free 'Rough Guide to Ireland':
> 
> 1. Ireland averages 3.9 hours of daylight.
> 2. It rains almost constantly.
> ...


 
IRELAND FOR BEGINNERS: 

Pub etiquette: 
The crucial thing here is the "round" system, in which each 
participant takes turns to shout an order. 
To the outsider, this may appear casual; you will not 
necessarily be told it's your round and other participants 
may appear only too happy to substitute for you. But make no 
mistake, your failure to "put your hand in your pocket" will be noticed. 
People will mention it the moment you leave the 
room. The reputation will follow you to the grave, where 
after it will attach to your offspring and possibly 
theirs as well. In some cases, it may become 
permanently enshrined in a family nickname. 

Woolly jumpers : 
Ireland produces vast quantities of woollen knitwear and, 
under a US/Irish trade agreement, American visitors may not 
return to the States without a minimum of two sweaters, of 
which one at least must be predominantly green. Airline 
staff may check that you have the required documentation before you are
allowed to disembark. 
Note: under no circumstances will you see an Irish person 
wearing a woollen jumper. These jumpers are worn solely by 
Americans to identify them to muggers, thieves and knackers. 

Irish people and the weather: 
It is often said that the Irish are a Mediterranean people 
who only come into their own when the sun shines on 
consecutive days (which it last did around the time of St Patrick). 
For this reason, Irish people dress for conditions in 
Palermo rather than Dublin; and it is not unusual in March 
to see young people sipping cool beer outside city pubs and 
cafes, enjoying the air and the soft caress of hailstones on 
their skin. The Irish attitude to weather is the ultimate triumph of
optimism over experience: Every time it rains, we look up at 
the sky and are shocked and betrayed. Then we go out and 
buy a new umbrella. 

Ireland has two time-zones: 
(1)Greenwich Mean Time and 
(2) "local" time. 
Local time can be anything between ten minutes and three 
days behind GMT, depending on the position of the earth and 
the whereabouts of the man with the keys to the hall. Again, 
the Irish concept of time has been influenced by the 
thinking of 20th century physicists, who hold that it can 
only be measured by reference to another body and can even 
be affected by factors like acceleration. For instance, a 
policeman entering a licensed premises in rural Ireland late 
at night is a good example of another body from whom it can 
be reliably inferred that it is fact closing time. When this happens,
acceleration is the advised option. Shockingly, the relativity argument is
still not accepted as a valid defence in the Irish courts. 

Irish Dancing: 
There are two main kinds of Irish dancing: 
(1) Riverdance, which is now simultaneously running in every 
major city in the world except Ulan Bator and which some 
economists believe is responsible for the Irish economic 
boom; and (2) real Irish dancing, in which men do not wear frilly 
blouses and you still may not express yourself, except in a 
written note to the adjudicators. 

The wearing of the green : 
Strangely enough,Irish people tend to wear everything except 
green, which is associated with too many national tragedies, 
including 1798, the Famine and the current Irish soccer 
team. It's possible that green just doesn't suit the Irish 
skin colour, which is generally pale blue (see Weather). 

Gaelic games : 
St Patrick's Day brings the climax of the club championships 
in Gaelic games, which combine elements of the American 
sports of gridiron and baseball but are played with an 
intensity more associated with Mafia turf wars. The two main 
games are "football" and "hurling", the chief difference 
being that in football, the fights are unarmed. There is 
also "camogie" which is like hurling, except that in fights 
the hair may be pulled as well. Definitions of hurling 
"the fastest game on earth" was best described by a Cork man 
to an American tourist when he said "its like a cross 
between ice hockey and murder" 

Schools rugby: 
St Patrick's Day also brings the finals in schools rugby, a 
game based around the skills of wrestling, kicking, gouging, 
ear-biting, and assaults on other vulnerable body parts. The 
game is much prized in Ireland's better schools, where it's 
seen as an ideal grounding for careers in business and the 
law. It is well-known that St Patrick banished the snakes 
from Ireland. Less publicised is that he also banished 
kangaroos, polar bears and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, all of which were
regarded as nuisances by the early Irish Christians. 

Signposting: 
In most countries, road signs are used to help motorists get 
from one place to another. In Ireland, it's not so simple. 
Signposting here is heavily influenced by Einstein's theories (either that
or the other way round)of pace/time, and works on the basis that there is no
fixed reference point in the universe, or not west of Mullingar anyway. 
Instead, location and distance may be different for every 
observer and, frequently, for neighbouring road-signs. 
The good news is Language. Ireland is officially 
bilingual, a fact which is reflected in the road-signs. This allows you to
get lost in both Irish and English. 

Clothes: 
Visitors to Ireland in mid-March often ask:What clothes should I 
bring? 
The answer is: All of them! 

Religion: 
Ireland remains a deeply religious country, with 
the two main denominations being "us" and "them". In the 
unlikely event you are asked which group you belong to, the 
correct answer is:"I'm an atheist, thank God". 
Then change the subject


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## CCOVICH (29 May 2006)

*Re: Free "Rough Guide to Ireland"*

Thread locked by CCOVICH.

If people want to discuss further, please do so in _Shooting the Breeze_ or _Letting of Steam_.


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