Topics

Hey Lads, I think its been about 8 months since ive been on this forum but I am looking for some help with learning Irish and I know that some of you speak the language.

Pretty much for the last few years I have been considering picking Irish back up but something else always got in the way but I am starting now, I cannot do an evening course due to work and training so I have got Rosetta Stone Level 1 Irish and I have started working through that but I am wonder if anyone know any good podcast, cds or books that I should also get that I could listen to or read when out and about. I watch some TG4 but the subtitles are nightmare as I find that I just end up reading them but its still better than nothing.

My Irish would be beginner level so any advice would be great

Cheers

With this strike going ahead tomorrow does anyone else think that this lad has some neck?...he gets paid €155k per year + got €25k per year when he was chairman of FAS and he keeps talking about how its all rich peoples fault that it went wrong- I would have considered somebody earning €180k as doing well and as chairman of FAS he didnt even do his job and had to resign in the end but still blames everybody else for waste and high cost of business.

Nationwide strike will cause hardship - IMPACT
 
The leader of one the country's largest public service unions has acknowledged that tomorrow's nationwide strike by up to 250,000 state employees will cause hardship to those who depend most on public services.

Tomorrow will see a virtual shutdown of public services around the country, with emergency cover only in a number of key services - particularly health and justice.

Almost all public offices and schools will be closed, while many outpatient and non-emergency health procedures will be cancelled.


IMPACT General Secretary Peter McLoone said the Government had forced them into a strike by failing to engage to negotiate a fair alternative to plans for a second huge pay cut within a less than a year.......

I will be up in Newry next week and I will have the gf with me though and there was talk of heading to banbridge outlet store but i'm wondering if it is any good...i see they have a tommy store but is it any good for shirts and jeans? I have never been up the north shopping so I really have no idea of what the prices may be.

just wonder how SF would try push for a No vote in the UK and on what grounds they would claim a No vote....like they cant claim it is bad for big countries as they said it was good for big countries when we were voting, also they cant use the commissioner line or the voting rights as the UK have alot of them.


Zap do you know what the NO stance will be based on?

fairly sad news...only 33!!!!

Tallaght to host Argentina Jaguars

Ireland A will kick-off the November rugby internationals with a match against Tonga at Ravenhill before taking on the Argentina Jaguars at Shamrock Rovers' Tallaght Stadium a fortnight later, the IRFU has confirmed.

The Belfast game against Tonga on November 13th will open an exciting two weeks of rugby in which the senior side takes on Australia, Fiji and South Africa.

"These games will provide a great spectacle for the rugby fans in both Belfast and Tallaght as the Ireland A team will contain some of the top emerging talent in Irish Rugby. In terms of international experience, this will be vital as the national management continue to develop the depth of the international squads," IRFU director of rugby Eddie Wigglesworth said today.

"We are particularly excited about holding the first ever international game in Tallaght, something that we were conscious of when we selected the venue in terms of game development.

"The Tallaght Project, which began in 2001, has exposed over 6,000 children and adults to the game in the area to the point where Tallaght Rugby club has become a focal point in the local community.

"The game against the Argentina Jaguars continues that legacy by bringing international rugby to Tallaght to be enjoyed by current and prospective rugby players and supporters."

International Rugby in November

Ireland A v Tonga, Friday, November 13th, Ravenhill, Belfast (KO - TBC)

Ireland v Australia, Sunday, November 15th, Croke Park, Dublin (KO - 3pm)


Ireland v Fiji, Saturday, November 21st, RDS, Dublin (KO 5.15pm)

Ireland A v Argentina Jaguars, Friday, November 27th,Tallaght Stadium, Dublin (KO - TBC)

Ireland v South Africa, Saturday, November 28th, Croke Park, Dublin (KO - 2.30pm)

I think this is a good thing for Irish Rugby and Tallaght

anyone watching this? some of these lads are living on a different planet...

I gotta fly out of Belfast early tomorrow morning and I was wondering do Aerlingus have self service check-in desks like they do in Dublin as I may get there a good few hours before the desks open and would like to get through security once i arrive?

Any know if they have them?

Only a matter of days to go and I cant wait...anyone heading over? this has to be one of the best weekends of the year....

Laois suffer sponsorship blow

The Laois jersey and the Heritage Hotel
22 July 2009


Laois are on the lookout for a new sponsor following the announcement by The Heritage Hotel that they won't be continuing their sponsorship.

The Heritage have sponsored the Laois football and hurling teams for the past five years, and are believed to have pumped more than EUR600,000 into Laois GAA in that time.

Finding a new sponsor could prove difficult for Laois GAA officials given the current economic climate and the alarming decline in the county's football fortunes over the past couple of years. But the hurlers offered hope for the future by coming within a whisker of shocking Limerick in last Saturday's All-Ireland qualifier a Thurles.



"The market isn't great out there. But we would remain confident that we will be able to get the right deal," said Laois secretary Niall Handy.

The Stradbally man added: "The Heritage were very good to us all throughout their sponsorship and we would like to put on record our thanks to them.

"Their five-year deal came to an end and they decided that they wouldn't be renewing."

The poorer counties like Laois could face a sqeeze when it comes to sponsporship now that times are tougher....

I have been think about the Leinster championship and i think the SUPER DUBS just be put straight into the q/f of the All-Ireland so that atleast the weaker counties like Meath and Kildare have a chance of a provincial title and Laois may even make a final....

great stuff from Dublin - lets just hope the SUPER DUBS can go on and win Sam and maybe even Liam...

I was looking through the rugby section and boards and found a very interesting post:

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055611380

First off its through this forum that i put up a quick question about joining rugby in the relevant sticky...
Soon enough i was pointed to Stillorgan RFC... I checked out the website and sent off a noobie email and i got a reply within the day from a chap called mark...

I asked him all the usual "ive never played rugby before, generally unfit, couch potato" kinda questions and he answered them all diligently.

The reason i was asking so many questions is
1. Im not from dublin (moved here from Limerick)
2. Were they friendly? ( a big crux for me as i have had mates that have played rugby for years and came to dublin and tried to settle into a team and were met with very clannish "you didnt go to school with us or college with us" behaviour.

This experience had me quite frankly a little shy about the whole joining especially since i have never played before.

So i got an email last week stating if i was still interested, pre season training was starting on Thursday (02/06/09).

In truth as i drove in i was thinkin to myself "i wonder how ill get on". When i got out of the car, the lads knew i was new and everyone made a huge effort to say hello, and explain a little about themselves etc...

We did some basic fitness training, circuits, sprinting, stretching, and 2 games of Tag to warm down... Suffice to say i was sweating alot, coming from a period of no exercise, in an office enviornment, sitting down all day.

Coming away, i felt it was a worthwhile experience, and that i felt that the lads there were dead on and would genuinely help you out if they saw you were falling behind etc... Theres a really team spirit there...

The next day, i was a little worse for wear in that i was quite stiff, However ill be back down for the training next week and hopefully it will get easier...

Ill post up in here how im getting along, for those who are humming and hawing about joining a great sport and were in the smae position as me about not playing, generally unfit etc...

The thread is fairly interesting and he has updated his second post on page 4 or 5. he really seems to be getting into it, i was wonder does anyone have any similar stories from GAA where a guy in his late 20's tried o take it up?

It will be interesting to see how this guy gets on when the contact training will start....but fair play to him, i think more people should be like this guy

Just wondering how people feel about this strike? As I am not a member of a union if the electrician was to setup a picket on my office I would be walking straight in - I really believe that these lads are taking the piss.....

i just read that tickets for the Rover v Real Madrid Pre-Season friendly are €60 each....are these boys having a laugh?

talking about taking the piss but it is sold out.....crazy stuff...but there are lads saying that this is good value..... 

I was just wondering what people thought of tipping?

Ever since my time in America and my yearly visits I have been tipping - so about 7 years now but i was chatting to a mate and he was saying that he never tips. I generally tip arounf 10% - 15% depending on the service but my mates view was that these people are generally well paid and their wages are included in the meal but in the US it is different and the staff are very low paid as their wages is based on tips so these people may be on only a few dollors an hour and then tips, I generally tip standard or good service but i've been thinking about it over the last few days and I am wondering is he right........should we be tipping waiters when we dont tip anyone else?

I was in a burger place the other day and the bill cam to €67 and i left a €7 tip but when i think the service was fine and pleasent but thats only doing your job.....would others have tipped?

game delayed 15mins.....lads couldnt be bothered leaving the pub after the rugby by the looks of things.....

What do people feel about this, the plan seems to be a total roll out through out the Republic. I think this is very bad news for Ireland and I for one will not be buying these British products in Irish shops as I believe it is important to support Irish companies and farmers!

Anyone else feel the same?

Who is that red headed girls they have on, some c**t altogether. i think she actually called one of the other guys on a d**khead, also I think i head them saying she was running in the next election - most annoying/dumbest person on a tv show...

Also she said 'its easy to have an opinion when you dont represent anyone' - where do you find these gobshites, i assume she must be in Joe Higgins gang 

1. Has to be the grand Slam, it may even be my best Irish Sporting memory as it was a whole nation in celebration that day.
2. Leinster beating Toulouse in 2006, what a day to be in France
3. Hammering England in Croker
4. 2003 Munster 'Miracle' match, what a display from and Irish province to hammer a top English side like that
5. 1991 Rugby World cup when the Aussies beat us in LR, but for a few minutes we believed it was on....