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[Heard Fool me Once is good]

Heard Fool me Once is good

Watching Tourist atm it's so bad it's laughable but still watchable in a weird way

Decent enough show, passed a couple of evenings for us if nothing else.

Michelle Keegan makes it a bit better.

Jesus I thought it was shite enough. Didn't even bother finishing it.

I miss the cycling but took fear a few years ago. Couple near misses had me nervous and packed it in.

Do many of you pay attention to heart rate when running? I've been messing around with this recently. I'm around 144-149 during a longer run at medium pace. However, recently, I've found it hard to stay below 155, sometimes hitting 170. I know many experienced runners will tell you to ignore it, and that watch readings aren't great. Just wondering if anyone pays heed to it.

Buy the chest strap. The watch isn't great I've found. You're also probably going too fast for your slow runs.

Trying to get more running done myself. A marathon in the back of my head for this year and trying to see if I could build up to one again. Hurt my knee already ffs. I have been plagued by bursitis or patella tendonitis in the past and it's started to come back now thst I'm building up the miles.

16000km

Rim brake bikes work, simple as
There are practically no descents in Ireland where disc brakes are needed

Superb, nearly 10,000 miles in old money. I'd hazard a guess thats more than most drive per year. Do you cycle to work as well or all training/racing?

Agree on the rim brakes, some brilliant frames/bikes up for not too much money.

Commute by bike once a fortnight when it suits.
Mainly training/racing.
The hours needed to train to compete in racing can be ridiculous. Don't think fellas involved in gaa realise the time put in by many club cyclists in Ireland.

Huge commitment from lads who are training to compete. Only thing I would say is that at least a lot of the training is on your own terms and time. The annoying thing with  GAA training was it was on someone else schedule. I'd rather get my training done in the morning than waiting around to go train at 7.30 and not home until 9.30.

Money certainly helps!

What happens if you've a football club in one county and a camogie club in another county?

Entitlement is a word often used to beat the working class over the head with. The fact is that there are entitled people equally spread across all walks of society.
Since we are on the teachers thread, you only have to look at the appeals, legal action, or the continuous threats of etc etc that the south Belfast grammar schools face every year because some little darling didn't merit a place in the school. He must get a place. He is entitled to a place.
Then look at the upper echelons. I imagine I need not point out the entitlement that drips from every pore.

But we quite often ignore that. For a simple reason. It's is bullying on the socioeconomic playground.
We have decided to ourselves that we are better than someone else and we need to let the world know this so we punch down on these people at every given opportunity. It makes us feel better about ourselves also. We rarely punch up. In our heart of hearts we realise that we are hypocritical, that we let other off lightly for the same or worse. But we have to. We have constructed our own place in society and we know to look down on some and look up to others.
It's human nature. Though, is it right?

I'm not sure what you're getting at?

Every A&E should have security and if you lay a finger on staff you get lifted by the peelers without treatment.

Automatic custodial sentence.
Fines starting at £1000 for verbal abuse and upwards
If you're on any sort of benefits you automatically lose them.

Should carry a very high punishment. Absolutely no call for it.

Force them to go out and get a job, that will fairly put the frighteners on them.

Really worry for society at times, for every pair of scum bags that get together and have wains they are raising  people with the same morals and sense of entitlement when it comes to benefits, housing and relationship with work or lack of.

This is so true. Monkey see, monkey do and all that. You can write the future of a lot of children by looking at the parents bringing them up. 

But it must be rewarding when you break the cycle?

I taught engineering to 16 year olds up to 19 year olds..

The greatest pleasure was seeing some bad ass kids who left schools like Mount Gilbert on the Shankill and turning them into engineers.

Christ it wasn't easy, I remember one time a lad had missed classes and work, me and the admin girl (who's local) called to the house, the front door open parents lying full drunk in battered sofas and him upstairs playing on a PlayStation.

Got him back on track and he finished up with a level three qualification, an apprenticeship, with a works van and moved into his own accommodation.

There were numerous occasions of those stories but unfortunately there were so many that didn't finish the same.

I think it's an impossible job at times but what's the answer?

I'd say in ten or twenty years you'll have a massive problem with recruiting teachers, and then retention.

I'd never encourage my kids to go into education

I am sure like most teachers on here we could tell a million different stories. One that really upset me this year was a young lad I taught in P5 and P6 years who took his own life. 15 years of age. He was a troubled young lad and of course his family background was what you'd imagine it would be with drugs and drink all playing a prominent role. The family had all the help that the school could possible offer them. Counselling, after school clubs, teaching the parents how to cook etc. All free of charge but they never engaged in it. The young lad had a behaviour assistant and was always getting himself into trouble in school. But I'd an awful soft spot for him. He loved the male teachers and loved his behaviour assistant for all the hassle he gave her. That lady who worked with him went home many nights crying her eyes out with worry, she tried to look after him like he was her own son. Anyone that looked the wrong way at her, he was over trying to sort the person out with a dig on the face. Hard work but the young fella just wanted loved and given the attention that adults in his home life weren't providing. That family were given every opportunity to turn things around but simply couldn't be bothered and in turn their children followed suit. An awful tragedy.

Another single mother had 6 children to 6 different men. The oldest was about 13 ffs. And another parent from that that class of mine couldn't afford to send her child on the school trip but was on Facebook the next week boasting about her boob job she got in Lithuania. I could honestly talk all day about the stuff that went on in that town.

I eventually left and got a job close to home in the countryside and I have more or less nothing like that to deal with. My school gets less handouts, less money, less courses, less from 3G pitches (seemed to be one on every corner of the town I worked in) less of everything but the parents are all from good hard working backgrounds themselves so in turn their children are hardworking and likely to go on and do well in life.

Every A&E should have security and if you lay a finger on staff you get lifted by the peelers without treatment.

Automatic custodial sentence.
Fines starting at £1000 for verbal abuse and upwards
If you're on any sort of benefits you automatically lose them.

Should carry a very high punishment. Absolutely no call for it.

Force them to go out and get a job, that will fairly put the frighteners on them.

Really worry for society at times, for every pair of scum bags that get together and have wains they are raising  people with the same morals and sense of entitlement when it comes to benefits, housing and relationship with work or lack of.

This is so true. Monkey see, monkey do and all that. You can write the future of a lot of children by looking at the parents bringing them up. 

Some shite talked on here this past while. The 2024 season can't come quick enough.

[To stop all this you need to cut the head of the snake]

Been a Lurgan man all my life, it has its downsides surely but has some great positives too. It's no different to any other town, it has it's fights and it's anti-social behaviour but the drugs thing is a real problem. this drug thing is not just for Lurgan, the whole country is awash with Cocaine and other substances. I had a conversation last night with one of the top trainers in the GAA circles and he told me you'd be astonished by the people who take Cocaine, County players, club players, professionals, basically all walks of life and he said it's not just weekends either. I have heard all the stories about it and maybe i'm a wee bit green when it comes to things like that. The thing that goes on now is not sectarian as these drug dealers are from both communities and religion would very rarely come into it, it's all about the drugs and money and I've no doubt the source is all coming from Dublin. To stop all this you need to cut the head of the snake and we all know who the snake is...This is the only aspect i miss the Ra for, these Dublin cartels may well have been eliminated many years ago before they got to the "untouchable" stage.

I think the issue now is that you are in the minority if you are not taking drugs unfortunately.  There is a casualness to it that is unfathomable to me.  You cut the head off the snake and another will fill the gap, supply and demand and all that. 

I agree in part to your Ra statement.  These cartels have grown to a level that is above policing, a slap on the wrist or a few years in jail is not deterrent to them. 


On Lurgan, I have been many times and it's no rougher than any other big town.  Areas you wouldn't venture into etc. 

I have worked with Lurgan people professionally and within the GAA and I find them very respectful and good natured to be honest.

where would you not venture into in Lurgan other than hardcore loyalist areas if you're Catholic?
I was born here and brought up here. I lived in England for 14 years, mostly in Manchester. As much as I loved Manchester, not London though, I always missed Lurgan. Can it be rough at times? Sure can but no more or less than any other town in the North

I suppose I am making generalizations on where and where you wouldn't go, every big town has areas where trouble is more rife than others, religion not being a factor.

there is generally nowhere in Lurgan I wouldnt go in to other than parts of mourneview for obvious reasons

Around Shankill is a shit hole. Those flats in Taghnevan has a few bad boys in them too! Complete kip.
Up around the Shore Road and Tannaghmore school etc is a nice place.

Nonsense.  I walk round it at night and have done all of my life; never felt unsafe.

There is a dark underbelly in Lurgan that is not confined to one particular area.  The vast majority of residents are great people.  I'd say the same things could be said about many large towns.

I have walked through Shankill right from the St Paul's days as a pupil right up to now when I walk my dog there regularly. I do that loop up around silverwood and Shankill is the biggest Kip by a mile. I know plenty of life long shankill people who will tell you the exact same. This past 10 years it's got a lot of scumbags moving into it, especially around those flats and the part closest to William Street. Although some will same that isn't actually Shankill  I worked with a girl who lives in Shankill with her family and is dying looking out of it because of the undesirables around the place. I have never felt worried walking about any area of Lurgan but I'd say a lot of females wouldn't fancy walking through Shankill, Taghnaven, Victoria Street etc by themselves at night! Kilwilkie is now one of the quieter areas ffs.

The other side of it is, I feel lurgan has a lot going for it. Rushmere, good sports facilities (golf, gaa, soccer, tennis, swimming, gyms), Cinema, restaurants etc. These murders don't help with the promotion of all that though.

[To stop all this you need to cut the head of the snake]

Been a Lurgan man all my life, it has its downsides surely but has some great positives too. It's no different to any other town, it has it's fights and it's anti-social behaviour but the drugs thing is a real problem. this drug thing is not just for Lurgan, the whole country is awash with Cocaine and other substances. I had a conversation last night with one of the top trainers in the GAA circles and he told me you'd be astonished by the people who take Cocaine, County players, club players, professionals, basically all walks of life and he said it's not just weekends either. I have heard all the stories about it and maybe i'm a wee bit green when it comes to things like that. The thing that goes on now is not sectarian as these drug dealers are from both communities and religion would very rarely come into it, it's all about the drugs and money and I've no doubt the source is all coming from Dublin. To stop all this you need to cut the head of the snake and we all know who the snake is...This is the only aspect i miss the Ra for, these Dublin cartels may well have been eliminated many years ago before they got to the "untouchable" stage.

I think the issue now is that you are in the minority if you are not taking drugs unfortunately.  There is a casualness to it that is unfathomable to me.  You cut the head off the snake and another will fill the gap, supply and demand and all that. 

I agree in part to your Ra statement.  These cartels have grown to a level that is above policing, a slap on the wrist or a few years in jail is not deterrent to them. 


On Lurgan, I have been many times and it's no rougher than any other big town.  Areas you wouldn't venture into etc. 

I have worked with Lurgan people professionally and within the GAA and I find them very respectful and good natured to be honest.

where would you not venture into in Lurgan other than hardcore loyalist areas if you're Catholic?
I was born here and brought up here. I lived in England for 14 years, mostly in Manchester. As much as I loved Manchester, not London though, I always missed Lurgan. Can it be rough at times? Sure can but no more or less than any other town in the North

I suppose I am making generalizations on where and where you wouldn't go, every big town has areas where trouble is more rife than others, religion not being a factor.

there is generally nowhere in Lurgan I wouldnt go in to other than parts of mourneview for obvious reasons

Around Shankill is a shit hole. Those flats in Taghnevan has a few bad boys in them too! Complete kip.
Up around the Shore Road and Tannaghmore school etc is a nice place.

20 years ago a lot of those lads would have been bumped off before they got to this stage!

Murder capital of the North

I loved the Avenue for a one off. Wouldn't go there everytime I wanted to see a film but would definitely go back for a big movie release. I went to see Napoleon and thought it was good. Can't see it making the all time great list but I am definitely glad I went to see it.