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Does anyone read Gerry O'Carroll the retired Detective Sergeant who 'writes' a column in the Herald.  I for one try not to but generally end up giving in.

Last Tuesday he was on about job creation and the fact that there were TD's in the dail and Ministers who were holding their jobs as school teachers.  Maybe he has a point, but my understanding is that there are people paid to fill these positions and they (TD) do not get wages for while they are in the Dail. They are allowed protect their jobs for a certain period in case they loose their seats again shortly after being elected.

Gerry O'Carroll should know as a retired detective sergeant that half his mates, who are retired and getting state pensions that some of us may never see, are driving the same TD's and Ministers and members of the judiciary around in state cars while there are plenty of young people suddenly on the dole and faced with high mortgages who should be getting these jobs.  Not happy with their state pensions they contribute nothing from their wages to taxes and prohibit people more deserving of the jobs from getting them so I think Gerry O'Carroll should keep his gob shut.

I think, Bud, it's not as clear-cut as that.
BTW, this topic was brought up on this board sometime before Christmas. It is a matter that turns up in the media from time to time and I can't recall what the reason was for it being resurrected this time around. I think it may have been that the move was starting to find ways of paring back on public expenditure.
Anyway, it did get a good airing here.
There are quite a few TDs who benefit from the operation of this scheme. Enda Kenny is one high-profile one and so are Pat Carey and Mary Hanafin. If it was just a case of holding a TDs teaching post open for a term or two, I'd imagine there would be considerably less controversy than is generated every time the subject is mentioned.
The teacher who gets elected holds on to his or her job plus any additional increments or perks that he/she could be expected to pick up in the normal course of events. Pension entitlements based on length of service will be added as time goes on whereas the substitute will always remain in the post in a temporary capacity. The sub gets paid a daily rate and never qualifies for a permanent post. The successful TD will be paid the appropriate salary for the job minus the amount deducted to pay the sub. Remember that this sub only gets paid for the days he/she works; so no holiday pay or long service increments are added to the wages.
Enda Kenny was elected to the Dail back in '76. Pat Carey started (I think) in 1967. Both would be on quite handsome paypackets by now if they had remained in teaching. Either or both may have picked up additional allowances, such as posts of responsibility along the way. In both cases, their pension is being adjusted to take account of their lengths of service and the posts or other entitlements they may have picked up.
Subs will get paid at the usual flat rate, with the successful TD pocketing the difference between what he/she would get and the sub's daily wage.
The sub in all cases could be out of employment if the TD lost his/her seat. There is no job security involved.
I am not too happy with the status quo to put it mildly and one of the main reasons for this is that teaching jobs are being willfully withheld from qualified teachers. Many who take up subbing know full well the risks involved and the vacancy will never attract fully qualified and able-bodied applicants, unless there is a shortage of teaching posts. Pupils can miss out also as there tends to be a high turnover of subs and many will lack academic qualifications.
BTW, I am not singling out Enda or Pat for criticism; I'd rate them both as sound skins, who are only using the system to best advantage. Neither are doing anything illegal but I do think the cosy arrangement is badly in need of radical overhaul.

Joephis instead of Joseph
or Buck eegyet (sp)

Joephis for Joseph is one widely used by Dublin kids. I never heard a grown up use this particular one but there are loads of mispronunciations that Dubs young and old frequently come out with.
'Crips' (crisps) is a popular one and so is 'hopsital' for hospital.
Also you may see people on The Hill standing for the National Antrim or go take your alstation for a walk.

What's seldom is wonderful!
France has gotten out of jail so many times in the past (rem 2 years ago?) that I couldn't sit down until the ref blew the final whistle. The same man had made so many howlers throughout the game that anything was possible with him until the game had ended.

As my specialist subject I'd go with either Moses and his mob wandering all over the desert for years on end or the quest of Mayo fans for the Sam Maguire cup. On reflection, I think I'd opt for Moses and his pals as their quest didn't go on as long as the other one and it did come to an end eventually.

The closest thread I could find for what I'm about to talk shite about.

People who say 'chimley' instead of 'chimney'. I think it's a Belfast thing though. A boy in work was talking about his chimney, the last few days and constantly referred to it as a 'chimley'. He isn't a spastic or anything but it's one word that he can't say.

Have a listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G6hi6xoG7w&feature=related

What the deal with that? A bit like 'frunyel'.

My wife says 'chimley'. Claims it's old Belfast.

"Chimley" was used in East Mayo also and given the distance between Mayo and Belfast, I 'd imagine that it must have been widely used throughout the country, or at least the northern half of it.

Actually, in point of fact, I feel myself that at this point of time in this country, clichés really come in at a dime a dozen and anyone who doesn't reach a consensus with me on that note basically must be batting for the other team.

[a quick ip check]

nifan should know better.

Alright alright can everyone stop saying that!
I only posted on this thread in the first place to suggest a quick ip check as one possible test 

Maybe a quick IQ test would be more appropriate.!
Don't let them get to you, Nifan. You're doing grand.

[Then this MASSIVE fish (a big dark scaly round one) jumped out of the bucket with another fish (a smaller version of itself) in it's mouth.]

So I dreamt last night I'd this glass jug with goldfish in it.  They were swimming around happily and I decided I had to clean the jug so I poured them in to a bucket. Then this MASSIVE fish (a big dark scaly round one) jumped out of the bucket with another fish (a smaller version of itself) in it's mouth.  Then it died on the floor. 

I tried looking up the meaning of it and apparently someone might be pregnant! 

Ah, I think you are just too wound up by EG and Myles and the which is who fuss

Seconds out - Round 1 

Disappointed with the attitude to the FBD League - there are always benefits that can be gained by going out and winning matches.

Judgement is reserved though. The last two years have been extremely disappointing and JOM must start to regain the confidence of supporters from Sunday week.

Its not going to be easy to survive in Division 1 but four home games, and a trip to Galway mean that the fixture list has been kind. An opening win is a must.

Lads and lassies for FFS, why in under god is their 13 pages on a Mayo and Derry NFL game?? seriously , who cares?

Obviously the fans who wrote 13 long pages of posts care enough to give their thoughts and opinions. Don't worry too much; these things happen in Mayo and in Derry also.

Must remember to look up this thread around the 21st June 

Don't worry!
You will be reminded.

Kearney
Bowe
O'Driscoll
Wallace
Fitzgerald
O'Gara
O'Leary

Horan
Flannery
Hayes
O'Callaghan

O'Connell
Ferris
Wallace
Heaslip

Best, Court, O'Kelly, Leamy, Stringer, D'Arcy, Murphy

That is as good a side as we can put out, I guess.

Ah, Holy Smokes, Boys and Girls!

Things are starting to unwind here, or the thick is starting to plotten, as a colourful TD from my part of the country would often say.
Just keep in mind that a few incautious remarks by Long Paddy Flynn on the Late Late one night was to lead to Bertie having to take his snout out of the trough and collect his P45 on the way out the door.
He brought a lot of other high rollers with him, so who knows what is going to be revealed if the accusations and counter accusations keep flying about here?
For starters, I know EG is really EG.
He told me so himself and I just couldn't imagine that he'd be pass himself off as anyone else.
{Jaysuus, that's a scary thought; imagine another EG loose in the wild. I doubt if MaAfee and AVG combined could stop that one!]
But at this stage of the continuing fallout he is suspected of being both Myles and Mac.
Myles? Well, I dunno.  I don't know enough about him to know for certain if he is EG or not. He definitely seems like a wannabee EG but I could be wrong. Or could I? I feel as if I'm missing something here.
But there are others I'd be suspicious about; yes, schizophrenia is running wild on gaaboard.com
Did anyone else ever cop that O'Neill and Hardstation just have to be the same poster? I can't understand either of them at times and Hardstation admits he has loads of aliases.
I'll definitely get the mods to check that one out.
While I'm at it, I'd wager that Zap and Pints just have to be one and the same; two sane individuals couldn't have the same view of Irish history, could they?
Leave poor EG alone; there are worse than him about!
There are plenty of other cases of double and even treble identity nutters about.
Who am I?
I'm not too sure any more...

I suppose, Zap, that it all depends on the time of year in that is in question.
There are many places to visit alright but you'd need to keep the weather in mind when drawing up the itinerary.
I mean a visit to the zoo and to the Phoenix Park in general is a good way for kids to let off steam but would hardly be the ideal trip to take in weather like this.
If it is intended to go into the city centre, the DART and LUAS services should be kept in mind.
On a fine day, a trip on the Dart to Howth is suitable for people of all ages. There is a picturesque fishing port and a lovely beach nearby. Plenty of shops and cafes/restaurants also and a bit of hill walking might be considered; the view from the hill above Howth village is breathtaking and you needn't climb too far see what I mean.
Even at this time of year, Howth, is a popular location for visitors. The beach wouldn't be an attraction at present but there are still lots of things to do.
Both the Dart and Luas trains can be boarded at Amiens Street (Connolly St.) station Between them, they can provide the person in charge with a wide variety of venues and options.
For instance, Blackrock market is quite easy to access by the Dart. The Square SC in Tallaght is probably the biggest and busiest shopping centre in Dublin and the Luas terminus is located at the edge of it.

 Here in Dublin 5 it has been snowing for the last 20 minutes or so. I don't think it will last but the big fear is that, if the temperature drops a degree or two, the slush will freeze and the roads will be in a dangerous state by morning.

That's quite a bit of revisionism there Lar. Fair play to ye.

A much lower standard of living?

Ahern, Clinton and Blair?

Ahern leaving his mothers funeral? Was that the same mother who's passing he used to explain dodgy cash dealing in the tribunal???

Janey, Zap, you're in horrid bad form today!
Right now, you would be taken for a well-balanced individual; one with a chip on both shoulders.
Revisionism is a funny thing; it's very subjective and what's bending facts for one person is putting the record straight for another.
Unless someone can prove me wrong, I'm very much putting facts on the line here.
If you want to be sarcastic about any man who puts a solution to the Northern problem in front of attending his mother's funeral, you may snigger away but I won't be joining you.
Blair and Clinton too had a lot of serious issues to tackle.  The time and trouble involved for both to take up an apparently hopeless cause needs to be acknowledged.
Now, you may fail to appreciate the efforts of all three but there are others in the North would readily acknowledge the effort put in and the political risks all of them took on.
All three may have dirtied their bibs elsewhere but getting Papa Doc and Gerry Adams to sit down and talk was a feat that has to be acknowledged.
Ronald Reagan or either of the Bush brigade would not worked as hard as Clinton did to solve a problem that did not directly involve the US. Blair was up to his oxters in all sorts of crises, involvement in Iraq being just one, yet he cannot be faulted for shirking his part in advancing the peace process.
Big Ian on the Late Late last weekend mentioned that Blair had rang him 7 times in one day. Do you think Maggie Thatcher or Gordon Brown would bother ringing a second time? If either rang even once, it would be to issue an order and not to ask a request.
How Bertie stuck at his job while the revelations about his finances were coming out thick and fast, I'll never know but he did keep the cool. Like them or not, all three earned the thanks of all on the island for bringing some sort of peace and stability to a hitherto intractable problem.
Personally, I don't like any of them but I do give credit where it's due – that's not hard to do, is it?
Tell me Zap, why do you have problems with accepting that we had a lower standard of living down here than Nationalists had in Northern Ireland?
Common sense alone would tell you that.
After Partition the South was cut adrift, cut off from financial aid from the British Treasury and with sweet damn all natural resources.  Furthermore, the people in government as well as those in opposition were eminently unsuited for the job of running a country.
They could blow the b*ll*x off each other okay or use a pistol as good as John Wayne any day but statesmen they were not. Dev, when he came to power, started the Economic War against Britain and it buckled the economy big time. We lost that row and most Irish people saw more dinnertimes than dinners while it lasted and it went on for years.
WW2 came along and our economy practically ground to a halt as exports and imports went by the board. If it wasn't for emigration and the money that emigrant workers sent back home to their people, our grandparents could have starved. I suppose quite a few of the poor devils did.
No; I am not playing the violin for sympathy here; one would not need to be a genius (either of the benign or evil types) to figure out why the Republic was impoverished from Partition to the end of the last century. By contrast, inhabitants of the statelet north of the border were getting financial aid from Her Majesty's Government that their cousins down here did not.
I have been following the progress of the troubles since the Civil Rights parade was attacked by the B Specials at Burntollet in 1969 and, as the fella says, that's not today nor yesterday!
It was very noticeable that the 'Castle Catholics' were never inclined to support the local Shinners or even the SDLP candidates in their area. They have always been quite happy to keep the Union in place. They know which side their bread is buttered.
The Malone Road was never a hot bed of Nationalism and that's for sure!
In other words, not every Catholic looked across  the border for help and support and I'd say one hell of a lot of them still don't.