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I was reading a book yesterday, and  it referred to  a woman from Sligo as a Sligonian. A term I'd never heard before (assuming the author was correct).

Which got me thinking about other  counties , and the proper  terms for one of its inhabitants. The only others I know are:

Galwegian
Corconian

And I'm assuming, Dubliner?

What  are the official  descriptions /terms for the other 20-odd  counties? And who decided  these descriptions?

How will this  upcoming 3G switch off  affect  things with mobiles?

My mother  has a basic Nokia,  non-smart phone.  She just uses it  for calls mainly

She's been getting texts saying she may need to upgrade  to a  4G or 5G compatible phone, "to avoid connection issues". (I checked, and her Nokia isn't 4G/5G compatible)

Will basic phones like hers  work  at all, after this  switch off?  I don't think she could handle a smartphone at  her age. Nor  does she want one.

Just interested  in seeing if you boycott or refuse to buy from any particular businesses or companies . Or any particular products?

I'm assuming  Israeli companies  have taken a hit  from many people, for obvious reasons

Interesting  to hear about any other shops, businesses, products  you refuse to  use/buy from....and your reasons for doing so?


I refuse to buy from Amazon. I'd rather support  smaller businesses

Only ever been in Starbucks once. They  had no proper cups. And no proper cutlery, so sawing my way  through a panini with plastic cutlery  wasn't easy. When I left , I said I'll never be back . And I haven't  been

Ok rant over.

Over to you......

Some heartbreaking stories coming from  the Inquiry in recent days

You remember a lot of the victims photos , but  you move on with your life. But you forget these families have to live with the loss of  such an awful  event

Jolene Marlow was only 17, and buried  the same day her A level results came out , confirming her place in university


Mr Logue says the last thing his mother remembered of Brenda was her ponytail swishing as she went out the door of the SD Kells clothing shop in Omagh.
"The blast threw me against the wall and knocked me unconscious, or so I was told. When I came around I knew in my heart she was gone"


Jesus, that's heartbreaking  stuff. And that's just from today's reports

Well, it's now  December, so we're allowed to talk about Christmas

We were just  talking about memories of past Christmas's and  the traditions/routines etc  that was part of your  family growing up , or with your own family/kids  now.


One tradition we  had in our house was on Christmas Eve, my Mother  would cook  the turkey.  With the   smell wafting  through the house all evening, you couldn't go to bed without tasting it. So, my  Dad would always wait up for a turkey sandwich. As we  got Older, we all followed  the tradition.

So, it wouldn't be  Christmas Eve  without our  warm turkey and stuffing sandwich.  Forget the Christmas Day dinner. The Christmas Eve turkey sandwich was  the real deal.

We've followed  that tradition in all our homes , and  we raise a drink and a sandwich in memory   of our Dad on Christmas Eve.


A good memory I have  of Christmas Eve  is of people calling to the house. Aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbours. Some before, some   after mass. The people  that was all around you growing up,  some of them gone now.   Sad to think of all the changes   the years have brought. But it's  another happy  memory when I  think of Christmas Eve.


What about  your own  Christmas traditions , customs or  just good/funny  memories?

Just for a bit of fun.......

I long to hear  the old, original theme  again on The Sunday Game. I really don't like the newer version  at all. It might as well be a   totally different theme.

Anyway , what's your  verdict?  Which theme do you prefer?


The 80's and 90's  Sunday Game theme

Or...

The more recent  version from the 2010's and  2020's

Just for a bit of craic , I thought I'd start this.

So, I'm  interested to  find out  how many countries in  the world  GAABoard members have  been to.

Maybe between us all , we've travelled to  every country?

There are  over 200 according to Wikipedia , so I'll start  with the A's and  the B's.

Just add which of  these you've travelled to:


Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan

Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi

Who is the most  famous AND   most loved person  from your county?

I'm including both categories   because ...well, the most famous person might be a  pr**k , so best to  include both

Must be non-GAA. Well , they might have  played, but not famous for playing.

Comes into effect  today, 1 February.

Anyone  used this yet?

Is it easy  to use?  Any issues with it ? 

Since learning of Shane MacGowan's death , I've struggled to pin down  my three favourite Pogues songs.

Been thinking of  a thread like this for a while , where you list your  three favourite songs by a band/singer , then  the absolute best of those three.

Then after a few days/a week or so , someone can select another band, and  we go again.

So , let's start with The Pogues. List your three favourite songs of theirs, then  highlight  your  absolute favourite .


*********ALREADY DONE**********

The Pogues
Beatles
R.E.M
U2
Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Eric Clapton
Queen
Nirvana
Oasis
Prince
Cranberries
Enya
AC/DC
Fleetwood Mac
Michael Jackson
Elvis Presley
Elton John
Madonna
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Thin Lizzy
Buddy Holly
Billy Joel
Eagles
Bob Marley
Eminem
Madness
Whitney Houston
Bruce Springsteen
Abba
Guns n Roses
INXS
The Bee Gees
Meat Loaf
One Hit Wonders
The Jam
Blur
The Smiths
The Dubliners
Status Quo
Bon Jovi
The Wolfe Tones
Coldplay
David Bowie
Simple Minds
Johnny Cash
Phil Collins
Christmas songs
Simon and Garfunkel
Neil Diamond
Dire Straits


******NEXT UP******


The Clash
Manic Street Preachers
The Cure
Christy Moore

So, it's 60 years today  since  the assassination of JFK.

Were you around  then ?  If so, where were you  when you heard the news?

What are your thoughts on it all? What about the magic bullet  theory? Plausible or nonsense? What about the  autopsy?

Was it Oswald? The  Russians?  Did JFK shoot himself like in that episode of  Red Dwarf ?

Maybe it was  you that was the  boyo on the grassy knoll? 

Just for interest, I've added a  poll.

Let's hear it...

I was doing a bit of research recently about  this , particularly since the likes of James McClean  spoke of his own autism diagnosis.

Im sure we all have  our own traits, habits, ways of  communicating,  doing things etc,  and if you look at the  autistic symptoms listed in the articles, you could probably make a case  for a lot of  people being on the spectrum (although that might not mean they are)

https://www.additudemag.com/autism-spectrum-disorder-in-adults/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/adults/

Anyway, I just  thought I'd start the ball  rolling.

Maybe you've had your own diagnosis, in childhood or adulthood, or a family  member has.  Maybe you   think you, or someone you know,  might be  on the spectrum.

Feel free to share your experiences.

Apparently,  the number of cash transactions has gone up  for the first time in over a decade. 

Possibly due to  it being easier to budget (particularly during this cost of living crisis),  less chance of being scammed electronically, the ending of covid restrictions , or people realising a cashless society would give banks and governments  too much power etc etc.

Anyway, I just thought I'd  see how  much cash transactions the GAA Board  members use.


Also, do you have  any thoughts on the using  of cash? The push for a cashless society?  Your reasons for using  cash as much (or as little) as you do?

Some great classical  pieces out there. Most of  which I don't  know the names  of

Here's a couple of  ones I do know:

Rossini - William Tell overture (Lone Ranger theme)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j3T8-aeOrbg&pp=ygUVd2lsbGlhbSB0ZWxsIG92ZXJ0dXJl


Bizet -  Carmen overture

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYhQoFxs4Y&pp=ygUPY2FybWVuIG92ZXJ0dXJl


Lots of  great film pieces  out there too. None  of which  I can think of now.

Let's have yours........

Don't think  we have a thread  like this , so thought I'd start one

So, what things make you  angry or frustrated  with the modern world?.  Those trivial  everyday matters that  drive you mad . Things you would  want changing or removed , but knowing  it's very unlikely that will happen.

Let's have it.

I discovered that I had 3 old TV's in the  shed. Two are the old bulky tv's, one a flatscreen. They're all switching on, but there are no remotes with them.

Seems a  shame to bring them  to the  dump. Is there anywhere/anyone who could use them, or are they able to be recycled in any way?

Not sure there's been  a thread similar , but today I was very unfortunate to hear two songs I cannot bloody stand. I physically have to turn off the  radio/TV if I hear them.

Spice Girls -  Wannabe
Neil Diamond- Sweet Caroline

(Tbh I absolutely can't stand Neil Diamond's  voice at all. Christ but it's annoying)

Anyway, thought I'd start  a thread.

Let's have it...........

Just caught up with the late late  show there , and the discussion on energy prices and all that

It's something I meant to look into before but  never got around to.

So, is it simple enough to switch electricity providers?  Seems daft to be paying more than I should be , especially at this moment in time..

Also, if I switch providers and get X discount for say 12 months, can I keep switching every 12 months  to keep getting the lower/discount rate?

Folks, hoping someone can help

Im ringing from the North ,  trying to reach a relative in the South all day on  their landline

It doesn't actually ring, but  a voice says "the number you have dialled is not answering. Please try again later "

I'm not familiar with the South's  phone networks. So I'm not sure if this phone is off the hook, out of service or engaged

Can anyone confirm?

Anyone know of any  locations of those vending machines in the North,to print your own business cards?