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We ended up most of the day yesterday in the Sunflower, a trad session going on inside and outside  and no music blaring out over speakers ,it was our first time in it and there was a real good  vibe about(cheap beer too )

Was probably the pick of the venues for me on Thursday too. The pepperoni pizza helped too 

It was never going in from that distance.

At least get it into the mixer. It looked like a total brain fart.

How far over the bar was that last second goal attempt by the goalie? Hard to make out on the video but it didn't look like the best effort!

More to the point, why do these people support these UK teams. not go out an watch their local soccer teams or support the main soccer team in their county? Is it because these uk games are on at weekends and 2/3 tmes in a week and can be watched from home or in the pub?

Same as Cheltenham. It's a weekend away on the beer.

Most Irish daytrippers know hee haw about soccer. It's a jolly boys outing

There are *lots* of "tourists" at the big team grounds, but there are plenty of people going over with tickets secured via a supporters club they are in. The latter are invested in both the sport and their team and are not casual fans you see on coaches with Rory's Travel Club! And I'm not knocking the latter is a means of getting tickets when sometimes it seems impossible.

So he is on his way home. Air Corps jet landing in Baldonnel today

Can you follow the flight on flight radar?

Indeed you can.

IRL290 from Dubai to Dublin https://fr24.com/IRL290/4115c54b

[could hear very little with pubs and amplification]

City centre was packed at 7 this evening when I left. Disappointed with music could hear very little with pubs and amplification. Never seen so many Antrim jerseys in my life.

This really needs to be addressed for next year. Whites have a stage slap bang on the centre of High Street that I gather is their own and not an "official" stage. Loudspeakers blasting it everywhere.

Was standing outside Maddens on Thurs afternoon chatting to a fella I know and he said he was inside but too packed and was expecting an outdoors session. I said to him it's round the corner - there were about 10 musicians in full flight and they couldn't be heard from about 10m away!

For those who have been to Fleadh's before, is this level of amplified music normal on the streets? It's great for the crowds but a lot of buskers can't be heard unless you're on top of them

See videos online. Armagh's own Marty Raff playing a couple of hours ago at White's and the place looked rammed.

Unionist/loyalist weirdos like Moore Holmes and Philip Brett fairly changed their tune. Now claiming the Fleadh as some sort of victory for Unionism, with a snide reminder to the croppies where they live, as they have allowed it to happen in an inclusive UK. They must smell money.

After this week you can only imagine what the Euro's could have been for Belfast.

It has been an amazing week and two days still to go!

Brings a different type of person onto the streets fuelled by alcohol.

I don't mean this in a confrontational way, I'm just genuinely curious about it, and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. If you're an Irish person who supports an English soccer club, can you please answer the following questions. Just be as straight and honest as you can with each one.

1 - Which team do you support?

Liverpool. Hardly watch soccer anymore. VAR thoroughly ruined the spectacle for me so I'm definitely a casual fan these days. When I was a cub I would have had all the gear and was a proud member of the Ian Rush fanclub. Still have my hat and scarf from the 85/86 double year.

2 - How long have you supported them?

From day one (see 4) but earliest I can remember is about 1983 or '84.

3 - Are you from the same town or city as that club? If not, do you have any personal or familial connection to it? Did you live there for a while? Do you live there now?

No.

4 - If the answers to 3 are all no, why do you support this team? How did you pick them out of all that's available?

I was born into a Liverpool supporting family on my mother's side. My granda was in the Merchant Navy so I always presumed it was from that. My granny was a huge fan of Kenny Dalglish so it could be that they were the team of choice from his move there in 1977. I'll never know.

5 - When England plays in international competitions, how do you feel about them? Do you
a - Root for England, particularly any players from your favourite EPL club?
b - Don't have a strong opinion one way or another, but would lean slightly towards wanting England to do well
c - Don't have any opinion at all
d - Have a mild preference for England to lose
e - Vigorously support England's opponents, and yearn for the English to do on the receiving end of a bloody good hiding

Previously e but now d.

6 - Are there any local clubs in your own town or city that you could give your support to? If there are but you don't, why not? Is the quality of the competition not worth your while? Are the facilities crap? Did you just never get into it? Is it not well publicised and you don't know the games are on?

Ballymena United growing up would never have been a wise choice. It just always seemed a local sport for themmuns so it passed me by for 50 years.

Many thanks.

What has been particularly satisfying about the Fleadh this week has been the likes of Moore, Jamie and Co stewing in their own juices while 10's of thousands are out enjoying a wonderful event without much thought for them.

Meh, I haven't thought twice about them. Not worth the time. The most satisfying thing for me without question is the sheer joy of everyone about the place

Same.

TG4 is live at the Fleadh for the next few hours.

Had a brilliant day today. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Saw Daithi on Royal Avenue this evening.

Its rife at the minute, head honchos at my pace on 6 figure salaries flat out doing copy and paste of chat gpt content and not a word about it, embarrassing

Copilot analysis and researcher is excellent. Nothing wrong with using it to refine an argument. I use it all the time.

On the train on the way home. .magic day out. A Belfastian utopia. Kelly's, Electric Light Station, Maddens, Sunflower, Duke of York, Whites, Kelly's again, train. Sunflower and Kelly's the second time around were the pick. Pints in Duke of York were desperate.