St Patrick's Day - Irish sites and celebrations worldwide

 St Patrick's Day is an annual celebration of all things Irish. St Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, treated as the nniversary of the day of his death, the end of his life converting the Pagan Irish to Christianity. But he is also credited with removing the snakes from Irelandd, but there were no records of any snakes before his arrival. 

If you are a devotee of St Patrick or Irish religion and culture and travel and tourism, consider a trip to the capital of Eire, Dublin, where you can visit St Patrick's cathedral. Other places are associated with St Patrick.

For writers, several places are memorable. Famous Irish authors. The Blarney stone. Limerick.

Visiting Limerick - what to see

Limerick is on the coast, on the river, and dominated by the massive castle walls and twin towers of St John's Castle.

Expect celebrations near and far in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and all over the UK. In pubs such as Wetherspoons, green hats to be bought or given to patrons.

Customers wear green clothes and items with Irish words and jokes.

London

Trafalgar Square in the centre of London has music, dancing, and food to buy.

You can buy Irish items from supermarkets and party shops.

St Patrick's Day hats on Amazon.

Expect celebrations in pubs and major cities in the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore. Check your local newspapers, TV stations, the internet and YouTube and Wikipedia. In previous years cities in the USA have sold green drinks and Chicago even turned the river green. Expect worldwide jollity, and people singing in public and on public transport in London in the evening.

If you are entertaining, you can download suitable green borders and symbols for invitations and menus.

You can look for the tunes and words of popular Irish songs to play as background music at the start o meetings and meals and celebrations.

Travel

For travellers, in addition to celebrations on the day, visits of interest include 

1 churches associated with St Patrick, and 

2 Guinness tours in Dublin, Eire, and London, England. 

In Northern Ireland you can visit sites connected with the Game of Thrones. Must see, major museum, Titanic Belfast. 

Celebrate St Patrick's Day 

by Angela Lansbury

St Patrick's Day the Colour green

Is on the pubs in every scene

The brightest green you've every seen

In drinks, on chairs, balloons and hair

The colours green, orange and white

Are sure to bring all great delight

Drinking by day, singing by night

And smiling all night til daylight

In some cities you see parades

New Yorker smile and wave all day

Singapore - hats given away

At pubs which wanted all to stay

Chicago turns its river green

And green drinks make the weirdest scheme

Different things in different places

Green on spectacles and faces

Ireland has a lucky shamrock day

Montserrat has a holiday

Each country celebrates its way

With bagpipes, harps, or dance all day

I see that opportunity knocks

Although I do not dye my locks

That would give all my friends a shock

I'll wear green ties, or frocks and socks

Afterward I'll store them away

And send emails in which I say

My box of Irish goods will stay

Locked in box rooms til Patrick's Day.

Green four leaf clover sandals. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

You can learn or refresh Irish Gaelic on Duolingo and other online language courses. The Duolingo starter lesson, which is free, teaches you to say, hear and recognise, and read the words, tea, coffee, sugar, and, please.

Language

Bilingual Irish and English sign in Wikipedia article on language. Photo by Darren J Prior

Useful websites on St Patrick's Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Great_Day_for_the_Irish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_cream

https://opengatelondon.guinness.com/en/tours

https://www.ireland.com/en-gb/things-to-do/events/home-of-st-patrick-festival/

Details of Northern Ireland, St Patrick's grave, and visitor centre, Giants' Causeway, Spring Equinox walks on Saturday March 21st

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland?

https://www.titanicbelfast.com/

https://visitbelfast.com/blog/post/glass-of-thrones-trail-map/

Irish Language

duolingo.com

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Irish_phrasebook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lingui-Sticks-Language-Learning-Stickers-Educational/

-ends-

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Irish Whiskey Way for Whiskey - and Irish whiskey Chistmas Pudding

 Irish Whiskey Way

Oops. I have to keep correcting my typing. It's whisky or whiskey. Scotland whisky, Ireland whiskey, the USA Tennessee Whiskey. Check the place name and the bottle. How do I remember? There is no e in the word Scotland. There is an e in the word irEland. Tennesee also has the letter e. So there you have it. Remember the E in Ireland and the E in Irish whiskey.

Areas covered include Dublin, the Atlantic Way, and Northern Ireland.

And if you are not a whisky or whiskey drinker, but your friend or neighbour is, more good and interesting news is that Dublin airport has raised its cap on liquids. So you can take some drink back to your family or friend or house sitter or pet sitter.

Who needs a guide? A guide to matching wine and food. Isn't there alcohol everywhere in Ireland? And good food? And Irish favourites.

I remember years ago, when my husband first visited Ireland, on business, he was amazed that even the tailor's shops and other non food and drink shops had bottles of alcohol and advertisements for alcohol in the window. 

Distilleries

I saw 27 distilleries on the website of the Irish Whiskey Way. Including the Titanic Distillery in Belfast. Whiskey, craics  - singsongs in pubs, have a laugh. Or the Titanic museum which is about the wonderful, majestic, but unsafe ship, a magnificent Titanic scale museum which is fascinating, impressive, but ultimately sobering. 

At least two distilleries to visit in Dublin. At least One in Cork. Many more scattered about. You could do two a day for a week. From North to south and in the middle you can find distilleries.

But what if you don't want whiskey||||||||||||?

Teetotallers In Ireland

You can buy alcohol free Guinness and other drinks for drivers and teetotallers. Any drink free areas? It has been tried. A pub called the Virgin Mary.

With Christmas coming, thoughts turn to Christmas pudding with Irish whiskey. Not in Ireland? No plans to visit? You could make your own Christmas pudding with Irish whiskly.

Useful websites

https://irishwhiskeyway.ie/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186600-d26280971-Reviews-Irish_Whiskey_Experiences-Cork_County_Cork.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/people-will-get-tipsy-atmosphere-meet-man-opening-dublins-first/

https://www.irishfoodguide.ie/2011/12/my-easy-to-make-christmas-pudding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whiskey_distilleries_in_Ireland

Please share links to your favourite posts.

My latest book is Embarrassing Moments.

For next year's St Patrick's Day - erfect party hats and accessories

 

I like green. I ike four leaf clovers. Ad three leaf clovers. And leprechauns.

Hats from VGOODALL on Amazon or their own website.

I found these on Amazon. The trick is to order them far enough in advance to receive them in time. 

You can visit the church with a stained glass window showing St Patrick in Ireland. Expect a grand parade in Dublin. . St Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland. Others parades are held worldwide, especially in Australia.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

Please share links to your favurite posts.

Statues of Irish Authors To See Outdoors In Ireland: Brendan Behan, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde

 

Bust of William Butler Yeats, poet, at Sandymount, Ireland.

I remember at school in London, England, being taught Yeat's poem, whose line I recall as, 'tread softly, for you tread on my dreams'.

Brendan Behan, seated statue. Ireland.

Oscar Wilde statue, Ireland.

Oscar Wilde wrote the humorous play, The Importance of being Ernest. Wilde was a wit. When he was stopped at Customs, entering the USA, he said, I have nothing to declare except my genius. Wilde also inspired the wit of others.

In London he was talking to his friend, the painter Whistler. After Whistler made a witty remark, Oscar Wilde commented, I wish I had said that. Whistler retorted, You will, Oscar, you will.

Another Oscar Wilde statue is in London, England, near Trafalgar Square. His grave is in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France.

James Joyce statue, Ireland. James Joyce, novelist, 1882-1941. Wrote Ulysses, set in Dublin, capital of Eire.

Useful Websites

Oscar Wilde's Sayings and statues

Reclining statue of  Oscar Wilde in London, England, by Trafalgar Square.

Oscar Wilde, Pere LaChaise Cemetery, Paris, France

Oscar Wilde, Merrion Square, Dublin, Ireland

 Oscar Wilde said, The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one. 

How relevant to today.

His other famous sayings include: 

A poet can forgive anything but a misprint.

I have nothing to declare but my genius.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars".^[22

You can see statues of Oscar Wilde in Ireland, in England, and his monument in Pere LaChaise cemetery in Paris, France. I came across the statue in London by chance. A great photo opportunity. It started raining. So the seat got wet. I had a photo under an umbrella. The photographer knelt down to get in both me and the head of the statue. He got wet.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde

About the Author

Angela Lansbury writes book of quotations and prepares quotations for table topics (subjects for impromptu speeches) for meetings of clubs which are part of Toastmasters International. 

Where to see statues of Comedy Characters - A light-hearted look at London, Dublin and Paris

Traditional seaside feature of Britain. Punch and Judy.

From these shows we get two common phrases, 'that's the way to do it,' and, 'pleased as punch'.

Clowns
An early clown in the UK was Grimaldi.
He made popular the phrase, 'Here we are again,' which was used in Pantomimes, and the question to the audience, 'Shall I?'

GRIMALDI


Plaque to Grimaldi in London, England.


Joseph Grimaldi clown. Blue Heritage plaque in London, England.



Grave of Joseph Grimaldi, the clown, in Grimaldi Park, Pentonville Road, Islington, North London, England, UK.



Avenue Q, American play, which I saw in London.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Charlie Chaplin said, "A day without laughter is a day wasted."

Charlie Chaplin statue, London, England, UK

Charlie Chaplin said, 'All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.'

You can see another statue of Chaplin in Vevey, Switzerland, where he lived.

OSCAR WILDE

Also look for the statue of Oscar Wilde, Witty Oscar Wilde, reclining, in London. On arriving in the USA, asked if he had anything to declare, he said nothing 'except my genius'.

Oscar Wilde in Conversation, statue in Adelaide Street, near Trafalgar Square,  London, England, UK.

Plaque on the house in Tite Street Chelsea, where Wilde lived in London, England.

During the late 1880s, Wilde was a close friend of the artist James McNeill Whistler and they dined together on many occasions. At one of these dinners, Whistler said a bon mot that Wilde found particularly witty, Wilde exclaimed that he wished that he had said it, and Whistler retorted "You will, Oscar, you will."

Oscar Wilde had been born in Dublin.

Plaque to Oscar Wilde in 1 Merrion Square, Dublin, Eire.

: "The most interesting people are men with a future and women with a history".

"I like men who have a future and women who have a past." Dorian Gray, ch. 15

Hubert ;-) 10:55, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

.... Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.

If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

Those Drapes

 The quote supposedly attributed to Wilde on his deathbed, "Either those drapes go or I do."

Grave of Oscar Wilde in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France.

Statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square, Dublin, Eire.

Another view of this remarkable statue.

On the same fashionable square is the Jester's Chair which commemorates another comedian, Dermot Morgan, who played Father Ted in the Irish TV sitcom. Photo by NTF30 in Wikimedia commons under Merrion Square. 

I was Delighted to come across this by change when I was looking for photos of Oscar Wilde. I know that the main Wikipedia articles do not overload with a hundred shots of the same scene but simply take the best one. However, Wikimedia Commons shows you everything available which for me when researching is much more useful.

Jester's Chair commemorating Father Ted.

Pantomime
Christmas time in London (except when prevented by Covid-19).
You also see pantomime on ice at ice rinks.
See YouTube.

Useful Websites
https://www.a-speakers.com/speakers/brad-ashton-keynote-speaker/
 Brad Ashton's books on comedy: 
“How to Write Comedy”, 
“The funny Thing about Writing Comedy”, 
“The Job of a Laughtime”, and 
“Stand up and Be Laughed at”.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author of 20 books, and a speaker and speech trainer.
Her books include:
Wedding Speeches & Toasts
Quick Quotations

Writing Poetry For Fun
Angela's Alarming Animal Poems

Pantomime characters, pantomime dames create humour.

Musicians' statues and Murals: Black Sabbath; Hendrix; Winehouse - More Listings

The world has many museums, murals and statues honouring musicians. Here are some of my favourites:

Statue of Ronnie James Dio of band Black Sabbath, at Kavarna in Bulgaria. Photo author unknown, from Wikipedia.

BULGARIA
At Kavarna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, in the central park, see the statue of Ronnie James Dio, the frontman (singer) of the band Black Sabbath, replacing Ozzy Osborne. His songs included Love Potion Number 9. He performed here at Kavarna and campaigned for the release of imprisoned Bulgarian nurses.
This statue is the first of a planned Alley of Rock in the park.

Statue of Philip Lynott in Dublin, Ireland. Photo author type17 in Wikipedia. 

IRELAND
Dublin
Statue of Phil Lynott, frontman of Thin Lizzie rock band. Statue outside Bruxelles Metal Club, on Harry Street, Dublin, Ireland.


Statue of Chopin in Warsaw. Photo by Tomasz Gozdziewicz in Wikipedia.

POLAND
Chopin, giant statue in park, passed by tour buses.
Hard to photograph. You have to be at a distance to get in the whole thing, but you need to run close up to photograph the plaque. Tour bus guides and drivers don't want to stop because it is half an hour, by the time everybody has spent ten minutes racing up to the statue, ten minutes lining up for selfies, then ten minutes running back.

Amy Winehouse mural in Barcelona, Spain. Photo author Borinot bcr in Wikipedia.

SPAIN
Barcelona, Amy Winehouse mural.

SWITZERLAND
Freddie Mercury statue, Montreux, Switzerland.
Near the studios where the band Queen recorded many songs.

UK
London is full of statues. I have a book devoted to statue of London.
London:

Amy Winehouse statue in London. Photo author Neil Crump, in Wikipedia.

Amy Winehouse statue, Stables, Camden, London, England.
Liverpool:
John Lennon statue.
The four Beatles.

Isle of Wight
Jimi Hendrix statue outside Dimbola Lodge, Freshwater, Isle of Wight.

USA
Curt Cobain statue, Aberdeen Museum of History, Aberdeen, Washington.
Janis Joplin statue, Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, Texas.
Jimi Hendrix statue, Seattle (see Broadway Avenue).

Useful Websites
https://www.altpress.com/features/statues_dedicated_to_musicians_around_the_world/2/
http://heavymetalpower.com/2010/10/ronnie-james-dio-statue-unveiled/

bulgariantouristboard.com
visitlondon.com
visitengland.com
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitdublin.com
www.poland.travel/en-gb
www.spain.info
myswitzerland.com
visittheusa.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my previous posts on musicians including Amy Winehouse and Freddie Mercury. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Museums About writers in America, Ireland and England

CHICAGO USA
https://americanwritersmuseum.org/visit/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Writers_Museum

DUBLIN, EIRE
https://www.dublinpass.com/dublin-attractions/dublin-writers-museum.html

Britain has many museums devoted to particular authors. For example
England
Shakespeare - Stratford upon Avon
Jane Austen - Bath
The Brontes - Haworth, Yorkshire

Wales
Dylan Thomas boathouse (Two Thomas trails)
Fishguard (Scene of films Under Milk Wood and Moby Dick) See my previous posts on Fishguard.

Scotland
Robbie Burns House, Ayr

visitbritain.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

St Patrick's Day and Guinness - where and why and when to celebrate with hats and balloons

St Patrick's Day! You couldn't miss it, at the Moon and Sixpence pub in Hatch End. Photo from Josie, the pub manager.

I had to be in Watford for a Toastmasters International area competition. Before the doors opened, we met up at another pub, the Ember Inn. Inside I saw a hat.

Angela amused by the Guinness green-brimmed hat for Patrick's weekend. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
It's St Patrick's Day. Where can I celebrate? Why do we celebrate? When should we celebrate?

Answers
If you can't get to Ireland, you can celebrate St Patrick's all over the world because pubs worldwide are promoting St Patrick's and Guinness, all weekend. Commercialism is so strong that just as you can celebrate Christmas without being Christian, you can celebrate St Patrick's without being Irish.

UK
Essex Arms, Watford's Hats
St Patrick's Day is March 17th, Saturday in 2018, but the staff at the Essex Arms in Watford, London, England, told me the pub is celebrating St Patrick's Day 'until Monday'.

They had hats for St Patrick's weekend, promoting Guinness, which is made in Ireland.

Door Display At Moon & Sixpence, Hatch End
In Hatch End, north London, England, a wonderful display of green and white balloons was across the doorway of the Moon & Sixpence pub on the Uxbridge Road which runs through Hatch End.

Beautiful ballons, in green, white and orange, around the doorway to the Moon and Sixpence pub in Hatch End. Photo from the pub manager, Josie. 

Bunting and balloons and flags celebrating St Patrick's day at the ever popular Moon and Sixpence pub, in Hatch End. Photo courtesy of pub manager, Josie.

The balloons all got popped on Saturday night, said shift leader, Ellen. But she and the pub manager, Josie, took photos. The moral is, save some balloons!

So, your next chance to see the Patrick's Day display is next year.

The hat sat at the Essex arms in Watford, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The front of the hat shown here says: Guinness, good time with Guinness. Only when I looked at my two pictures, on Sunday, did I realise that the hat has two different messages, on the front and the back. This picture shows one message. Look back at the picture of me wearing the hat and you will see the other message. 

Essex Inn is part of Emberinns.co.uk

If you looked earlier, you will see a typo Embersinns! For my sins, I have now corrected it.

Speaking of Guinness, how about to trip to see Guinness in Dublin, Ireland.

IRELAND

The Guinness Storehouse is open for visits seven days a week, all year except Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day - check their website for the latest details or times and prices.

SINGAPORE

Singapore celebrated with a street parade. Since Singapore is about 7 or 8 hours ahead of the UK, depending on whether it's summer or winter time in the UK, and more hours ahead of the USA, you can see their entire day's celebrations on line when you are still enjoying the day in the UK.

https://www.facebook.com/stpatsdaySG/

Useful Addresses:

Moon and Sixpence

Uxbridge

Hatch End

Pinner

Middlesex

England

Essex Inn

Watford

England

Guinness Storehouse

Dublin

Guinness Storehouse, Dublin. Photo promoting visits, from Guinness, Ireland.

St Patrick Information

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick

Explains St Patrick and the shamrock symbol for St Patrick's day.

Visits

Pubs worldwide.

UK

UK Pubs

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/events/st-patricks-day

https://www.facebook.com/HatchEndMoons/

https://www.emberinns.co.uk

IRELAND

Useful websites:

Official Republic of Ireland website

https://www.ireland.com/en-gb

Tickets to visit Guinness

https://www.dublinpass.com/dublin-attractions/guinness-storehouse.html

SINGAPORE

https://www.facebook.com/stpatsdaySG/

St Patrick's Day Offers

Trace your Irish ancestors through 

ancestry.com

Special offer ends Monday March 19 2018 11.59 p.m. ET (USA Eastern time)

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on Ireland, UK, Singapore, USA and visits worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.

See Ireland In A Week With Five Drinks, Waterford glass and Limericks

Map of Ireland from Wikitravel.

Ireland is known as the land of saints and scholars, and called the emerald isle.

Problem
From Guinness to Galway. Where to go, what to do, how much can I do?

Answer
I and three friends have been to Ireland. Here's a one week tour:

Ferry
Drive to Liverpool and catch the ferry to Ireland. Which one?

The eight-hour ferry is cheaper and my friends chose that. But now my friends say next time they'll pay the extra for the shorter crossing about two and a half to three hours. My husband went to Ireland on business by ferry and was in a violent storm and was violently sick and instead of taking the ferry back insisted on flying home.

Guinness In Dublin
First stop is Dublin's Guinness Museum.
It's world famous. Even if you don't drink Guinness, take a tour. (Spell it with double n and double s.) What else is the family famous for? Guinness Book of Records.

Jameson Whiskey in Dublin
From beer to whisky, no, Irish whiskey, spelled with an e. Jameson's. They have one branch in Dublin, another is County Cork. Take a tour of James's whiskey factory. You get a certificate to prove you have done it. My friend hangs his framed in the downstairs cloakroom.

A certificate from Jameson. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

If Whiskey is too strong for you, go off for lunch and finish with Irish coffee or a Baileys Irish cream. Unfortunately, there's no tour for lovers of Baileys

.Irish coffee. Picture from Wiipedia.

Waterford
Tour the Waterford glass factory. You might be able to buy a glass for your whiskey.

Clonmel
Are you tired of touring? A fine four-star hotel, with a swimming pool and spa, (not cheap), might be your base.

Apple Cider

Apple Juice
"A small company showed us how they make their juice. Everything is thrown in and pressed. Out comes a cloudy apple juice.

Tipperary
You will recall the wartime song, It's a long way to Tipperary.

If you can't sing, you might hope to get the gift of the gab. For that yo go to Blarney Castle. If you are brave, you lean backwards over the parapet, with somebody holding your legs, and kiss the stone which is above you.

One friend said, "Noo, Thank you." He claimed, "I've already done it before."

I also declined. I don't think my insurance covers it. Think of all the bad things which could happen to the man holding my legs. He might get stung by a bee. Or struck by lightning.

Limerick
You have to send home a postcard or email with a poem about limerick, a limerick, don't you! You can have plenty of fun in a pub writing a limerick with the help of friends or even strangers who will soon become friends. You need only one word to rhyme with Limerick in the second line. The word Limerick can go at the end of the first and last lines. Any rhyme will do for the third and fourth lines.

There once was a tourist in Limerick
Who caught a bus from town real quick
Never alone, didn't want to go home
Because he had kissed the Blarney stone
On a side trip to Limerick.
By Angela Lansbury.

I have several rhyming dictionaries at home. The internet will do the same trick. After I looked up the potential rhymes for the word Limerick on the internet I found several more ideas, such as the word lovesick.

I'll improve on my first limerick:

A lovesick tourist in Limerick
Caught a bus to the town, real quick
After he kissed the Blarney stone
He was never alone, didn't want to go home
From the lovely girls in Limerick.

How about this:
I went as a tourist to Limerick
I ate so much good food that I was sick
The hotel called me a doctor quick
Ever so helpful, he was a brick
They're lovely and friendly in Limerick.
By Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

If you want to write a limerick, words which rhyme are:
airsick, Alnwick, antic, ballistic, bedtick, Berwick, boychick, brick, candlewick, cherrypick, click, Dick, drumstick, flick, knick, lick, lovesick, Mick, Nick, nonstick, pick, prick, quick rick, Rick, sic, sick, shtick, slapstick, slick, spick, stick, tick, tic, trick, thick, unpick, unstick, Warwick, wick, yardstick.

Belfast and The North
If you have more than a week and want to tour the whole of Ireland, the top of my must-see list is the award-winningTitanic Museum, Belfast. The north also has the Giants' Causeway and The Game Of Thrones tours.

Useful Websites
Amazon (for a Christmas gift of the Guinness Book of Records, a guide to Ireland or a rhyming dictionary)
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
For Rhymes Online
https://www.morewords.com/ends-with/ick/
wikirhymer.com/words/sick
https://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme

FOR HOLIDAYS TO IRELAND
http://www.ireland-guide.com/ten-of-the-best/brewpubs-craft-brewers-and-cider-makers---10-of-the-best.11709.html

Guinness Storehouse and Brewery, Dublin
Beat the queues (Americans say lineups) with a pass, they say
https://www.dublinpass.com/dublin-attractions/guinness-storehouse

Waterford Crystal, Ireland
https://www.getyourguide.com/waterford-l1643/house-of-waterford-crystal-1-hour-factory-tour-

Jameson's Whiskey
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Products-g186605-d216616-Jameson_Distillery_Bow_St-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

Eire tourist board
http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/articles/jump-into-ireland/

http://titanicbelfast.com/Visitor-Info/
https://www.viator.com/Belfast-attractions/Titanic-Belfast-tours-tickets/
http://www.gameofthronestours.com
http://maggiecobbett.co.uk/general/across-the-irish-sea

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Hiking and hostels: Wales and the world on a budget

Problem
How do you see Wales on a budget?

Answer
Camping, hiking and youth hostels.

Paddington, London
See supermarkets, Boots, and fast food outlets on Stations.

Food
Splurge: On the Arriva train, watch out for filling but pricey Welsh cakes - £1.50 for two tiny ones on the Arriva train.

Bargain: Tesco (at Fishguard in Wales and in London before catching the train): I bought Chocolate brownie flavour milk for £1. Sandwich for £1. (Often just ham on white bread. You have to add your own vegetables. Cucumber whole, or half, under £1.) Look for reduced price section.

Fruit: In July/August cherries five bananas for under £1. Pineapple £1. (You'll need a Swiss Army knife to cut it.) Cherries were down to 99p in Tesco, hard and not much flavour, but good if you want to avoid calorific chocolate snacks.

Carry a cool bag. Many hotels (such as Fishguard Bay Hotel) don't have fridges in the rooms. You would be more likely to find a fridge in a self-catering apartment. Rooms can get very hot in summer,  with windows closed to keep out sea gulls, or in winter with the central heating on. You might want to keep food, drinks and medication cool.

Cheap Ferry to Ireland
One day a week prices drop. Check their website. Normal prices are £12.50 return. You arrive at Rosslare. As far as I can see nothing much there except a beach, but you can add Ireland to places you've visited.

Cheapest Way to Get To Ireland?
If you want to stay overnight and see Ireland, you can take a train to the capital Dublin or spend a week touring by car. Prices vary wildly depending on your starting point, route and time of day and year or travel, booking in advance and so on.

One family I spoke to found, after extensive checking, that it was cheaper for them to fly from London, England, to Ireland and hire a car, than to drive to Wales and take their own car across on the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare, which they had done regularly in previous years.

Tapestry Visit, Fishguard
The Last Invasion tapestry and the film about how they made it over two years, is beside the library upstairs, above the Tourist information office in the town hall, painted bright green on the main square in Fishguard.

Cardiff
In Cardiff the main museum is free. (You pay to go into the exotic, colourful, Castle Coch just outside town.)

In Caerleon look for the courtyard with shops and a cafe or two the wooden sculptures.

Seen From The Train?
Swansea's Liberty Stadium. Tours cost £10, but £5 for senior citizens. Other discounts for groups of 20 or more.

Tips
Ferries
http://www.directferries.co.uk/ferry_to_rosslare (Wales to Ireland and England to Ireland)
Hostels
https://www.booking.com/region/gb/wales.
Camping UK, Europe and Americas
https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/Wales/
Hotel comparison
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/News
Destinations
St Davids
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/St_Davids
http://www.visitwales.com
http://www.visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/family-holidays/free-family-attractions
http://www.newport.gov.uk/en/Leisure-Tourism/Attractions/Public-Art.aspx