Conference tallis::celt

    I seem to remember that there is a boat connection between north
    Wales (Isle of Anglesey) and Ireland.  Perhaps someone alse would
    be able to give you more info on this (or your travel agency).
    Best regards
    Anne.

    
    There are two sealink ferry routes from Wales to Ireland.
    
    Hollyhead (Angelsey, north wales) to Dunleary (near Dublin)
    
    and 
    
    Fishguard (South Wales) to Rosslaire (couple of hours south of Dublin)
    Sailings from fishguard twice a day.
    
    I only use the fishguard route, its usually a good idea to book before
    hand in the summer, but they have just put a new boat on the route
    which is about twice the size of the old one so that may not be a
    problem anymore. Your best bet would be to get in touch with any
    Sealink office (I did have the number but it got lost in the last
    office cleanout).
    
    nigel 

    
    Hi Vinzenz,
    
    I"ve got to go into a travel agents this weekend so I will get you some
    details on the ferries and post them over next week via the internal
    mail.
    
    The assumption seems to be that you are taking a car over with you. If
    this is so (and its very expensive to hire a car in Ireland), I would
    strongly advise you to book a place beforehand as many factories close
    for their annual holidays in July in the UK at varying stages in the
    month and therefore there are always LOTS of us ex-pats winging our way
    home to the motherland....thats exactly why Im goimg into the travel
    agents myself.
    
    As far as the ferries go to the Republic of Ireland, there are 2
    companies operating the routes , B+I and Sealink. Both of these have as
    far as I know 2 sailings each to and fro from Holyhead (North-West
    Wales) and Dublin North Wall or Dun Laoighire daily. Sealink also
    operate 2 sailings a day from Fishguard (South West Wales) to Rosslare
    and B+I also have 2 daily from Pembroke (SW Wales) to Rosslare. I
    believe that a new route has been opened from Swansea (SW Wales) to
    Cork, I dont know who the operator is and how frequent it is. All of
    the above sailings except the last one mentioned take about 3� hours on
    the sea, I'd guess the Cork one would be about twice as long.  
    
    All of the above surmises that you want to come via the UK. If you
    dont there is a continental saling from Le Havre I think to Rosslare
    but I have no details and wont be able to find out about that one.
    If you are coming as a foot passenger on any of the UK sailings you
    could probably turn up on the day and buy a ticket or else just pop in
    to a British Rail station where you can also acquire one.
    
    By the way there are a few Irish guys over there in Munich whom you
    might have a word with about the best way to do it. I know Mick Keyes
    has used the continental sailing (Mick is probably down in Italy just
    now!!), also Robbie Delaney, Des Cassidy,Cathal Copas or Pat Harrington
    should help to put you on the right track.
    
    Will forward you on some details, hope you have a lovely holiday.
    
    Se�n

	Thanks for all the replies.
	
	I guess I was a little too vague in my base note.  Since  I  was
	kind  of  in  a hurry between two customer visits, I didn't take
	enough time to enter more details.  I really appreciate it, that
	you guys took the time to give me some information anyway.

	With your information and some infos from my  travel  agent,  my
	wife  and  I were able to make some more detailed plans.  Here's
	what we're planning to do:
	
	I'm booked for a course in Reading July 9-18.  I'll  be  driving
	to  Reading  in  my  own car, bringing my family with me.  Right
	after the course we want to head for the Republic of Ireland and
	spend a two week vacation there.  We have booked a Eurocamp tent
	at Eagle Point campground near Bantry for  July  24-31.    We're
	thinking  of  taking  one  of the afternoon sailings from either
	Pembroke or Fishguard to Rosslare on either the 19th  (Thursday)
	or the 20th (Friday) of July.

	On the trip back we'll be leaving Bantry on  Tuesday,  July  31,
	heading  for Rosslare.	After an overnight stay at/near Rosslare
	we want to catch the  morning  sailing	to  either  Pembroke  or
	Fishguard and then continue on home via Dover/Calais.

	Since this trip will be  our  first  trip  to  the  Republic  of
	Ireland,  we  don't have any idea of what to expect and a lot of
	questions.  Here are some of them:

	o  From .4  I learned that it's advisable to make advance reser-
	   vations for the ferries.  Since I'd hate to make the reserva-
	   tions before arriving in Reading  (we'd loose too much money,
	   if the course  would be  rescheduled, making it necessary  to
	   reschedule  or cancel the reservation),  will 10 days in  ad-
	   vance be enough time for a ferry reservation?

	o  How long will it take us to drive from Reading to Pembroke or
	   Fishguard?

	o  Do any of you Irish have some suggestions as to what a family
	   with a 7-year-old boy could do or see in Ireland the 4/5 days
	   before we get to Bantry?  Is Dublin interesting to see?
	
	o  Are there any suggestions for hotels for those nights?   Does
	   Ireland have recommendable chain hotels like in the States?

	o  How about day trips from Bantry to........?

	o  Can anyone suggest a pension/hotel close to	Rosslare harbour
	   for the return trip?
	
	
	We're very excited about our first trip  to  Ireland  and  we'll
	really appreciate any information you guys have.  With a German/
	American son named Patrick you just have to go to Ireland ;-).


	Vinzenz

    
    
    Hi again Vinzenz,
    
    I"ve managed to get you catalogues for Sealink (from Fishguard -
    Rosslare) and Swansea - Cork. Im not in tomorrow (Wed) but will do my
    best to get the B+I info Thursday and will post them over...I'll stick
    the telephone nos in as well just in case internal mail is too slow.
    I'd suggest calling them anyway, if you explain your situation to them,
    they'll probably make a provisional booking which you can confirm when
    you are in the UK....they might be more amenable for the Thursday
    sailing, Friday's usually busy and could be you'll have to pay more for
    it (weekend rates?)
    
    Reading to Pembroke should take about 3 hours, Fishguard a little bit
    longer...its straight down the M4 to the South-West.
    
    Id advise you NOT to stay in the Hotels...not that they're bad or
    anything but you can get some excellent value by staying in Bed and
    Breakfast establishments...just look out for the B&B signs..theres lots
    of them, hence the competition keeps them to a good standard and fairly
    reasonably priced.
    
    Yes Dublin is interesting but does take you off course for Bantry. 
    Bantry is due west from Rosslare, Dublin 70-80 miles north...if you
    dont mind the drive from Dublin down afterwards (circa 200 miles), Id
    say take a trip to the capital. If you dont fancy that much driving
    (and remember the roads are not like your Autobahns), well spend a few
    days miandering over to Bantry..thats what Id do but as Im from the
    south Im biased...you could take in Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary, and
    Cork for instance..the scenery down in the south is quite beautiful and
    the lifestyle is fairly relaxed....loads of castles and beaches for the
    young lad. 
    
    By the way, Im down in Reading area myself July 9th/10th, staying
    overnight on the 9th...if you want to chat about things mail me @Bio
    and we'll get something organised.
    
    Regards,
    
    Se�n
    

    
    
    Hello Vinzenz,
    
    I've got some brochures here on my desk which will be winging its way
    to you shortly.....
    
    Some numbers for you  for Booking Information........
    
    These are all UK numbers...
    
    Sealink		0233-647047
    
    B+I			01-734-4681 (London)
    
    			---"---7512   -"-
    
    			051-227-3131 (Liverpool)
    
    Swansea/Cork	0792-456116
    
    
    Right Im off to post the brochures to you, 
    
    Se�n		
    

    Leaprechauns come up for air.
    
    Vinzenz, & Se�n,
                    I will be in Reading from July 9th (arrive 10.a.m.) to
    13th.  I will be staying at the Ramada.  I'm in Decpark at meeting
    nearly all the time.   If ye can find me, I'd like to meet ye and
    pass on more data etc.   I'll be working with the ESDP folks.
    
    regards.. 
    
    Snake is on tour again.
    

    Hello,

    Can anyone help me?   I am going over to Galway in a few weeks, and would
    really prefer to go by Rail and ferry if possible.    However I have been
    trying with very little success to find out about through connections, and
    in particular if anyone does a through fare (if you add together the Brit
    Rail fare and the Irish Rail fare it makes flying look cheap!).

    Does anyone know of a company that will take care of the through service
    for you?

    Thank you for the help.

    Ali

	Hello, I'm sure you can probably get a better deal than the standard 
        rail fares but I don't know exactly how cheap it would be. If price is
	your main bother then the cheapest way to get to Galway is by coach.

	There are plenty of coaches from London and the other big towns to
	many destinations in Ireland. I would imagine it's around 50 pounds
	return from London to Galway. It's a very boring way to travel 
	though.
	
	Here are the telephone numbers of two London agencies specialising in
	travel between the UK and Ireland; they would be able to put you
	right on planes, trains and coaches for the best deal at this time of
	the year.
	
	Tara Travel 	071-625-8601
	
	Erin Travel	081-451-5578
	
	John
                 

Re coaches to Ireland - there is one to Cork run by Slattery's of Cork that 
actually stops in Reading (by St Mary's Butts church). Or at least it did, 
about a year or so ago. Reading Transport used to sell tickets as agents.

From Cork you should be able to get up to Galway fairly easily.

So saying, I never travelled by this coach. I ended up flying instead as 
Aer Lingus had a fly-drive deal that made the whole package much cheaper.

John

    re -.1
    
    It's Slattery's of Tralee......
    
    	- Robin

    Leaprechauns can offer alternatives.
    
    I have never used the ferries etc. but here is some advice.
    
    Coach to London-Galway (operated by Bus Eireann) Its a tough way
    to do it but you would be in Galway inside 18 hours after an overnight
    sea passage of 3� hours. (London to Holyhead 6 hours, Dublin to
    Galway  4 hours)
    
    The Cork route would be a bit awkward with regard to service (bus
    only with possible changes at Ennis 5 hours maybe).
    
    If you take trains BR to Holyhead and Irish Rail from Dublin to
    Galway etc.) then here is some info on the Galway - Dublin train
    service.
       There are three trains daily to Galway from Heuston Station.
    One at approx. 8.00 a.m. the second near midday  and at 6.35 p.m.
    The early and late ones are intercity services and take approx 2�
    hours and are comfortable.  Fares are approx. �20 for unlimited
    return.
    
    Depending on Port of arrival in Ireland (Dun Laoighre or North Wall)
    there will be train/bus connections to Heuston Station.
    Dun Laoighre to Dublin is approx. 20 mins by the DART.  Leave Dart
    at Pearse St. station and take bus to Heuston.
    
    I am pretty sure there is a bus service from the North Wall to Heuston.
    
    If you fly there is a direct flight from Luton to Galway airport
    with Ryanair.  Aer Lingus offer a connection from Heathrow to Galway
    with a change at Dublin.  I have used the direct Ryanair connection
    many times in the past 6 months when going to and from Reading.
    
    The flights into Galway are choc-a-block at this time of year so
    a superapex fare may not be available.
    
    I hope you have a nice trip Galway is invaded by half the world
    at the moment,  We had to turf Oliver Reed out of local radio show
    the other day for foul language and abuse of the host and other
    guests.  Galway is as lively as ever.
    
    Snake was on the tear at the weekend too. 

    It looks as though we will take the train to Holyhead, and from there
    take the ferry to Dun Laoighre.  The price is approximately the same as
    flying on a cheap fare, when you take into account all the toing and
    froing between the airport and civilisation....  I also much prefer the
    train.

    We'll probably book through Sealink or Tara Travel, both of whom offer
    return deals through from London to Galway.

    I could not interest anyone else in taking the coach, but if anyone is
    interested, Slatterys offer a convenient service from London through
    Reading, to many destinations in Ireland.  The cost varies from 44 sterling
    to 59 sterling, depending on when you go!

    Ali

    Re .1 - .8
    
    Thanks for all the replies and mails I received.  With all that
    tips and info we really enjoyed our trip to Ireland.  We've
    concentrated on the south and south west of the Republic of Ireland.
    We especially enjoyed Connemara and the Cliffs of Moher area.  We've
    spent a few days here.  And the V was just beautiful.  Thanks for
    the tip, Sean, we've spent two nights in a B&B in Cahir.
    
    Now that I'm back home since almost two weeks, I noticed what I
    miss most:  That's the Irish radio stations.  My wife and I really
    enjoyed listening to the music the Irish stations used to play,
    while driving around the country.  Back to Germany means back to
    radio stations, which don't seem to have upgraded their record
    inventory since the late 60s.
    
    Vinzenz
    

    Does anybody have information on a ferry between Belfast and Liverpool? 
    
    Does it run this time of year?  
    
    What's the fare?  With cabin?
    
    How often do they run?
    
    How long is the trip?  
    

    I'm in urgent need of the times and prices of 1996 Stena Line ferries
    between Wales and Ireland. If anyone has access to a fax machine, and
    is willing to photocopy and fax (DTN) them to me, please mail me at the
    above address.
    
    Many thanks, Laurie.

    Re -.1
    
    Come on Laurie! make your mind up! Do you want info on ferry schedules
    from England or Wales?
    
    Perhaps you believe like many Southern-British people that Wales and
    Scotland are regions of "England" like Yorkshire and Humberside etc..
    
    Ed.

    I'll assume a smiley there, Eddie. I meant what I said.
    
    Would you prefer I started a new topic? I will if you like. I made a
    decision, and it wasn't too difficult, to ask about ferries between
    Fishguard-Rosslare, and Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire in this topic. Both
    those ports-of-exit are in Wales unless things have changed rather
    dramatically since I was at school.
    
    HtH, Laurie.

    I'll be travelling Larne-Stranraer ferry and travelling on to Glasgow
    in the near future for the purpose of visiting Parkhead to watch Celtic
    play. Can anyone give me the address of the stadium or better still
    give me directions on how to get there having arrived in Glasgow?
    
    thanks
    Tomf

    Can anyone give me the address of the stadium or better still
    give me directions on how to get there having arrived in Glasgow?

I think that "Celtic Park, Glasgow", would be enough for mail to get there!

Seriously, how are you planning to get from Stranraer to Glasgow?  Train?  Car?
Let me know and I'll try to give you directions.

regards,
//alan

    Alan
    
    I'll be travelling by car..
    
    many thanks
    Tom.
    

    The good news is that further to my earlier request, I now have a copy
    of the '96 brochure, so you can all stop scrabbling around and losing
    sleep on my behalf (especially you Mike, thanks).
    
    The bad news is that I will, once again, be doing my best to improve
    the sales from Murphy's Brewery in Cork, during the last week in July,
    first week in August.
    
    Cheers, Laurie.

    Lozzer, me and Jane are thinking about a hol in the Republic this year.
    
    Any recommendations?
    
    
    CHARLEY

Tom,
    
Celtic Park is in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is to the east of the
town centre.  I'm not sure where you'll be approaching the ground from (east
or west), and nor do I know the details of exactly where you can park in the
area.  Here are directions from the M74, if you're coming another way let me 
know and I'll see if I can do better.

If you're coming from the M74 you'll reach a fairly complex junction at
Baillieston/Mount Vernon which  gives you the option of staying on the M74,
going onto the M8 or going north on the M73.  STAY ON THE M74.  This is the
recently-opened part of that road, and it finishes in a roundabout.  Turn right
here, and you'll very soon  hit a set of traffic lights (about 20 yds).

At these lights, turn left.  This is London road - observe the speed limits
all around here.  Within about three miles you'll see the ground on your left.
I guess it'll be pretty obvious where all the other traffic is parking.

regards
//alan

    RE: .24
    
    Because we have children, we're staying at Trabolgan Holiday Village
    near Cork. If I were childless, looking for a holiday with the good
    lady, I'd take my car over, and have a driving holiday, grabbing B&B
    as I went. I'd visit Dublin, Cork and Galway, and all the good places in
    between. Most holiday brochures have recommended routes to follow, and
    the stuff from the Irish Tourist Board certainly does.
    
    It's  great place to be if the weather's good!
    
    Cheers, Laurie.

    Re .25
    
    Alan 
    
    Many thanks for the information. I will be coming in on the A77 from
    Kilmarnock but I guess I can pick up the M74 and follow your
    directions.
    
    Again, many thanks for taking the time to reply.
    
    Tom.