Conference tallis::celt

    My advice would be to buy some type of a Eurorail or Bus pass that is
    great value if you use it.  Most towns are accessible by public
    transport, as they have to be as a public service.  Regarding safety, I
    think two girls should be careful.  A danger all tourists make is to be
    off guard and fall prey to criminals.  I would avoid taxis, except for
    after hours lifts to hostels, etc.  They are expensive.  A good place
    for rock and roll in Dublin is Toner's or other bars around Baggot
    Street.  You can also go to concerts here sometimes easier than it is
    to get to see big acts in the U.S.  I don't know who is touring this
    summer.  Mary Chapin Carpenter is around or will be here soon.  I wouls
    also avoid hitching lifts; it was never a great idea, although we all
    did it at some stage.  I hope thay have agreat time here and safe trip
    to them.  If you need more info, contact Bord Failte in Boston.
    
    regards,
    
    Ken Hanly
    Digital, Dublin

    
    Well at Glandworth they are not too far from a pub. (I think its called
    the Blue Haven).
    
    A tour of the Midleton Distillery is also a must. (They have a great
    sampling corner).
    
    MBr -)
    

    Thanks for the information. I had thought of a Eurorail pass but I
    wasn't sure how much use you could get out of it in Ireland compared to
    the continent. My perception is that the railroads are depended upon more 
    on the continent to get around so they would connect a larger part of
    the country. I'll look into the rail and bus pass though.
    
    Glanworth brings back fond memories. My first pint of Guinness was in a
    pub in Glanworth. Unfortunately I can't remember the pub's name but I
    do remember that Guinness! It's funny how you can acquire a taste for
    it. I tried Murphy's last year but still prefer Guinness.
    
    We did the tour at the Midleton distillery last year. It was definitely
    worth seeing. 
    
    Rick  

    Glanworth I believe is where the late Cardinal Cushing's parents
    were from. He was a Cardinal here in the US, in Boston.
    
    The Fermoy area is one of the more beautiful areas in Ireland
    in my opinion. Wonderful farming area.
                                               
    /g                       

    I agree with your comments on the Fermoy area. Fermoy itself is a nice
    little town with just the right amount of rural touch to it. In
    addition to a fairly large number of stores, pubs and places to eat,
    you'll see an occasional tractor drive through town and they hold
    livestock auctions in town every week. The River Blackwater runs
    through town which is supposed to be great for fishing.
    
    Not far from Fermoy is Lismore Castle which is one of the few I have
    seen in Ireland in one piece. You can't go inside the castle but can
    tour the gardens which are interesting. Also on this road out of Fermoy
    is the Vee which is a spectacular ride through the mountains.
    
    Glanworth, which is about 20 minutes from Fermoy, has some pretty
    interesting sights. Right in town are the ruins of Roche castle
    overlooking the oldest bridge still in use in Ireland (built in 1450 as
    I recall). It's quite a thrill to drive over the bridge before someone 
    else reaches the midpoint because the loser has to back all the way off
    the bridge and it's only about the width of a small car plus 2 feet or
    so.
    
    There are plenty of dairy farms in the area....would you believe I
    actually miss the smell of silage? Phew...pretty potent stuff! 

    There's a good bar in Fermoy called "Feach Amach" or
    in English the "Lookout". They usually have some
    traditional music there.
    
    /g

	Between Mitchelstown and Fermoy is Glockamoraugh(SP?). Back in the old
days, wasn't Glanworth where there was a big FCA (Irish Auxiliary Army) camp so
tell the girls to avoid it like the plague else they're likely to get shot!!:-)
(Joke....what does FCA stand for....fools carrying arms). The pub MBR referred
to is around that area too..it's called the Blue Dragon Inn and it used to be
pretty decent.

	Not sure about trains in Fermoy but the Dublin-Cork bus service goes
through several times a day as well as a few of the more local Corkonian bus
services. They can travel up to Dublin and get around the country from there.
If they want an alternate, they can catch the Waterford/Limerick bus in Cahir,
about 27 miles from Fermoy at least twice and maybe even 3 times daily. That way
they can tour up the west to Galway or around the south to Wexford and up to
Dublin. 

	From Cork they can tour around to Kerry and the South-West and around to
Limerick/Galway. I'd say bus is better than train as it's almost certainly
cheaper and they stop pretty much everywhere. Getting a students/tourist Bus
Pass is a must I'd say so advise getting in touch with Bord Failte and booking
in advance.

	As long as they're "reasonably" sensible and stick together, they should
be ok. Wherever they're staying, Hostels/B&B's if on travels, make sure they let
the owner know where they're going and what time to expect them back. 

Hope they enjoy it...

Sean

    Thanks for the info and suggestions, Sean. That's a particularly good
    suggestion about letting the B&B owners know where they are going and
    when to expect them back...at least someone will know where they are.
    
    We got some information from the Irish Tourist Board in the U.S. It
    includes some info regarding bus and rail passes which you have to buy
    in the U.S.. Traveling around by pass is certainly one option for them.
    Another is to join up with tours which would give them some company and
    allow them to see more than they probably can on there own. We have
    tour books from 1991 and 1995...quite a difference in price.
    
    Sean, are you by any chance related to William Lonergan from Fermoy?
    
    Again, thanks for the info.
    
    Rick

Hi Rick,

	Sorry for the delay, don't get in here much. The classic tours will
certainly get them around the place ok but might just be a bit too "organised"
for their liking...you know 10 minutes here, 15 there, where's the camera type
thing. At least with good old Bus Eireann, they can get off and hang around if
they like the look of the place. I'm sure there must be some sort of roam around
tickets they can buy.

	As for a namesake in Fermoy. I'm not aware of any long lost cousins down
that neck of the wood. Its a south Tipperary name and is fairly common around
the general area. I'm from Cahir, about 25 miles away.

Sean

    Well, Sean, it looks like your suggestion of using Bus Eireann is the
    winner. We went to the Student Travel Council in Boston last week to
    get student IDs for my daughter and her friend which will entitle them
    to student rates at various atrractions as well as the bus. The Council
    sells rail passes but not specifically for Ireland and they were pretty
    expensive. The bus will allow them to get everywhere they will want
    to go...that is once they decide where they want to go....and they leave
    on Thursday!!!
    
    I did get information on tours and tour companies for trips to Ireland
    if anyone is interested in telephone numbers.
    
    I understand there has been some change to the drinking age but am not
    quite sure what it will mean for my daughter. There is apparently more
    than one class of young drinker now so that a 19 year old can get into
    clubs for under 23 but not an 18 year old. I'm not exactly sure where
    that leaves the 18 year old but I guess she'll find out when she gets
    there.
    
    Rick

    Sut mae, fellow celts!?!
    
    I'm looking for some rather swift help (I start my holiday as of
    tomorrow).  I hope someone can help me out.  Here's my situation;
    
    Myself and a few friends would like to travel from Wales to Ireland
    some time next week.  Our time and budget will be limited, so we would
    mainly like to get to Cork and Dublin on our first trip.  The British
    ferry company/agent is currently offering a cheap 9 GBP day return
    crossing.  What I need to know is whether the Irish side can offer the
    same, so that we can book 2 day return crossings (one from Wales to get
    us over to Rosslare, and one to get us back a few days later).  If the
    same sort of offer applies in Ireland, we could save as much as 150
    pounds per head.
    
    I would really appreciate it if someone could give me a phone number
    for the Rosslare ferry-port, or whatever company operates out of it.
    
    Like I said, I'm on vacation time after 5:30 this evening, so a quick
    reply would be most appreciated.  If anyone can help, I can be mailed
    on CHEFS::GEORGEM, CHEFS::ANNWAT::MATT, or Matthew George@WLC.
    
    Many thanks in advance,
    
    Desperate of Swansea (Matt.)

    Hi MAtt,
    
    No sweat..heres the number B&I line..You have to call a Dublin number
     (01)  6610511
    
    also Stena Sealink....Roslare (053) - (33115)
    
    You may want to enquire from the above about the Dublin Holyhead
    trip also...We used to call it the booze trip as you could get a
    one-day return from Dublin for 12.00 quid..Ie Buy duty free.. -)
    
    ......Check times carefully when getting to Roslare..you don't want
    to be stuck there if there is no trains/busses out when you arrive
    
    let us know if any problems.
    
    rgs,
    
    mick
    
       

Thanks for the info.  All sorted, now.

Iechyd da,
Matt.