The Republic of Ireland does not observe Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. Indeed, there is no public holiday of the Republic devoted to the memory of war.
The Republic of Ireland’s orientation towards wars and soldiers reflects the nation’s extraordinarily complex history of warfare. I’ll mention a few, recent aspects of that history — and that will be difficult enough. (more…)
Anita is leading a BBB&B tour of Corca Dhuibhne. She is showing Dingle how to have a good time, the Bugle way. (Rule 1: Food first, then fun.) As I tended to the maintenance of the B&B today, I heard far-away music reflected from the tall walls of my neighbourhood.
“Oh yes,” I thought, “today there’s a festival at Dublin Castle. That’s a long way for the sound to travel on such a windy day, though.” I finished my work in the afternoon and headed west to see the sights. (more…)
We have guests at the B&B! Last week, Ray, Cindy and Will visited two new destinations near Dublin: the Glendalough park in the Wicklow Mountains and the archeological sites of Knowth and Newgrange (which are part of the Brú na Bóinne complex).
There’s lots of information and photos from those two days in the Flickr sets. This past weekend, we visited Switzerland. We’ll add those photos to overall collection of photos for their visit.
If you’ve been paying attention to the weather widget on the right of this blog, then you know that the weather in Dublin took a massive turn for the better a few days ago. Suddenly, people are sitting in the sun, and the trees are blooming and leafing out. It’s spring! (Also, out of the blue, there are tourists everywhere.)
“It will not last,” say the locals, justifiably setting low expectations. “I hope you enjoyed summer, because you’ll not see it again.” I understand their reluctance to celebrate, but the morning news said that the good weather will continue for at least a few more days.
That’s great news, because Anita’s parents will arrive tomorrow. I plan to take them into the mountains south of Dublin (in County Wicklow) on their first day. I think that the mountains’ beauty is impressive in bad weather, when their roughness enhances one’s awe. But in good weather, they are simply spectacular.
Anita and I took a walk on Sunday morning, and I simply must share a bit of what we saw of the residential area close to our place: take a look at the newest photos on flickr.
News in Ireland:
As I recall, there’s a lazy, insipid way to report on matters that one is too intellectually challenged to understand. I believe it’s called American journalism, i.e. “Reprint both sides’ press releases and let the consumer sort it out.” So here you go.
Oops, too late. One of the two staff just filed for an extended leave for mental health reasons. Dammit. We’ll keep looking for a “Mahon Tribunal for Dummies” — anybody want to do freelance work for the Bugle?
Please note the words “appear to be” above. As you can see, the Bugle takes an open-minded approach to Irish politics. We commit to you, our readers, that we will never jump to a negative assessment of a political system that we do not fully understand. Also, our own editor-in-chief has a conflict of interest on this issue, given the Irish union’s involvement. So that’s all for now.
Maynards Wine Gums have gaily coloured packaging that calls out to children and adults alike. B&B chose this candy due to the enigmatic word, “wine” — would the “gums” taste like the varieties of wine pictured on the package? Burgundy, sherry and port? Would such flavours be appealing in candy form?
As you can see in the second illustration (click on the image to zoom), the candies come in medley of shapes and colours. The shapes suggest distinct wine-like flavours, as mentioned above. The colours suggest the usual collection of gummy flavours — lemon, berry, orange and the like. The plot thickens.
Unfortunately, the appearance of Maynards Wine 
Gums suggests far more complexity than the gums actually deliver. The flavours correspond to the colours, regardless of the shape and label. The typical colours are fairly tasty, but nothing special.
There is even the usual, very dark colour; you know, the unappealing gummy that nearly everyone avoids. It corresponds the only vaguely wine-like flavour. Rather than licorice, the dark coloured candies suggest a strong red wine that half-evaporated from sitting open on the kitchen counter.
So the name “Wine Gums” is mostly hype. Why “Wine”? I can’t say that the idea of wine flavoured candy was enticing so much as fascinating. Is this a cynical ploy to enthrall children by offering an adult transgression in kid-friendly form? When I see the little names of wine varietals, clearly chosen for their cultural cachet, I can only think of the candy cigarettes that I “smoked” at seven years old.
And then my mind asks the inevitable question: Is Maynards acting in the service of Big Grape? The inclusion of both “port” and “burgundy” suggests a cabal so wide that it stretches from the stuffiest French vineyards to the scrappy merchants of Portuguese fortified wine.
Back to the candies themselves. I’d rate the consistency and mouth-feel of the candies as a 3 on a 5-scale of gumminess. (For calibration: Haribo Gummy Bears are a 2 and Cadbury Swedish Fish are a 3.) The Maynards Wine Pastilles differ only in their coating of sugar crystals, which add little to the appeal of the confection.
In sum: Maynards Wine Gums are passable candy, but they simply cannot overcome the high expectations (and sinister lure) of their name and physical appearance.
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
To the begrudgers, March 17th is a day for worldwide paddywhackery, usually of the most stereotypical sort. (As opposed to paddywhackery of great subtlety, which is difficult to detect without being Irish yourself.)
Yesterday, we gave you an antidote to one St. Paddy’s cliché. Today, we give you another genuine Irishism:
Ah sure, it’ll be grand.
This versatile statement is a substitute for the blander American phrase, “Don’t worry about it.” The ideal circumstance for saying it today would be when it starts to rain on your parade.
It is pronounced with a practically undetectable insinuation of sarcasm. For months, I took it to be a cynical statement, but it is not. Mostly, it expresses an attitude — that the current situation is the best that we will ever get, regardless of what we deserve. With reference to situations of one’s own creation, the statement conveys confidence that things will end acceptably, no matter the contradictory, incomplete, or makeshift nature of arrangements.
If all this seems to be a negative portrayal of Irishness, then you’re probably American or British. Admit it, you too wish that you could so easily say, “Ah, feck it, let’s get a pint.” And if you could summon that strength of character, it would be grand, even if you didn’t put so much effort into turning your drinks green.
Continuing our quest for becoming the best-in-class source for information about the Irish and British sugar- and syrup-oriented products, the BB Procurement Department obtained the second sample for 2008: Nestle’s Milkybar. 
The Milkybar is a thin, classic white chocolate bar. The Milkybar Kid on the wrapper, which is what first attracted the BB Procurement Department, is a pale blond kid, dressed in cowboy gear. He is suspiciously happy young man, but still strangely attractive.
On the surface, it wouldn’t appear to be much more than a white chocolate
version of a classic Hershey’s bar. However, the Milkybar has a bit of a hidden treat – each bar has a wild-west scene in the chocolate, with the Milkybar Kid doing some sort of wild-west activity.
Not only do you get creamy, sweet and lovely white chocolate, but you also get the surprise of what scene you will unwrap. As this gentleman noticed, the scenes can be quite interesting. The experience here at the BB is that the scenes are more routine and uninteresting.
The Milkybar has become a permanent addition to the BB Candy Stores, thereby showing our continued willingness to all candy, whether it be brown, white or even Turkish.
We have two items from the interwebs to call to your attention, this day before the international celebration of Irishness.
First, we address the fake Irish idiom, “Top o’the Mornin”. As Seamus so perceptively commented, it is never said in Ireland without irony, at least in our experience.
The interweb’s smartest community, MetaFilter, offers the following American-style retort for those who are so ignorant as to further this offensive, Lucky-Charms stereotype: “And the rest of the day to yourself.” The genuine Irish usage of “yourself” makes it a real winner.
Second, we honour the best celebrations of St Patrick’s Day. By consensus of the Irish media and historical precedent, those take place in the USA. So we have a few links for your pleasure:
Finally, a St Paddy’s Day research project for our most enterprising readers: What is Gorey’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade? There is some controversy over its schedule. Another article, albeit in a regional paper, implies that it is the most prestigious parade in Ireland. Also, the following notice appeared in the Irish Independent on Wednesday, 5 March 2008:
IF YOU find you have a gap in your schedule this St. Patrick’s Day, due to Gorey’s parade being held on Sunday, March 16, then you might be inclined to join in the festivities in Arklow. Arklow’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place on Monday, March 17, and will kick off at 3 p.m.
The organising committee has said that participants in the Gorey parade are also welcome to take part in the Arklow parade.
My google-fu failed me on this one. I know that the Dublin parade is on Monday; we’ll be there!
Before we moved to Ireland, our good friend and frequent commentor Dave gave me a copy of The Lonely Planet’s Irish Language and Culture. The book, unlike a tourist guide, goes into lifestyle and society, sport, slang and entertainment.
For many months, I would read a little bit about Ireland before I went to bed. It helped give me insight into the Gaelic Games, helped me memorize the four provinces and the 32 counties. I also picked up several classic Irish phrases, included “You’re grand,” “No bother at all,” and “Jaysus!”.
Here’s a big thank you to Dave for the book. Now that Will and I have finished it, it will move to a place of honor in the guest room, so all our visitors can have the opportunity to learn just a little bit more about the country they are visiting.
Powered by WordPress