Grace O Malley

Hi Jock

Oh noooo! Spiddal not the capital!

Clues. Griffins, EJ's, Derryclaire????

Yes connemara great, in fact Galway is great. It has got so cosmopolitan hasn't it,

Yes the race traffic is painful, but worth it. I love race week in Galway.

Have you been to the new hotel yet, The Clayton?

Oh the west of Ireland weather!

In Middle East. we have the same problem with the sun that you have with the rain.

Where did you blow in from

Anncarna

Grace O Malley

Hi Miss Eck

Yes thats true. I experienced awful racism when i was in London as a child that was late 70's and 80"s when the IRA was in full swing. i went to the same school as the McGuires, we had eggs thrown at our windows daily and had to move, the Irish were hated in London, as my dad often told me when he was trying to find a house to rent when we first got to UK, signs on the doors, No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs.....I remember when i started secondary i hooked up with a bunch of Irish decent girls. ( went to a convent) who told me, lose the accent and you will be fine

They ended up being my best friends and still are today

Grace O Malley

[QUOTE=Miss Eck;5412559]Hi Ana ... I get the same things said to me! and it is worse cos I married an English man



So your kids really will be plastic paddy's

Has you husband picked up all the mad irish ways??

Miss Eck

Gosh that is awful. I think I have heard of that before about the door signs. My sister and I did have to refrain from speaking on the tube at times as an Irish accent never did not go down too well at times.

and yes, the kids will defintely be plastic!!

Jock04

Ah, a Clifden girl!!
Spent many a happy day there, usually ending up in EJ's for a bite to eat & many pints!
Incidentally, I worked with 2 guys from Clifden when I was in the oil industry in the North Sea. One was a medic, the other was a drilling guy of some sort. Names escape me now, sorry.
Was very saddened by the air crash at Inverin recently, I'm sure you'll have heard about it.
Galway's an excellent town, not too big yet, but not too small. And really quite cosmo, yep.
Haven't been to the Clayton yet, but I have been to The G for dinner & a couple of times for meetings/drinks. Very nice. Have you tried it?
Oh, and where did I blow in from? North of the Liffey.
Glasgow, in fact.
Well actually the Scottish Highlands, but I'm Glaswegian originally.
Very happy & settled here now though. Talk Irish in the pub and all!

Grace O Malley

Ah ha

Those clues were to good. Yes a Clifden gal. Its thel only place that locks u in the pubs and not out. Ej's and Kings are my fav, spent many a drunk nite

How long ago was u working with the guys from clifden, could have been the Whelans, all the family work in the oil industry.

Yes the crash was bad. The guys are still recovering,

Clifden and airlines dont go, Alcock and Brown?

There's no news that escapes me, someone will ring me, my dad or cousins, gossip drums

Thats funny that u are a Glaswegian cos i am sitting next to one right now, nr bishopbriggs originally

Jock04

Ah, there are still plenty of lock-ins here too Ana!
Kings is a good pub alright, bounced out of there a few times!

I worked in the oil industry nearly all my adult life, gave it up a couple of years ago now. The offer of a big bundle of voluntary redundancy money & the prospect of being home every night just got too much!
Don't think either guy I knew was a Whelan, I think I might have one of their phone numbers somewhere, must have a look.
Bishopbriggs, eh? Not my part of the city, but had an uncle who used to live there, when it was really more of a village. He was manager of Iberia Airlines.

Think it's pretty much a bland commuter town now.
So, what took you to the Middle East? Mr Anacarna? Or business of your own? Or have you just retired somewhere hot with duty free shops?

Grace O Malley

Hi Jock.

Work took me out here and now i have started my own little business, been here 9 years now, think it will be my last as i have been asked to join a company thats openining up an office next July in NY, they also have offices in Paris, Geneva, London and SA so its an opportunity to go somewhere diffetent and then when i am bored of NY i can try one of the other cities.

Gypsy?

I do a lot of work with the oil companies here by the way.

Jock04

Bit of a gypsy myself, Annacarna!
Worked mostly in North Sea, British & Norwegian sectors. Also Malaysia for a bit. Liked it there. Lived in Glasgow, Scottish Highlands, London, Amsterdam, finally settled here, although there's maybe one more move left in me yet! Travelled a lot cos I had so much time off. Broadens the mind & all that!
NY will be interesting for you. Funny enough, a mate & I are thinking of buying property there, so might be going over for a look-see soon. Probably early in the New Year.
Off to Thailand in Jan. to get some heat in the bones first.

Grace O Malley

Oops slip of the finger there

Ah no you leaving Ireland?

NY yes sounds good, have been looking at Westchester, Scarsdale around that area and a area around New Paltz. I have around 30 cousins in NY you know the Irish family everywhere. Went there once and really loved it. I just hope its not too expensive there. Wouldnt want to live there for too long 2-3 years, think i would to live in Europe later on but not sure where. Not Clifden though. The weather too rainy in the winter.

How is Connemara today?

Grace O Malley

BTW where are u buying the property

Have u been to Thailand b4, You know Etihad goes direct from Dublin now, stops at Abu Dhabi

Jock04

Didn't feel a thing!

We're looking at a few things in NY state - albany, buffalo, and might go in with another friend who's looking at something in Manhattan. Still at the early stages though. Low cost, easy to rent. Well, Manhattan won't be low cost! Just investment stuff, won't ever use it ourselves, I don't think.
I know what you mean about the weather here, and that's why I think there might be a move left in me. Like you, I reckon probably Europe but not decided on where yet. But I'm here 8 years & I do feel very settled here & would probably either rent out my house here or buy an apartment so I have something to come back to for the summers - again like you, it's the long rainy winters that get me down. On that subject - todays weather - rain of biblical proportions!

My Thailand trip is all booked - flying Dub - Paris, there for a night then direct to Bangkok for a few days with Air France, then onto Koh Samui for a couple of weeks in the sun.
I've heard lots of good things about Etihad, will hopefully get a chance to try them out soon.
So, enough about me - how was your weekend?

Grace O Malley

hi there

Yes Manhattan way over the top with prices and unless you go in millions, you are apparantley neighbours with rats and roaches. Yuk. Manhattan is full of them so i hear.

Yes summer in Connemara great, but i couldnt stick the winters, i spent a winter there in 2000 when my mam was very sick and i hated it. I knew then i would never be able to live there unless i was at retiring age.

France or outside Geneva?

Have you been to Thailand b4, did you see the accident that happened in the caves over the w/end, l just caught a glimpse of it on CNN.

I havent been so you will have to fill me in

We have had a long w/end here as it was Eid the end of Ramadan so it wa like Easter i guess, went to the beach, went out to dinner and to PJ O Reillys ( the Irish bar) so not Irish, i am sure u can imagine? Did some retail therapy and did some more bars. Nothing spectacular. what about u?

Jock04

Hi Annacarna

Doesn't sound like too bad a weekend!

For me, it was the pub in Inverin on Friday, just a quiet few pints till they chucked us out about 3am. Did some work on my house Saturday daytime then went out in Spiddal, some good trad music & lots of porter!
Fairly lazy day on Sunday & a few pints in the evening.

Manhattan is expensive alright, for any kind of quality, but we did well there once already, buying to turn. Bigger outlay, bigger return I suppose.

Thailand is gorgeous, fabulous beaches. Very cheap compared to the west, great food. People are generally very friendly, but everyone's out to make a buck. No diffeent from anywhere else in that respect, I suppose. But like I said, truly stunning beaches, great hotels, a good experience. If you ever plan to go, stick to the smaller islands like Koh Samui or Krabi, places like Phuket are over-developed & tacky. Saw the news about that cave accident alright, not sure if it was bad luck or bad planning or both. Horrible way to go, though, however it happened.

Oh, and believe it or not, it's a beautiful sunny morning here!
Have a good one

Jock04

Well, since my last weekend's pub-fest post left you speechless, I was hoping to report that this weekends shenanigans would be rather more cultural.
Then my mate phoned to tell me there's a beer festival on in Galway this weekend...................

Have fun, whatever you get up to.