Issue #19…
A greased-up Erich and a bobby-socked Hannah onstage in their recent production of Doo-Wop.
May Day! May Day!
A reminder: Keith will be sending in our orders for currency on May 1st. I think most of you want the cash have responded. Keith says that so far he has money orders from 17 of us.
Da Bus….
Keith has also secured a bus for us for July 3rd and 15th. The total cost is $675 each way for a 47-passenger bus (the smallest available that’ll still fit us in…so…lots of room.)
This includes them picking us up at the Hardees parking lot in J’ville then snatching up our Springfield contingent at the Target lot in S’field.
The round-trip cost will be $50 per person. (It actually comes in at $46.75, but this will allow us to tip the driver.) With gas at $3.60 per gallon, parking $8 per day and hotels $100 plus per night, it’s a good deal. They require a deposit which Keith will take care of, and I’m sure he would appreciate the riders then sending him a check….
Keith Bradbury
34 Ivywood
Jacksonville, IL 62650
The Kay Financial Report:
Kay Welch passed along this helpful website. It’s a highly readable overview of British and Scottish money and more tips on ATM machines and such:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186216-s601/United-Kingdom:Banks.And.Money.html
“I've read that the cheapest way to change currencies without fees is just to use an ATM in the foreign country. The fees vary from bank to bank, but they are lower than changing currency directly. You just have to make sure your bank's card works in other countries.
For credit cards, most have 1-3% fees for using them in foreign countries. Capital One is the only card that doesn't charge any fees. So if you get one of those, you can use it in Europe, and there won't be additional fees tacked on to charges. The charge will just be converted to US$ on your bill at whatever the base exchange rate is on the currency markets.
Here are some links that tell more about it”
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20050624b1.asp
http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/articles/atm_conversion_fees.htm
http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange
A Nick-Link…
“This is a link to an image that I thought you might or the rest of the travelers might be
interested in. It came off of nasa's web gallery which I tend to frequent for the neat aerial images. This is Edinburgh, Scotland from the sky.”
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1069.html
A Keith-Link…..
Keith passed this along as a user-friendly link to convert our bucks into their pounds and Euros: http://www.ask.com/web?q=number+of+US%20Dollars+in+100+Euro&qsrc=8&o=2811&l=dis
An Off-the-Cuff-Link....A Few More Travel/Packing Notes and Reminders…
---Please write your name and home address and tape it inside your suitcase in case your tag is torn off in transit. And…of course it’s a good idea to also include at least the first address where you’ll be staying in Ireland (once we know.) This way the airline will have a clue on where to deliver a late bag. I tape my entire itinerary inside my suitcase.
----Know where your passport is?
----Got an under-the-clothing carrying case for passport and cash?
---Of course you don’t want to over pack your carry-on, but keep in mind that in case of lost luggage, that carry-on might be a good place to put at least one day’s worth of necessities.
---I hope you’ve given some thought to rain gear. There’s a reason why Ireland is to green and it’s got nothing to do with fertilizer.
It’s been good to see some of you as you’ve come to watch Hannah and Erich star in Doo-Wop at Triopia. As you saw, they are indeed two very talented young people and I can assure you that their maturity and kindness matches their talent onstage. And thanks to Janet Long for being in charge of our “hair from the fifties.”
From the Bonnie Lass…
Fellow traveler Bonnie Flynn sends this report from her knee surgery and thanks all for their prayers….
I will have P.T. at home three days a week and the nurses will come in twice a week and draw my blood to see how my blood thinner is working. After six weeks I can discontinue that. Everything went well with my surgery. A couple days ago during one of my P.T. sessions I told the girl that when I did that exercise I felt like I had a nail running through my knee and she said, "you do have a nail running through your knee."
And more…please keep another couple fellow travelers in prayer… Rhonda Downs who’ll be contemplating surgery soon and Joyce Woodside who’s been getting good reports from her recent illness.
Of What’s happening in Ireland during the first part of July.
· all Juli: 81st Cobh Summer Carillon Recital Season, St. Colman's Cathedral (Cork)
· all July: An Emigrant's Tale, Dooley's Hotel (Waterford City)
· all July: Ballykeeffe Midsummer Concerts, Kilmanagh (Kilkenny)
· all July: Diversions Festival, Temple Bar (Dublin)
· all July: Flora Birrensis 2008, Birr Castle (Offaly)
· all July: Hugh Lane Centenary Exhibition, Dubl9n City Gallery
· all July: International Circus Season, Temple Bar (Dublin City)
· all July: Jonathan Barry Exhibition, Dublin Writers Museum
· all July: The Writers Entertain, Dublin Writers Museum
· all July: Trad on the Prom, Salthill (Galway)
· all July: Wicklow Gardens Festival, County Wicklow
· all Juli every Wednesday: "The Booley House", St. Michael's Hall (Ballyduff Upper, Co. Waterford)
· all Juli every Tuesday and Thursday: Draiocht Na Faille Deirge, St. Paul's Community Centre (Clogheen, Co. Tipperary)
· -4th: Heritage Among the Drumlins, Cootehill (Cavan)
· -5th: Ireland's Environment & Culture, Gleann Cholm Cille (Donegal)
· 1st-6th: Cavan Summer Festival, Cavan Town
· 1st-6th: Connacht Fleadh, Westport (Mayo)
· -6th: Cairde Summer Festival, Sligo Town
· -6th: Cork Midsummer Festival (Cork)
· -6th: West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Bantry House (Cork)
· -23rd: Laois Walks Festival
· 2nd-6th: Feile Brain Boru, Killaloe (Clare) and Ballina (Tipperary)
· 2nd-6th: Waltons Guitar Festival of Ireland, Dublin
· from 2nd: Seisun 2008, Gurteen (Sligo)
· 3rd-5th: Bellewstown Races (Meath)
· 3rd-6th: Bard Summer School, Clare Island (Mayo)
· 3rd-6th: Castlebar International 4 Days' Walks Festival (Mayo)
· 3rd-6th: Hot Air Balloon Festival, Kilkenny Town
· from 3rd: Trad Beo, Aras Inis Gluaire (Mayo)
· 4-5th: Drogheda Samba Festival
· 4-6th: All-Ireland Open Festival of Dancing Championships, Gort (Galway)
· 4-6th: Blackstairs Opera Festival, Rathnure (Wexford)
· 4-6th: Ennis Street Festival (Clare)
· 4-6th: Feile Peile na nOg (Cavan)
· 4-6th: Killybegs Community Carnival and Maritime Festival (Donegal)
· 4-7th: Roundstone Open Arts Week (Galway)
· 4-13th: Armada International Week of Set Dancing, Spanish Point (Clare)
· 5th: Killusty Pony Show, Fethard (Tipperary)
· 5-6th: Achill Marathon (Mayo)
· 5th -6 th: Bundoran Horse and Pony Racing Festival (Donegal)
· 5-6th: South of Ireland Band Championships, Clonakilty (Cork)
· 5-12th: Dr. Douglas Hyde Summer School of Traditional Irish Music, Ballaghaderreen (Roscommon)
· 5-13th: Clonmel Junction Festival (Tipperary)
Gosh…think we’ll ever find anything to do?
And Lest You Forget Where You Are…
There is still an actual language called “Irish” although most Irish speak English for everyday banter. An example of Irish-speak:
Dia duit (God to you.)
Dia is Muire duit God and Mary to you. (reply)
Go mbeannaí Dia duit May God bless you.
Bail ó Dhia ort I'm doing well. The blessing of God on you.
Slán leat Good Bye (said to the person leaving)
Slán agat Good Bye (said to the one remaining)
Patience…patience…patience…
I got a polite inquiry from one of our group asking why the tour company won’t tell us earlier about flight times. I’ve been dealing with tour companies since ’79 and they all work the same way.
During the winter the tour companies book large numbers of plane tickets with various airlines depending upon the destinations. Groups like Passports literally do not know the flight times until what seems like the last moment because that’s when they get the info from the airlines. So…why do airlines wait so long? Although some flights are on regular schedules, once summer hits, flights are often booked according to the amount of traffic. So…we wait.
Best Not to Mention….
Fuel prices while in England. The price of gas (petrol) last week was 8 bucks a gallon!
A Few Things Scottish…
· A quote from American President Woodrow Wilson, "Every line of strength in American history is a line colored with Scottish blood."
· More than 100 governors of pre- and post- Revolutionary America were of Scottish birth or descent.
· Others from Scotland or of Scots descent in American history:
- 35 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, 25 of them are in the Great Americans Hall of Fame.
- Almost 1/2 of the Secretaries of U.S. Treasury and 1/3 of the Secretaries of State were Scots.
- 9 of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence were from Scots descent.
- 9 of the 13 colony governors made in the new USA were Scots.
- James Pollock, of Scots descent, put the slogan "In God We Trust" on American coins!
· 61% of American Presidents are of Scots or Scots-Irish descent.
· A Scot, James Watt, developed the first efficient steam engine and in so doing started the Industrial Revolution.
· A Scot, John Logie Baird, invented the Television.
· A Scot, John Napier, invented logarithms and the decimal notation.
· A Scot, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, invented the bicycle.
· A Scot, John Paul Jones, founded the American Navy.
· A Scot, Alexander Fleming, discovered Penicillin.
· A Scot, William Paterson, founded the Bank of England.
· A Scot, Alexander Graham Bell, invented the telephone.
· A Scot, John Chalmers, invented the adhesive postage stamp.
(I think it’s a bit hilarious that the Scots, known for their ability to pinch a penny, have contributed half of our U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury.)
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