Wiley Nautical - Sailing Books & Information

Southern Ireland Cruising Companion. Extra Content

POPULATION
Ireland, with a population of 4.2 million, is the least densely populated country in Europe. In visiting the western locations covered in this book the visitor will encounter some of the least inhabited counties of the country. Expect to meet a very resourceful community and you will not be surprised. This is the very edge of Europe

THE PROVINCES
Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: Connacht in the north-west, Ulster in the north-east, Leinster in the south-east and the subject of this book, Munster, in the south and south-west.
Munster consists of the coastal counties of Clare, Kerry, Cork and Waterford and the inland counties of Tipperary and Limerick.

LANGUAGE
The official language is Irish with English recognised as the second official language. A short dictionary
of commonly occurring words is provided later in the Glossary. Irish speaking regions are not limited to the far west corner of the country. Within 30km of Waterford there are coastal communities using Irish as their first language. Irish-speaking regions are known as ‘Gaeltacht’; official signs are in Irish only.

CURRENCY, ATMS AND CREDIT CARDS
The € (Euro) currency, subdivided into 100 cents (¢), is shared by a large number of other European countries. As with all facilities in Munster, ATMs are available where the size of population justifies them. Credit cards are widely accepted except in some more upmarket seasonal restaurants. At the time of publication, the
€ exchange rate was $1.50 (US) and £0.90 (UK).

RELIGIONS
Roman Catholic 88.4%, Church of Ireland 3%, other Christian 1.6%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2%, none 3.5% (2002 census).

TIME
The time zone is UTC. Daylight saving time (+1hr) begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
There are nine public holidays each year, when many businesses close and large numbers flock to the coast, causing uncharacteristically busy restaurants and bars. •New Year’s Day (1 January)
•St Patrick’s Day (17 March)
•Easter Monday (Note that Good Friday is not an official public holiday).
•First Monday in May, June, August
•Last Monday in October
•Christmas Day (25 December)
•St Stephen’s Day (26 December)
Many places have week long sailing events based on the first Monday in August. Public transport may still operate but on a reduced frequency basis.
School summer holiday months are June, July
and August.

FLAG
The green is to the jack. Do not confuse it with the flags of the Cote d’Ivoire (the reverse colours) and Italy, where a faded red can look orange, although not too many Italian yachts have been seen off Ireland.

TOURISM
Fáilte Ireland (‘Ireland Welcomes’) is the national tourism organisation. It replaces the Bord Fáilte. A useful website is http://www.discoverireland.com/.

THE HISTORY OF IRELAND
To misquote Thomas Jefferson, it seems to be a self-evident truth that any book about Ireland must have a section on history; even the British Admiralty Pilot Book falls into line! Many readers will have tried (and failed) to gain a rudimentary understanding of the historical comings and goings on this island.
In the course of my attempts to summarise the history of Ireland, I found an immediately digestible, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, potted history that communicates the bare essentials. My thanks to Colm Ryan, a father of four from Cork, for allowing the reprint of A (Very) Brief History of Ireland (http://woodpigeon01.wordpress.com).

A (Very) Brief History of Ireland
For much of the last million years, Ireland was buried and crushed underneath thick masses of ice. The story of Ireland really only gets interesting after the end of the Ice Age. At this time, Ireland was still connected by land to Britain and mainland Europe via land bridges. As the seas warmed and expanded, these land bridges began to disappear into the sea, and Ireland gradually assumed its present form. People arrived in Ireland 9,000 years ago and for many centuries afterwards people lived, loved, fought and died, but we know very little about them apart from the fact that they built some fairly impressive monuments like Newgrange and Knowth, and that they fashioned beautiful items from gold and silver.

The Celts
Then, about 2,500 years ago, the Celts invaded. They introduced many things that persist to this day, including their language, their games, their music, and a typically Irish attitude towards life. It appears that they were seen from the outside as a scary group of people, because the Romans gave them a wide berth, despite their partial occupation of Britain during the
1st century AD.

Christianity (5th century AD)
However, the influence of Roman Britain was to make its mark in a very different way. It arrived by means of a preacher called Patrick, and he brought Christianity with him. Very soon, the people of Ireland had taken the religion to their hearts. Christianity became the dominant religion of the entire island, so much so, that it became the island’s greatest export. Ireland became known as a land of saints and scholars, a creative land with great relics, majestic books, and magnificent golden ornaments. In other words, a nice easy target for anyone with a bent for looting and plundering.

The Vikings (8th century)
Enter the Vikings. These boys were not educated in the niceties of Christian teaching, so for quite a few years they raided, burned, murdered and stole what they could until they started to fall for the island’s charms. The Vikings, for their part, founded the cities of Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick and they were the first to introduce the concept of money to the island.

The Normans (12th century)
By the turn of the first Millennium, Ireland was a heady mix of Celts and naturalised Vikings, when along came English warriors, armed to the teeth, who gave themselves the rather unimpressive name ‘Normans’. They built imposing castles and constructed a few roads, but within a generation or so they too had fallen for the Irish lifestyle. One can’t help conjuring up the image of a Norman soldier, peering through a slitted window in his cold, wet, miserable castle and watching the Celts and Vikings having the craic, singing, dancing and laughing, then promptly rushing out and joining in the fun, and successfully urging more of his mates to do the same. Whatever happened, by the end of the 14th century from the point of view of the Normans’ more austere English cousins, the place was a mess.

The Religious Wars (16th century)
And so it remained, until Henry VIII arrived on the throne in England, and began to stir things up a bit. Henry had found religion, in the form of Protestantism, and decided that if it was good for the king, it was good for everybody under the king. So, he set about changing the rough, carefree ways of the Irish with little success, as English influence had dwindled to an area surrounding Dublin, known as the Pale. His daughter Elizabeth made more progress. Concerned that her enemies, the Spanish, would set up a base in Ireland, she borrowed a few tricks from the Vikings before her, and sent armies of her lads in to ‘sort the populace out’, while at the same time supplanting the locals with British settlers. The Irish chieftains fought back, only to be vanquished by British forces in the Battle of Kinsale. By 1607 these chieftains had left the country for good, and England had won control of the entire island.

Green and Orange (17th century)
To consolidate its power, England started to move lots of people into Ulster , mainly thousands of poor Protestants from Scotland. This caused resentment among the locals, who organised a rebellion in 1641, showing that, when it came to the atrocity stakes, they could easily match the brutality of their English cousins. This petrified the life out of the new settlers, who got their own back when the recently appointed Lord Protector of England, Oliver Cromwell, arrived in the autumn of 1649. Fuelled by religious zealotry and a bloodthirsty determination to eliminate all opposition to his rule, he succeeded in killing as many Catholic natives as possible before the year was out. Subsequent events in England, where Catholic kings gained control, to be replaced once again by a Protestant Dutchman called William of Orange , ensured that Protestants
and Catholics would fight like cats in a basket until
the end of the century. The fighting culminated in
the Battle of the Boyne, a key event in Irish history, where the forces of William defeated the forces of the Catholic King, James.

Penal Times and Rebellion (18th century)
The first years of the 18th century saw an attempt to rid Ireland of Catholicism, by implementing laws that restricted Catholic practice while making it extremely advantageous to become a Protestant. However, like most laws, the Irish ignored them, and life went on much as before. It wasn’t until the end of the century that Irish people, both Protestants and Catholics this time, started to look for greater freedoms from England (it was the style of the time; just look at what happened in America). In 1798, agitation lead to rebellion, a failed invasion of Ireland by the French, and finally suppression of the rebels by English forces. The violence was particularly grotesque in the 1798
Wexford rebellion, where over 40,000 people were killed in bitter fighting.

The Famine (Early 19th century)
In 1801, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom, and for a while, this arrangement worked well. Restrictions on Catholic practice were eased, and relations began to normalise. However, events were to take place that would shake the relationship between both countries to their foundations. In 1845 a potato disease hit the country, causing all the crops to fail. This would not have been a problem, only for the fact that a substantial proportion of the population ate nothing but potatoes. They simply could not afford anything else. People began to starve. Over the following four years, the potato crop failed completely each time. Starvation and disease took a grip over the country. The English government were so slow to react to the crisis that by the time the famine was over, an estimated one million people had died, and a further one million had left Ireland, arriving in the US and Britain, penniless and desperate. The Irish potato famine created a legacy of emigration from Ireland that did not stop until the late 20th century. By 1960, the population of Ireland had dwindled to 4.3 million from an 1841 population of over eight million.

The late 19th century
Following the famine, strong, highly organised Irish political movements were born, some violent, some democratic: some (the Nationalists) agitating for greater rights and greater autonomy from Britain; others (the Unionists) vehemently arguing for greater integration into the Union. Despite Britain’s growing status as a world power during the latter part of the 19th Century, the ‘Irish Question’ was rarely far from the top of the agenda. Britain considered giving Ireland autonomy many times, but, partially as a result of Ulster Protestant concerns, they always stopped short of making it a reality.

Partial Independence
In 1912, a bill to permit Home Rule in Ireland was passed in the British Parliament, but before it could be enacted, Europe was plunged into the nightmare of the First World War, and Irish autonomy was deferred. While the war was still raging in Europe, a relatively small group of Irish republicans opportunistically attempted to seize power in Dublin in the Easter of 1916. This rebellion was suppressed very quickly, but it was to re-open many of the old wounds between Britain and Ireland after British forces executed many of the rebel leaders. Within a short period, the Irish population outside of Ulster were actively demanding full independence from Britain, and a vicious guerrilla war ensued when a government, openly republican, was elected in 1919. Britain’s attempts to fight the war through crude means of suppression only made matters worse. British counter-insurgency forces, known locally as the Black and Tans, fought a bitter war of attrition with the Irish forces, resorting at times to attacks on the civilian population. In this increasing climate of violence, Britain decided to press ahead with Irish Home Rule. Ireland signed a treaty allowing for limited independence, but with some strings attached. One of those strings was that the country would be split in two – the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The limitations of the treaty were hugely controversial (the negotiator for the Irish side, Michael Collins, announced after signing the Treaty, that he had signed his death warrant), and in the Free State it lead quickly to a vicious civil war between both sides; those who agreed with the Treaty, and those who disagreed. The Irish Civil war accounted for 3,000 deaths on both sides. Most of today’s political parties of the Irish Republic originate from this deeply divisive political split.

The Republic of Ireland since the split
Eventually things settled down, and the Irish Free State became an independent republic in 1948. Since this time, the newly-born Republic of Ireland (Éire) has moved slowly from an inward-looking, church-dominated, impoverished state to an outward-looking, open, relatively prosperous, democratic economy ideologically positioned ‘somewhere between Boston and Berlin’ . Éire joined the EEC (now the EU) in 1973, and over the past few years it has integrated further into the European Union.

Northern Ireland and the troubles
Things in the sister state, Northern Ireland, did not go so smoothly. After the split, Northern Ireland continued to maintain its position within the United Kingdom. A large Catholic community lived side by side with a larger, dominant, Protestant community. Catholics had little representation and almost no political power in this state. During the 1960s, Catholics began to organise themselves to agitate for civil rights. This lead to rioting and civil violence between Catholics and Protestants, whereby the government of Northern Ireland requested that soldiers be brought in from mainland Britain to keep the peace. However, the British military was drawn quickly into the conflict. To the Catholic population of the time, here was history repeating itself. What ensued was a period of 25 years of vicious low-intensity warfare, between the IRA (a Catholic, armed, separatist movement), and the British security forces, with Protestant paramilitaries adding fuel to the fire each time Protestant police, soldiers or civilians were killed. In total, over 3,000 people died. This cycle of killings, bombings and violence was eventually broken by the signing and ratification of an historic accord (The Good Friday Agreement) in 1998. Since then, normal life in Northern Ireland has improved, if somewhat imperfectly and slowly. Northern Ireland now has a devolved government where Nationalist and Unionist ministers share power.
Woodpigeon

SPORTS
Football (soccer) and rugby are both very popular in Ireland and played internationally with great success considering the relatively small population there is to call on. However, there are two very popular domestic games that get little visibility outside Ireland. These are Hurling and Gaelic football. The following is the briefest of descriptions of each game which will, hopefully, allow an interpretation of the shouts of the enthusiastic viewers if a game is showing on television in the corner of a pub.

Hurling
History
Hurling (Irish: Iománaíocht) is claimed by its proponents to be Europe’s oldest field game, citing folklore and legendary individuals and their deeds over 2,000 years. The high point of the season is held at the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) shrine at Croke Park stadium in Dublin. Conveniently, Gaelic Football is played on the same size pitch as Hurling.
The equipment and people
Hurling is similar to (field) hockey, in that it is played with a curved wooden stick – The ‘Hurley’ (Irish: camán) – and a small cork and leather ball, similar to a hockey ball but with ridges (Irish: sliothar). Each team has 15 players including one goalkeeper, three forwards and the others playing in midfield. Up to three substitutes are also allowed and players may switch positions during the game. The pitch is approximately 137m long and 82m wide. The goalposts are the same shape as on a rugby pitch, but with the crossbar set at a level between that of a rugby crossbar and a soccer one. A game consists of two halves, each of 30 minutes. Eight ‘officials’ are needed! One referee, two linesmen, possibly a sideline official and two umpires at each end.

The game
To the uninitiated, the game can appear fast moving and quite violent. As well as striking the ball with the Hurley, it is permissible to carry the ball in the hand for up to four paces and, after that, bounce the ball on the Hurley and take a further (and final) four steps. If the ball can be balanced on the Hurley it may be carried and run with.

Scoring
Hitting the ball over the crossbar with the Hurley scores one point, indicated by the raising of a white flag. Hitting the ball under the crossbar and into the net scores a goal (three points). A green flag is raised.
The scoring for each side is reported as, for example, 2-1. That would mean two goals and one point, which is equivalent to seven points.

Idiosyncratic phrases
‘65 frees’: This is a restart by an attacker from the 65m line. It is indicated by the umpire raising an arm. A ‘square ball’ occurs when a player scores having arrived in the goalkeeper’s ‘square’ prior to receiving the ball.

Gaelic Football
History
Gaelic Football, to a simple outsider, looks like a mixture of soccer and rugby or to the less simple outsider, the football version of hurling. However, it predates both soccer and rugby with written references dating from the 16th century. It is said that Australian Rules Football evolved from Gaelic Football because of the many thousands who were either deported or emigrated to Australia in the 19th century.

The equipment and people
A spherical ball is used which is slightly smaller than a soccer ball. Each team has 15 players, including one goalkeeper, three forwards and all others playing in midfield. Up to five substitutes are also allowed and players may switch positions during the game. The pitch is exactly the same as that described for hurling. They are deliberately dual purpose. A game consists of two halves, each of 30 minutes. Seven ‘officials’ are needed! One referee, two linesmen and two umpires at each end.

The game
As well as kicking the ball, it is permissible to carry the ball in the hand for up to four paces and, after that, bounce the ball off your foot back into the hand (‘solo-ed’) and take a further (and final) four steps.

Scoring
A square ball and score reporting is the same as for Hurling, as described above.

Idiosyncratic phrases
‘45 frees’: This is a restart by an attacker from the 5m line. It is indicated by the umpire raising an arm.

RESTAURANTS
The south-west region has gained an enviable reputation for excellence in food. Both seafood and home produced meat have a very high standing. For the cruising yachtsman, it is sometimes difficult to identify worthy hostelries on what is usually a short overnight visit. Look out for various National Award schemes which include the following:
The Bord Iascaigh Mhara – The Irish Sea Fisheries Board (BIM) runs a recognition and award scheme as part of its support for the fishing industry. The Seafood Circle Programme selects establishments based on strict criteria such as the predominance and variety of fish dishes on the menu. Look for the BIM Seafood Circle logo to identify current members. Website: http://www.seafoodcircle.ie/. The members are identified in the relevant chapters of this book.
The Bridgestone ‘100 BEST restaurants in Ireland’ is updated annually and is useful to have on board in book form (€10), if online access is not available. These restaurants have been found to be of consistently high standard and offer prices to suit all pockets.
See http://www.bestofbridgestone.com/community/map.html

GETTING TO IRELAND
The crossing to Ireland can be made easily by sea or
air. The multiple carriers on all routes ensure competitive rates and convenient departure times.
At the time of writing it is cheaper to cross from Ireland to France than from the West of England to France, by a considerable margin!

By ferry
All routes to France and Wales have two operators and use modern vessels. The Fishguard – Rosslare route operated by Stena Line offers the option of a fast ferry which reduces the crossing time to two hours.

By air
Ireland is the home country of Ryanair, which is reputed to be the world’s largest international carrier. It is no surprise therefore that this region is well linked to the outside world. For available destinations from local airports at the time of writing see the table on page 7.

MEDICAL INSURANCE, NON-EMERGENCIES
AND TREATMENT
Visitors to Ireland should have the appropriate medical insurance and, if European citizens, carry the community health card. Before travelling, record all the relevant contact telephone numbers necessary to claim against the insurance policy.

MOBILE PHONE NETWORKS
The following mobile phone networks may be encountered in Ireland:
• Vodafone (known previously as ‘Eircell’ – 087
prefix) uses the GSM 900 and 1800MHz bands
and is introducing 3G (2100MHz). The company’s
‘pay as you go’ service is called ‘Ready to Go’.
• O2 (previously known as Esat Digifone – 086
prefix). It uses the GSM 900 and 1800MHz bands.
The company’s ‘pay as you go’ service is called ‘Speakeasy’. Mobile broadband is delivered over
3G-HSDPA and EDGE networks.
• Meteor (085 prefix) operates a dual band
(900 and 1800 MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE network
and is beginning to roll out a 3G-HSDPA
network. It has low cost roaming arrangements
with T-Mobile.
• Tesco Ireland (089 prefix) has a prepay service
piggy-backing on the O2 network. It has a simple, reasonably-priced voice and text service.
• ‘3’ (083 prefix) operates a 3G (2100MHz) network which has favourable roaming rates (sometimes
zero cost) with other ‘3’ networks overseas. When
out of coverage, customers are able to roam
on Vodafone‘s GSM network. It has a pre-pay
service (3Pay).

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