The Ballybunion thread

snow scorpion

Very cool, Aero!

I didn't think you got that much snow over there. I thought you got little more than frost.

And I like your priorities. Flickr got the small versions of the pics but the Ballybunion Thread got the big versions. :cool:

Aero

snow scorpion wrote: »

Very cool, Aero!

I didn't think you got that much snow over there. I thought you got little more than frost.

And I like your priorities. Flickr got the small versions of the pics but the Ballybunion Thread got the big versions. :cool:

Thanks snow scorpion. In theory at least, if you click the small versions on Flickr you should open the picture with a new option on top of it to view "All Sizes" ... or does this option only become available if you are logged into Flickr ... must confess I'm not sure. In any event, snow in Ballybunion is indeed a rare phenomenon!

snow scorpion

Nope. Even when logged in to my Flickr account the only options at the top of the photo are "Add to Faves" and "Blog This."

The same thing happens with the Pipe Bands photos.

Aero

snow scorpion wrote: »

Nope. Even when logged in to my Flickr account the only options at the top of the photo are "Add to Faves" and "Blog This."

The same thing happens with the Pipe Bands photos.

Ah...perhaps we have to add each other as "contacts" in Flickr? It seems that more options become visible when you are looking at photos in a "contact" photo stream. At least that is what I think happens. If anyone has any better idea...let's have it...

Aero

I have photos of many pipe bands...except the Ballybunion Pipe Band. If anyone has pictures of the BallyB pipe band, especially from the late 1960s I would be grateful for a copy. Thanks!

snow scorpion

Aero wrote: »

Ah...perhaps we have to add each other as "contacts" in Flickr? It seems that more options become visible when you are looking at photos in a "contact" photo stream. At least that is what I think happens. If anyone has any better idea...let's have it...

All right. I'll give that a try and see what happens.

snow scorpion

Nope, didn't work.

Is that you with the New Year Haircut?

snow scorpion

Odd -- I look at my own pictures and all the options are there. But the largest size is 1024 x 768 even though I uploaded them at 2200 pixels wide.

At any rate my account at Flickr is whatafeckineejit if you want to have a look.

snow scorpion

At long last, Ballybunion has been photographed in hi-res at Google Earth!

RiderOnTheStorm

Hi guys....... sorry for long absence. Work, family, lazy, etc.

What did I miss? Oh yea..... I can just read backwards!

Great photos Aero!

snow scorpion

Welcome back, Rider.

It's always nice when one of the prodigals comes wandering back home.

RiderOnTheStorm

thx Snow, nice to be wanted.

How is NY these days? Bet its cold! We had a small frost a week ago (or so) here, bet NY has it worse!

Not much news here.

Kit Ahern (TD and Senator) died a few weeks ago. She was a great Ballybunion'er and will be missed.

snow scorpion

Mild winter so far, very little snow (Thank God) but next week is supposed to be cold. -2 to -6 Irish degrees.

I heard on Radio Kerry that Main Street is being torn up for the next three weeks.

RiderOnTheStorm

snow scorpion wrote: »

Mild winter so far, very little snow (Thank God) but next week is supposed to be cold. -2 to -6 Irish degrees.

-2 to -6 means we will turn on the heating and put on a jumper when we go out! :-)

snow scorpion wrote:

I heard on Radio Kerry that Main Street is being torn up for the next three weeks.

Yup! Maint St Ballyb is being re-done....again! Actually, they are making improvements to the path on the JD side of the road, and making the road one way (by extending the path a bit at the junction of main st and Super Value). The 1 way sysem is to extend from that junction down to Cissy Macs. Thats about 100m !!
There was mild chaos last year when the 1 way system went from Supervalue to Rinn Bhui (on Sandhill Road) and Church Road was 1 way too (except on Sunday morn, so people could go to mass both ways)

Aero

snow scorpion wrote: »

Nope, didn't work.

Is that you with the New Year Haircut?

Sorry about the Flickr issue...back to the drawing board.
Re the haircut...negative...that is my son...just reminds me how old I am...!

snow scorpion

Aero wrote: »

Sorry about the Flickr issue...back to the drawing board.
Re the haircut...negative...that is my son...just reminds me how old I am...!

Maybe is has something to do with the type of account? You have a lot of pictures there, I assume you have the big-time serious account. (I have the free account that lets you post a limit of 200 pics.)


I haven't put up a video lately (and only a very few left) so here we go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLTG97yh_pU

baby-sudz

Beezer19 wrote: »

I would love a pic of The Exchange. Exterior, interior... if the Hellards are still running it, tell them it is for Todd who used to live with them a few years ago...should prove to be a laugh.

todd! alice here bubbles's daughter remember me??:) was just surfin da net nd came across the website!! god its been years:eek:

snow scorpion

Hey! A new kid in school! Welcome to the thread baby-sudz.

I hope you'll make this place a regular stop on your cyber-wanderings. :cool:

RiderOnTheStorm

welcome Baby-Sudz! Always good to have fresh blood, and a new voice.

snow scorpion

40,000 views!

snow scorpion

Someone posted a video on youtube of some fella turning donuts near the top of Knockanore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ2RF9gXlXo

Aero

Radio CJAD Montreal interview with JJ O'Carroll, radio callsign EI6AH concerning the Marconi station in Ballybunion which first transmitted voice from east to west across the Atlantic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyB3v1PvejM

...and more information on the Ballybunion station here...

http://vr2xbm.googlepages.com/home

Slainte! / Aero.

culhane

Hi,

Just logged on to this thread for the first time. I live In Ballybunion and have mainly for most of my life (36yrs). I suppose there are a lot of Ballybunion people ( like every town in ireland ) scattered to the 4 corners. So this site is great for those people.

The towns pavements and roads are getting a long needed revamp at the moment.

Ballybunion gets a lot critisism. I cant blame people. For such a massive resource of stunning natural beauty it is a very small Town/village.
The Business people/Local people get the brunt of this critisim and perhaps a little unfairly. I think Kerry Co co has left the place down badly.

If you takeListowel at the moment - it is looking exceptionally well. A very pretty Market Town with the whole writers vibe going on. But listowel has its own Urban Council - there are massively strict bye laws which inforce standards front facades of buildings so that they keep a certain standard.
And you can see this in the town. It looks better then it ever has.

Ballyb would not be allowed have its own UDC. Its population is too small. In the abscense of a UDC it is up to KCC to therefore inforce the standards. But they don't. Ballyb is a free for all!! In the abscence of enforcement you cant expect one local to tell another clean up your the front of your pub, shop etc.

So where is Kerry Co Co??...Oh They will break people up with planning permission 3 miles out the road and tell u what species of trees u can plant ( no exaggeration )But the town itself is a free for all......
You can leave a building go derilicht - why not. Leave the main street potholed for the summer. Leave sick and fags build up outside your pub for 2 weeks. Decorate the inside and out just to make sure u encourge the roughest of the roughest from the roughest city in ireland all become patrons...., and incase the place wasnt honky tonk enough lets gets a 5th rate cringing honky tonk country band to play open air on the main street on the busiest days.....look im ranting too much here..ill sign on again some other time when im not so demented.

Anyway snow scorpian well done on the Ballybunion thread.

John Granville

culhane wrote: »

Hi,

Just logged on to this thread for the first time. I live In Ballybunion and have mainly for most of my life (36yrs). I suppose there are a lot of Ballybunion people ( like every town in ireland ) scattered to the 4 corners. So this site is great for those people.

The towns pavements and roads are getting a long needed revamp at the moment.

Ballybunion gets a lot critisism. I cant blame people. For such a massive resource of stunning natural beauty it is a very small Town/village.
The Business people/Local people get the brunt of this critisim and perhaps a little unfairly. I think Kerry Co co has left the place down badly.

If you takeListowel at the moment - it is looking exceptionally well. A very pretty Market Town with the whole writers vibe going on. But listowel has its own Urban Council - there are massively strict bye laws which inforce standards front facades of buildings so that they keep a certain standard.
And you can see this in the town. It looks better then it ever has.

Ballyb would not be allowed have its own UDC. Its population is too small. In the abscense of a UDC it is up to KCC to therefore inforce the standards. But they don't. Ballyb is a free for all!! In the abscence of enforcement you cant expect one local to tell another clean up your the front of your pub, shop etc

Anyway snow scorpian well done on the Ballybunion thread.

Well said, Culhane. Im sure your feelings are shared by many in Ballybunion and beyond. I'm not from Ballyb. but originally from Listowel and I think anyone who grew up enjoying the beauty and freedom of Ballybunion and its beaches in days gone by is saddened by the state of the place and the clientele that has been attracted during the summer. I know everyone is entitled to enjoy a day out and have a drink but do so many have to be so obnoxious and loutish in their manner and appearance?
You say nice things about Listowel and I agree, it does look well when compared to other towns of similar size. It's not without its disasters though. For example,what were planners thinking when permission was given to build a block of ugly flats at the bottom of Colbert St.? And now, I believe, someone is looking to extend a Disco Joint in William Street as if it didn't cause enough noise and disturbance already at weekends! The motto seems to be "If there's an empty space, build on it and if there's a building there already, make it bigger - and bugger the residents." "Anything will do as long as it can make us money."
Seaside towns generally seem to be a bit tatty. For instance, I hear many complaints about the state of Tramore from friends who come from the area. The usual complaint there seems to be about the amount of dog crap on the footpaths. If my friends are to be believed, its the World Leader in Dog Dirt! And it has a Town Council! Bundoran doesn't seem to get too many favourable mentions either. I don't know about other resorts but I'm sure there are similar complaints elsewhere. One thing is sure though - they don't hold a candle to Ballybunion as far as natural beauty is concerned.
Hopefully the works being undertaken in Ballyb will be hugely successful and lead to better things. We live in hope but maybe we have been too quiet for far too long.
Rant over!

snow scorpion

Two new kids to the thread! An embarrassment of riches!

Welcome, welcome, welcome (as my grandmother used to say) to the both of you.

I hope both of you will show up here regularly.

I'm glad to hear about the streets are being repaved. I took some videos of the town last July (they're on YouTube ... search "Ballybunion" and you'll run into them) and Main Street and the switch outside the barrack shook the hell out of the camera. The East End was nice and smooth, however.

culhane

Hi Again,
Perhaps its better for those of u who are xpats to enjoy Ireland - you don't have to put up with the weather!!.
There is definetly increased rainfall and wind, and last summer there was no summer whats so ever.
One wonders is it worth living in this country at all anymore.
There just seems to be no weather at all now. Winters appear milder. Which means warmer accompanied by rain and wind. And if you look
at the weather chart for the North Atlantic for much of the time there are atlantic lows queing for Ireland.
I think the nicest weather in Ireland is a clear frosty morning. But these these days now sadly are few and far between. In the year 2000 there
were exactly half the number of frosty days recorded in 1950!! see www.geography.nuim.ie/ICARUS/present/mcelwain.pdf

Pubs like every other village and town in Ireland were a major part of the social fabric.This is changing big time. There are now fewer that open
in Ballyb in winter, and those that do - perhaps there is just 1 that opens early. However alcohol consumption has gone up. People buy in supermarkets
and drink at home. Every one is twisted at home every night. (joke) For a lot of publicans there is just perhaps Saterday night.
At the moment there are fewer business open in winter (in Ballyb) then there were even 2 winters ago. I can think of 3 on the main street which were open
regulary 2 winters ago. North Kerry is impossible. You Grind out a living. Thats all.

The other sudden huge change at the moment is the collapse in construction....that whole thing seems to have come to a halt. Property not shifting eithier.
I have heard of construction workers leaving for London again. The poles and lithuanians will surely not stick around eithier.
Kilburn High road here we come.

culhane

An american humorous article written in a major publication about ballyb( can't remember which ). Back in the late 90's when there was more of a buzz about. Perhaps some people have read.
http://www.eamonlynch.com/work6.htm

snow scorpion

I think 640pixels is the widest picture you can post without screwing up the margins.

snow scorpion

Ballybunion gets a write-up in a California newspaper: the San Jose Mercury News. An excerpt:

When you want a real idea of who will be the next president, do not turn to the pundits and the talking heads of the chattering, bodiless, odoriferous order that pontificates for each and every network and cable channel - look to Ballybunion. Here in a place known for golf, seaweed baths and prognostications, you will find the truth. Here the denizens decry the hoopla of polls and likely voter profiles, and simply prefer the age-old method of trial by rhetoric, argument and ancestry - oh, yes, ancestry. Even now in Costello's Public House, the verdict has been rendered, and it's for the kinsman. As they say, "Surely, ....

Read more here:
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8116619

RiderOnTheStorm

welcome to John Granville and Culhane! The more the merrier!

Culhane, I have to agree with most of your statements! Things just seem to be always going downhill. And, speaking as one who has had it happen to them, the planning laws in North Kerry are a joke. We (my wife and I) were about to buy a site about 2 miles out of town, but the outlying planning permission had so many conditions on it (including specifying what type of trees had to be planted, and where!) that it put us off. I see a house build on that site now, and there is no sign of any trees! I guess we were too niave. We should have gone ahead, not planted the dozens of trees between the house and the view, and just wait and see if anyone complains that we didnt adhere to the pp.

anyway......
To confirm what Culhane said: Main St ballyb is in a terrible state. They are making many streets one-way, and at the same time extending footpaths all over the place. Particularly along Sandhill Road and out along by the boys school. I hope it will all be worth it when its finished!