Off Topic Thread 5.0

Zzippy · 11-07-2020 4:55pm

mfceiling wrote: »

If anyone is staying at home to holiday this year because it's safer you might just want to stay at home.

I came down to inch last night to join herself and the kids. Came down to the beach an hour ago and it is rammed. Hundreds of cars and easily over a thousand people on top of each other at the top of the beach. Cafe is jammed, ice cream van has a queue with zero social distancing and the sunbathers are on top of each other.

If you drive 2 miles down the beach it's empty...barely a soul here.

I've been coming here 6 years and I've never seen it this busy. My summer holiday ends today.

If you drive 2 miles down Inch beach you're more than likely going to get stuck in soft sand and need the local farmer's tractor to pull you out. If you've a nice car he's going to charge a nice few quid for the service

mfceiling · 11-07-2020 6:22pm

Zzippy wrote: »

If you drive 2 miles down Inch beach you're more than likely going to get stuck in soft sand and need the local farmer's tractor to pull you out. If you've a nice car he's going to charge a nice few quid for the service

Audi quattro with nearly 300 bhp beats all!!

Zzippy · 11-07-2020 9:54pm

mfceiling wrote: »

Audi quattro with nearly 300 bhp beats all!!

Four wheel drive, yeah?

irishbucsfan · 12-07-2020 1:05am

Stheno wrote: »

I'm just not going on holiday full stop this year tbh

I'm comfortable with my current routine and the places I go locally, dont need the stress of being somewhere i dont feel that way

I've been unintentionally abroad since mid-March. Heading back next week. I'm more worried about that trip home than I was about anything here or I think anything that'll come up once I'm home. Not worth it. Won't catch me anywhere near any of the (many) tourists that are starting to turn up here from UK/Ireland.

By sheer circumstance I've made friends with a few bar/restaurant owners here since I came over, and I feel very happy for them that their businesses are finally able to come somewhere close to breaking even now, but I do worry about all these people mixing with almost aggressive disregard for common sense. As if they think just because they're on holiday they're safe, when the opposite is true. I've seen multiple absolutely ridiculous situations just in the past two nights when I stopped by local friends establishments to say goodbye.

The reality its super dangerous here and its getting worse every day. No matter how well-intentioned the locals are. It's not them you need to worry about. Its the tourists they're serving. The people who are coming here against government advice are exactly the people who are most likely to be spreading this virus without knowing it. I'm happy to be going home now, because I fear it's going to get bad and its the poor locals in these destinations in Southern Europe who are going to pay the biggest price for our inability to entertain ourselves.

Neil3030 · 12-07-2020 6:00am

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I've been unintentionally abroad since mid-March. Heading back next week. I'm more worried about that trip home than I was about anything here or I think anything that'll come up once I'm home. Not worth it. Won't catch me anywhere near any of the (many) tourists that are starting to turn up here from UK/Ireland.

By sheer circumstance I've made friends with a few bar/restaurant owners here since I came over, and I feel very happy for them that their businesses are finally able to come somewhere close to breaking even now, but I do worry about all these people mixing with almost aggressive disregard for common sense. As if they think just because they're on holiday they're safe, when the opposite is true. I've seen multiple absolutely ridiculous situations just in the past two nights when I stopped by local friends establishments to say goodbye.

The reality its super dangerous here and its getting worse every day. No matter how well-intentioned the locals are. It's not them you need to worry about. Its the tourists they're serving. The people who are coming here against government advice are exactly the people who are most likely to be spreading this virus without knowing it. I'm happy to be going home now, because I fear it's going to get bad and its the poor locals in these destinations in Southern Europe who are going to pay the biggest price for our inability to entertain ourselves.

My hope is that the majority of those people will have already caught it. Unlikely their dumb behaviour will only start once they go on holiday.

kuang1 · 12-07-2020 11:27am

Neil3030 wrote: »

My hope is that the majority of those people will have already caught it. Unlikely their dumb behaviour will only start once they go on holiday.

Yeah that's a very good point.

When you think about the typical type of person who currently says "fcuk it, noone is gonna stop me from having my 2 weeks in the algarve. It's just a flu..", they're most likely to have also been disregarding other guidelines up to now also.
Hence they're most likely to have got the virus or soon will. Sadly, they'll also be the idiots who recklessly spread it.

Local anecdote from here in Waterford this week: spoke to the mum of a waiter in one of the bigger pubs. Her son told her about serving 2 American women and when he asked how long they'd been in Ireland they said "oh we just arrived yesterday, we're here for 3 weeks and are staying in 6 different places". From Arizona.

Having had low numbers in Waterford up to now, from what I've heard from friends working in the hospital, that's set to change in the next 10 days. House parties to blame apparently.

And I'm STILL meeting people who think a mask is for self protection, and are choosing not to wear one because of this.
This is one of the things that infuriates me the most. And these are people who I would have considered to be of reasonable intelligence.

"Ah look, if I get it, I get it."
"It's just a flu."
"I've no underlying health condition so I'm grand."

At this point I'm not sure is it ignorance of the facts or raw selfishness from people that's responsible for this majority attitude. I'm in my mid-forties. All of the quotes above are from people in their mid-forties.

I'm in a minority of people here (I estimate it's about 15%) who wear a mask when shopping or in a confined space.
And if I hear one more fcuker saying that he doesn't wear a mask because he "doesn't like how it feels", I think I'll be up on assault charges.

Has anyone met anyone, ever, who likes how these face masks feel?

FFS!!!

Clegg · 12-07-2020 12:11pm

Saw this earlier. Is the international perception of Ireland really one that we're open for business? I fear Martin doesn't have the balls to shut up shop if spread becomes uncontainable

https://twitter.com/e_whizz/status/1282199534093950976?s=19

Stheno · 12-07-2020 12:29pm

Clegg wrote: »

Saw this earlier. Is the international perception of Ireland really one that we're open for business? I fear Martin doesn't have the balls to shut up shop if spread becomes uncontainable

https://twitter.com/e_whizz/status/1282199534093950976?s=19

I think it's a couple of things.

1. Media in the US showing the difference in the pandemic between Europe and the US and then if people check out Ireland we currently have one of the lowest rates of infections per 100,000 in Europe

2. Most of the world including the rest of Europe and the UK have banned US travellers, we have not

And of course the fact that something in the drinking water appears to render Americans slightly less intelligent than the rest of us

Stheno · 12-07-2020 12:43pm

From the Covid thread

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ectw8MGXYAARYX_?format=jpg&name=900x900

Yeah_Right · 12-07-2020 1:14pm

I understand why people are going on holiday to southern Europe. I certainly want to. I miss the sun, sea and sand. The wife is 100% against going overseas. We're going on holiday for a week to west Cork and Kerry but it's not the same.

Part of my reasoning for why I should go on an overseas holiday is that the enforcement of quarantine for incoming visitors is non-existent. It's a joke. Why should I make sacrifices if people carrying the virus are just going to be allowed in and are free to spread it round the country?

Dave_The_Sheep · 12-07-2020 1:19pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Part of my reasoning for why I should go on an overseas holiday is that the enforcement of quarantine for incoming visitors is non-existent. It's a joke. Why should I make sacrifices if people carrying the virus are just going to be allowed in and are free to spread it round the country?

Only thing really to be done is get in touch with your TDs, repeatedly and/or contact whatever media outlets you see fit. See if this can be made a big enough deal of that Martin sees that people generally support stopping overseas travel from the US and feels pressured into it. Probably won't work, but there's no way FF will do it otherwise.

Stheno · 12-07-2020 1:26pm

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

Only thing really to be done is get in touch with your TDs, repeatedly and/or contact whatever media outlets you see fit. See if this can be made a big enough deal of that Martin sees that people generally support stopping overseas travel from the US and feels pressured into it. Probably won't work, but there's no way FF will do it otherwise.

I'm gonna do that this afternoon.

Three of the five TDs in my area are in the government parties

kuang1 · 12-07-2020 3:22pm

Stheno wrote: »

I'm gonna do that this afternoon.

Three of the five TDs in my area are in the government parties

Just did that now.
Let's see what they say (if anything!)

Stheno · 12-07-2020 3:28pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I understand why people are going on holiday to southern Europe. I certainly want to. I miss the sun, sea and sand. The wife is 100% against going overseas. We're going on holiday for a week to west Cork and Kerry but it's not the same.

Part of my reasoning for why I should go on an overseas holiday is that the enforcement of quarantine for incoming visitors is non-existent. It's a joke. Why should I make sacrifices if people carrying the virus are just going to be allowed in and are free to spread it round the country?

I hear ya, and tbh dont think it's an unreasonable viewpoint. I was hoping to go to Malta this year for a week or so, didnt get away last year

I think for me, what stops me going though, is that if i did and came back with the virus, I'd have a hard time living with myself wondering if I passed it on. I've a very vulnerable neighbour so that probably affects my views

Sorry if that comes across all moral high ground:)

My new work life though means I can feck off to Malta or any other nice sunny place next year for a couple of months, wfh while there and enjoy a couple of weeks off as well

Neil3030 · 12-07-2020 3:32pm

A suggestion to prominent opinion columnists might also be worth a shot. If someone with a bit of integrity bluntly asks "Why are we still allowing US tourists into Ireland", and cites anecdotes like I've read here, it would probably get momentum.

Stheno · 12-07-2020 3:34pm

Neil3030 wrote: »

A suggestion to prominent opinion columnists might also be worth a shot. If someone with a bit of integrity bluntly asks "Why are we still allowing US tourists into Ireland", and cites anecdotes like I've read here, it would probably get momentum.

Theres been a few pieces this weekend to be fair

Might be worth tweeting the likes of Paul Cullen

Eod100 · 12-07-2020 3:48pm

Stheno wrote: »

Theres been a few pieces this weekend to be fair

Might be worth tweeting the likes of Paul Cullen

Journalists can ask NPHET face to face at the twice weekly briefings alright but needs to be put to politicians. Only questioning in person seems to be when they're announcing next phase is happening so guess next Friday now.

Gov answer probably that flight and passenger numbers low not but surely if we can't enforce it now won't be able to if we open up country more?

Stheno · 12-07-2020 3:53pm

Eod100 wrote: »

Journalists can ask NPHET face to face at the twice weekly briefings alright but needs to be put to politicians. Only questioning in person seems to be when they're announcing next phase is happening so guess next Friday now.

Gov answer probably that flight and passenger numbers low not but surely if we can't enforce it now won't be able to if we open up country more?

I think MM is overwhelmed and incapable of making decisions

On an entirely different matter I just left a pub i was in for lunch and as i was leaving Devin Toner walked in

Synode · 12-07-2020 3:56pm

Ha, I seen Shane Jennings on Friday up in Sandyford

Eod100 · 12-07-2020 3:56pm

Stheno wrote: »

I think MM is overwhelmed and incapable of making decisions

He strikes me as a ditherer/procrastinator but can't be helped by the Cowen saga and other pure FF stuff either

Stheno · 12-07-2020 3:58pm

Eod100 wrote: »

He strikes me as a ditherer/procrastinator but can't be helped by the Cowen saga and other pure FF stuff either

Same here, seems afraid to take a stand. Much and all as Leo was a bit teflon, at least he made decisions

Neil3030 · 12-07-2020 4:14pm

When have Irish politicians ever deviated from utter spinelessness when it comes to the US?

Eod100 · 12-07-2020 4:16pm

Neil3030 wrote: »

When have Irish politicians ever deviated from utter spinelessness when it comes to the US?

In context of pandemic, when they've banned Irish non resident or citizens from entering the US and Trump likely to be gone from November thought they might do it for once. Not like US military lights into Shannon would be stopped.

Clegg · 12-07-2020 4:29pm

Synode wrote: »

Ha, I seen Shane Jennings on Friday up in Sandyford

I hope you remembered to genuflect.

Zzippy · 12-07-2020 5:15pm

Stheno wrote: »

Same here, seems afraid to take a stand. Much and all as Leo was a bit teflon, at least he made decisions

But also worth noting that he had the opportunity to make the decision to stop incoming tourists and he didn't do it either. In fact he decided to move faster with reopening against the advice of NPHET. Can't blame MM for that.

Stheno · 12-07-2020 5:30pm

Zzippy wrote: »

But also worth noting that he had the opportunity to make the decision to stop incoming tourists and he didn't do it either. In fact he decided to move faster with reopening against the advice of NPHET. Can't blame MM for that.

True, but so far MM hasn't made any decisions, instead hes twittering away about his warm conversations with his Welsh and Scottish counterparts

I dislike them both in equal measure tbh and would happily concede that political posturing ensured Leo went out on a high, leaving MM with some nasty issues left unaddressed

jacothelad · 12-07-2020 6:27pm

MM was on the Andrew Marr programme this morning. The first question was is Ireland going to ban UK visitors. Basically, the answer was that from 20th July, EU countries will allow visits from those areas that have a similar or lower virus spread and not from those whose incidence of virus is higher.

I had a holiday booked for Donegal last May which I moved to the end of August as the lock down took hold in the UK. It's pretty complicated for us to get there from up here in Moray. The trip just to get there involves hotels, ferries etc to get to Larne and then onward to Portnoo. There is no incidence of Covid19 in the large, rural area where I live but I took the decision after listening to MM to rebook the whole thing for next spring. I wouldn't like to turn up in NI to go to Donegal if GB visitors are excluded. Given the absolutely criminal lack of competence, honesty and integrity in Westminster I don't see any improvement on the horizon, quite the opposite in fact. Over 1,000 deaths in England this past week and the Conserfascists act as if there were none.

swiwi_ · 12-07-2020 6:33pm

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I understand why people are going on holiday to southern Europe. I certainly want to. I miss the sun, sea and sand. The wife is 100% against going overseas. We're going on holiday for a week to west Cork and Kerry but it's not the same.

Part of my reasoning for why I should go on an overseas holiday is that the enforcement of quarantine for incoming visitors is non-existent. It's a joke. Why should I make sacrifices if people carrying the virus are just going to be allowed in and are free to spread it round the country?

I have zero regrets nor qualms after 2 weeks in southern Italy. Covid recommendations were followed to a T by both the locals and the tourists and I never felt in remote danger nor as if I was putting the locals in danger. I’d be more worried traveling to Dublin tbh, from this thread it seems like certain pubs etc are taking no heed of the necessary precautions.

mfceiling · 12-07-2020 6:42pm

I'm in Kerry for a few days. I'll be honest that I wasn't pushed on coming down but we have a remote enough holiday home that hasn't been used from before Christmas.
One window wasn't closing and there is a blocked toilet/drain that needed sorting along with a dozen other jobs.
We've kept ourselves to ourself and it'll stay that way til we get home.

Zzippy · 12-07-2020 7:05pm

I was fishing yesterday morning in Connemara. Pulled in at a beach car park at 5.30. 4 camper vans parked up, 2 UK reg. We're a joke when it comes to keeping possible carriers from bringing it in to the country. People are coming in and ignoring self quarantine rules, travelling all around the place. All it takes is one of them to introduce it to a few places and you have uncontrolled spread...

jacothelad · 12-07-2020 7:35pm

Zzippy wrote: »

I was fishing yesterday morning in Connemara. Pulled in at a beach car park at 5.30. 4 camper vans parked up, 2 UK reg. We're a joke when it comes to keeping possible carriers from bringing it in to the country. People are coming in and ignoring self quarantine rules, travelling all around the place. All it takes is one of them to introduce it to a few places and you have uncontrolled spread...

The GB reg campers could of course be from NI. I had one for a while.

Did you catch anything? I used to do a lot of angling and was a member of Ardara anglers for years but I gave up in 1996 after catching and killing a very big hen salmon and other smaller fish on the Owenea. I caught 5 in total that day and was very happy initially but I soon came to the decision that it was a bad thing to do. Almost 25 years later I still feel real guilt over it. I miss fly tying and the gear and had some great stuff like Sage and Hardy rods and reels and a lot of sea fishing stuff. I live in the catchments of the Spey and Deveron now and my new friends here all fish. I know there is no killing any more but I'm not sure I want to go back. Part of me certainly does.

Zzippy · 12-07-2020 7:40pm

jacothelad wrote: »

The GB reg campers could of course be from NI. I had one for a while.

True. At least one was probably from England though. Two people paddle boarded past the rocks where we were fishing about 7am - I had noticed the boards on one of the campers earlier. Was a very calm morning and sound travels well over water. They were definitely English. It's a joke that they can get a ferry over and travel around the country with no possibility of contact tracing anyone they infect in shops, petrol stations etc.

jacothelad · 12-07-2020 7:53pm

Zzippy wrote: »

True. At least one was probably from England though. Two people paddle boarded past the rocks where we were fishing about 7am - I had noticed the boards on one of the campers earlier. Was a very calm morning and sound travels well over water. They were definitely English. It's a joke that they can get a ferry over and travel around the country with no possibility of contact tracing anyone they infect in shops, petrol stations etc.

Yes. I know I could do it without difficulty as my car still has it's Belfast reg. no. but it would be wrong to do it.

jacothelad · 12-07-2020 8:15pm

Zzippy wrote: »

True. At least one was probably from England though. Two people paddle boarded past the rocks where we were fishing about 7am - I had noticed the boards on one of the campers earlier. Was a very calm morning and sound travels well over water. They were definitely English. It's a joke that they can get a ferry over and travel around the country with no possibility of contact tracing anyone they infect in shops, petrol stations etc.

Yes. I know I could do it without difficulty as my car still has it's Belfast reg. no. but it would be wrong to do it.

Neil3030 · 13-07-2020 6:22am

Our dear newspaper of record did an article I won't link to, detailing the top 50 Irish albums of all time.

There was no Rory Gallagher, Astral Weeks didn't make the top 10, and the only Thin Lizzy album was in LAST place. The number 1 album are some group I've never heard of from 2019.

I honestly think I'm just too dumbfounded to be annoyed.

sydthebeat · 13-07-2020 7:57am

Neil3030 wrote: »

Our dear newspaper of record did an article I won't link to, detailing the top 50 Irish albums of all time.

There was no Rory Gallagher, Astral Weeks didn't make the top 10, and the only Thin Lizzy album was in LAST place. The number 1 album are some group I've never heard of from 2019.

I honestly think I'm just too dumbfounded to be annoyed.

By picking THAT album as no 1 it unashamedly is obviously a pure click bait article.

These lists are always subjective and good for a debate, but this list is ruined by that number one choice. That album will simply be known as a curio in years to come. It's good, it's different, it's a crazy love child of my bloody Valentine / captain beef heart / joy division..... But its a second album from a band just discovering who they are.... Ireland best ever album it is not.

Neil3030 · 13-07-2020 8:36am

sydthebeat wrote: »

By picking THAT album as no 1 it unashamedly is obviously a pure click bait article.

These lists are always subjective and good for a debate, but this list is ruined by that number one choice. That album will simply be known as a curio in years to come. It's good, it's different, it's a crazy love child of my bloody Valentine / captain beef heart / joy division..... But its a second album from a band just discovering who they are.... Ireland best ever album it is not.

Yeah. It's just such an utterly pedestrian attempt at trolling. I think that's what insults me the most.

clsmooth · 13-07-2020 8:55am

No Live at the Point by Christy Moore either. Nothing by the Dubliners. Nothing by Rory Gallagher. I’m surprised The Thrills didn’t come in at number one :eek:

b.gud · 13-07-2020 9:20am

Can someone post the list, or at least the top 10/5/1 so I can see how bad it is without giving them the click

sydthebeat · 13-07-2020 9:22am

b.gud wrote: »

Can someone post the list, or at least the top 10/5/1 so I can see how bad it is without giving them the click

Top 10 is standard enough... The number one is the weird outlier.

Girlband: the talkies

sydthebeat · 13-07-2020 9:28am

Top 5

Roisin Murphy : overpowered
Whipping boy : heartworm
A house : I am the greatest
U2: achtung baby
Girlband : the talkies

thomond2006 · 13-07-2020 9:31am

Mask wearing seems to have increased a lot in the last few days from what I've seen. In a Tesco this morning in Dublin and I'd say 4 in 5 were wearing them.

Stheno · 13-07-2020 9:37am

b.gud wrote: »

Can someone post the list, or at least the top 10/5/1 so I can see how bad it is without giving them the click

what paper was this published in ?

b.gud · 13-07-2020 9:41am

Stheno wrote: »

what paper was this published in ?

Based on a quick Google it appears to be the times

b.gud · 13-07-2020 9:45am

sydthebeat wrote: »

Top 10 is standard enough... The number one is the weird outlier.

Girlband: the talkies

I've never heard of that band. I suppose that is just one more thing to add to ever growing list that proves that I am no longer with it. I think Grandpa Simpson said it best

Former Former · 13-07-2020 9:58am

Stheno wrote: »

what paper was this published in ?

Irish Times entertainment supplement on Saturday

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/50-best-irish-albums-of-all-time-in-order-1.4295696

It's a list of two people's opinion. It reflects their tastes and probably their age too, it's very 21st century and thus a lot of it is over my head. I wouldn't in a million years have had Roisin Murphy in the top 50, let alone the top 5 and EVERYONE knows that Moondance is a better album than Astral Weeks, right? But it's subjective opinion.

It's not clickbait. Do people even know what that word means anymore?

It's a bit of fun lads. It might even introduce a few people to some new bands - I've put a few albums on my Spotify list for this week. Does the world really need another list telling us how important The Joshua Tree is or how Horslips were the greatest Irish band never to make it?

Update: I'm listening to the 'The Talkies' for the first time right now. Definitely not for me.

13-07-2020 10:27am

thomond2006 wrote: »

Mask wearing seems to have increased a lot in the last few days from what I've seen. In a Tesco this morning in Dublin and I'd say 4 in 5 were wearing them.

Yeah I agree and have definitely noticed the same. I have a feeling that as the world opens up there will once again be clear trends internationally and this time it will be led by mask compliance.

Countries that can coordinate high compliance with masks can probably keep a lid on the virus on an ongoing and sustainable basis. It's already becoming apparent that certain parts of the world are likely to struggle with that compliance due to weak political leadership.

Travel restrictions are going to become the norm in those instances I'd imagine.

sydthebeat · 13-07-2020 10:28am

Of course it's click bait. The essence of click bait is an advertisement or promise of something that it clearly isn't. Bait for views, being contraversal for the sake of getting views. The link being posted in the previous post is exactly what they want.

The whole point of this discussion is how thinly veiled the click baiting is... As said before, its pedestrian trolling.

errlloyd · 13-07-2020 10:49am

sydthebeat wrote: »

Of course it's click bait. The essence of click bait is an advertisement or promise of something that it clearly isn't. Bait for views, being contraversal for the sake of getting views. The link being posted in the previous post is exactly what they want.

The whole point of this discussion is how thinly veiled the click baiting is... As said before, its pedestrian trolling.

Whatever about clickbaiting in the content, "listicles" should be below the level of the Irish Times, even if the article did make a bonafide attempt to actually give the best 50 albums of all times.

Former Former · 13-07-2020 10:56am

It is NOT click bait. It is exactly what it claims to be. You just don't agree with it. Neither do I, FWIW.

Off Topic Thread 5.0

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