It rains every day. There has been no day of real sunshine, just some brief patches now and then.
Roads (sometimes little more than lanes) are signed 100mph, when one has to be brave to travel on above 50mph (particularly in the wet), and particularly when tractors often come in the opposite direction.
People still bless themselves when they drive past the churches.
Harvey Norman is here.
The evening rush hour traffic reports on RTE1 are for the whole country. A quick wiz around Dublin, Cork and Galway. I never heard the morning ones, not being a morning fly.
The agricultural sector is doing well, and it shows here in the West. There is a look of prosperity, and there are BMWs, Audis and Mercedes a-plenty.
But there is much hardship in the cities as a result of the general collapse of the economy here. The daytime talk-back radio is full of sessions on mortgage debt. People ring in with harrowing stories. Talk of a national debt forgiveness programme has been dismissed by the Minister for Finance.
Not a lot of interest in subsidising other European Union economies, particularly in the agricultural sector.
It is often too beautiful to bear.
It is not much bigger than Tasmania. Must Google that.
Latest news bulletins are about the Vatican’s response to the letter from the Irish PM re the report on abuse. Vatican has sought to rebutt points made by PM. I watched a movie called The Magdalene Girls, about “fallen” girls, in the 1960s and 70s who were sent to work in a laundry business run by nuns; after which I could not sleep.
No free wifi at Dublin Airport.
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