Walk down an Irish Lane

By Terry Reilly

When us kids were never bored!

With Christmas just behind us, and hopefully also the days of the elongated cold snap that had the country in its icy grip over the New Year period when temperatures fell to minus 10 degrees Celsius, our thoughts turn to Spring, lengthening sun-lit days and a good old rummage in the garden as we prepare for another season of good intentions. But just not yet!

 Older people have been getting great mileage from recounting their experiences in the Great Snow of 1947: the country, or large swathes of it, were buried feet deep under white powdery stuff for weeks on end, and volunteer groups had to go out and clear roads so that supplies could be delivered to isolated villages. In some areas, only the tops of the telegraph poles were visible.

December 6^th, 2009

Welcome to my first Ballina blog………

Bridge over troubled waters…….

BALLINA’S new bridge, opened in 2009, is a wonderful pedestrian structure crossing the River Moy just above the salmon weirs and the world-famous Ridge Pool. Ballina, is, of course, the official Salmon Capital of Ireland.

Fishing is an important component of Ballina’s commerce, salmon angling estimated to bring upwards of 10 million euro a year into the local economy.  Its real value is much, much greater, of course.

The bridge links the town of Ballina and ancient Ardnaree, and is the third bridge (but first pedestrian crossing). It is the only bridge built under our own jurisdiction: the other two, the Ham (1836) and the Arran Bridge (1835) were built when England ruled this country.

The pedestrian bridge, appropriately designed to resemble a fishing rod, has its detractors…. and its supporters. The positioning of the structure, the role is fulfils, the money it cost (less than 2 million euro), were amongst the points at debate. Even the local Town Council was divided on the issue.

By Terrry Reilly (c)

2009

Las Vegas, finally! The Strip. Gamblers’ paradise (or hell?). Sin City. We flew into Vegas from New Jersey and within an hour were cast right into the middle of another world, built on casinos whose profits for the year would surely fund several respectably sized countries.

It’s a place full of contradictions. You can smoke in the casinos but you cannot smoke in the adjoining food outlets under the same roof and just a few feet away. To go anywhere you have to walk through the gambling halls. Sit at a bar and your glass shares the space with the ubiquitous gambling machine. You expect it, the wall-to-wall gambling, of course, but when you are confronted with it cheek by jowl it’s almost like meeting a gunman down a dark alley way. The slots are even in Las Vegas airport, a salutary reminder to those who flee the Strip after probably losing heavily. Needless to say, we were not unduly tempted; after doing the Irish lottery, or putting money on the Mayo football team over the years, we know how hard it is beat the odds!