a blog by António Farinha
There's more to the 2010 Irish budget, but what most people notice is signs like these at pubs:
It's not a major reduction. Actually, it's just about 15-20 cents per pint, but it does feel good paying less than €4 for a Guinness.
(image from Times Online)
Ahh, what would be of an important football game without some controversy? And to make it even more disgusting, it had to involve, and be in favor of, France…
The Irish team had lost 0-1 at Croke Park and travelled to France in a very difficult position. After 33 minutes at the Stade de France, Robbie Keane got the goal (and qualification equalizer) for Ireland , which they kept until the 90 minutes were over. And then, 14 minutes into extra time, Gallas scored the goal that got France in the World Cup, after an assist from Thierry Henry. Small detail: Henry controlled the ball with his hand. Wait, there’s more. Henry controlled the ball with his hand… twice!
I'm not even going to comment on the game itself, because that's of little importance and there's plenty of sites discussing it. The real issue here is that it was proven again that soccer desperately needs to adopt what today's technology has to offer. It's outrageous that a game of such importance gets decided in a clearly illegal play, one that would be easily detected by watching a replay. And any replay would be enough, as it was so obvious that you could almost see it from the other side of the pitch…
Tennis has Hawk-Eye. Quite a lot of sports use instant-replay to help decide on controversial situations. But football remains in the dark ages, leading to situations like this one over and over again. Maradona’s “God’s Hand” was 23 years ago, I think we should have evolved enough avoid these mistakes…
I’m not blaming Henry, because most players would do the same. Although he’s still a sneaky bastard.
I’m not blaming the referees, because it is possible that they really didn’t see the (did I say it was double?) handball. Although this was France.
But things like these make me sick.
In related news, Portugal got the qualification after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina by 1 goal in Zenica (aggregate 2-0).
Yeah, I know it's been a while since my last post. And it has been even longer since I did any proper post about the life here in Galway. I think the last ones were during the Volvo Ocean Race. But don't you think that nothing has happened since then! It's just that... well, instead of being lame and saying I didn't have time to post, I'll do a quick summary of what has been happening.
So, in reverse chronological order:
This last week was the "back to work" week. To start off nicely, I had a great 16-hour trip back to Galway (including a 7-hour wait at Madrid airport) which left me completely messed up for the rest of the week. And getting back to work after 1 week out also meant extra stuff to do and not even a bit of time to wander around the interwebs. Aw, c'mon, don't give me that look. Everyone surfs around the Internet while at work...
The week before that was spent in Portugal. The 6-month INOV Contacto internship had ended and I so I took 1 week off to go back to my home country. Plans had been made to spend most of the time visiting friends and that's what I did. Going to the beach and finally get some proper sunlight was also part of the plan, but with all the other stuff happening there wasn't a whole lot of time for that. And there was also the not so nice part of taking care of paperwork. Anyway, it was a great week, and I wish I could have stayed longer.
Two weeks before leaving I had a friend coming over to visit. And as a good host I showed him the best that Galway has to offer. That means a lot of pubs. That also means going out from Monday to Friday (he left on Saturday). During that week we also visited Dublin, and more importantly, I finally went to the Guinness Storehouse. I got to see how the stuff is made, tasted the best pint in the world (right at the brewery, you can't get any better than that!), and learned how to pour a pint of Guinness correctly. Also had a chance to show him that tag rugby is a lot of fun and not to be mocked with. All in all, I think I convinced him to come back one of these days, and that means it was a great week (the best bit was definitely the Irish breakfast...).
And going all the way back to June, 3 friends came to visit, during the last weekend of the Volvo Ocean Race. Listened to some concerts that were happening outside while confortably sitting down in the living room, watched the Portuguese national soccer team pulling one of those last-minute goals against Albania for the World Cup Qualifiers, and went out to enjoy the Galway nightlife and one of the most important aspects of Irish culture - the pubs.
And now that this has been taken care of, blogging will resume it's natural rhythm.
Stay tuned!
I'm confused now...
People tell you to stockpile on alcohol thursday because on Good Friday all the pubs and off-licences are closed...
Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country, prohibits all alcohol from being sold on Good Friday. Banks and public institutions are closed on this day, however it is not an official bank holiday (i.e. public holiday), so many offices and other workplaces remain open. All pubs and many restaurants in Ireland close for the duration of the day – it is similar to Christmas Day in this regard. This tradition has come under criticism of late, with secular businesses claiming a loss in earnings by way of a religious festival.
Shocking, right?!
And I work in one of the mentioned workplaces that remain open on Good Friday...
It's a bit unfair. A lot of people have the day off from work, which would be a great excuse to go to the pub even earlier, and they're all closed. No wonder there's criticism about it. We're in a crisis, so forget the religious stuff and let people consume 
I'm guessing that Thursday night will be quite crazy, then. No work and no drinking on Friday must mean extra drinking on Thursday. Or maybe on Saturday? And will the supermarket be overcrowded with those that couldn't quench their thirst elsewhere?
At least Monday is a bank holiday and I get a long weekend anyway, so not everything is bad.
Before coming here I was wondering what the cost of living was like in Galway, a city that had a huge growth in the last few years and is now suffering quite a bit with the economic crisis. And while I found some stuff, it was all either too generic or a bit outdated. To make it easier for any Galway newcomers, I've compiled a list of some stuff that might help in getting an idea of the prices (if there's anything else you want to know, drop a line in the comments):
I hope this helps in getting a better picture of how much it actually costs living in Galway. And if you're a smoker and love vodka, this might not be the place for you. Just go to Ukraine instead
... this is what I see. Not bad, eh?
My First Guinness @ IrelandAfter 2h30m in an airplane to cross more than 1600Km and another 3h40m to cross the 200Km that separate Dublin from Galway (hooray for Irish buses!), I finally arrived at my destination. And what's the best way to celebrate the fact that I arrived safe besides the fact that these folks drive on the wrong side of the road? With a pint of Guinness, of course.
But only after dinner! Never have a drink on an empty stomach...
Dinner was at the Charcoal Grill, a kebab place that I'll probably be visiting a lot in the next few months, since it's one of the few places that stays open until late (perfect for a snack on the way back home). The meal was very nice, but I have the feeling I missed something.
After dinner, the tasting of a proper Guinness, in a proper Irish pub, in Ireland, took place in The Dáil Bar. And I have to say this will be the first of many... Even though it might take a while to get used to the price... €4.20...
That was the first day. Nothing too exciting, because I was a bit tired from the trip. There will be plenty of time to explore Galway's nightlife in the next few months. I could sense some... let's say... potential for lots of fun...
