Wise words indeed, well said

 

Thanks for the post, great pictures. I never thought about riding in Ireland but now I am. I was there when I was too young to remember. My Mother took me to visit, she spent 9 years training as a nurse in Dublin after the war wwII, now she's more Irish than the Irish. Good history lesson Faber, definately nuetral. Grew up in the Boston area so I know how inflamed it can get. Sounds like you'd make a great tour guide. Let me know if you take it up as a second career.

 

cheers

Where in the UK are you from? I lived in London before moving to the States, and return to visit every year. Prolly move back one of these days.

Thanks! Most Irish-Americans descend from Irish who left Ireland at a tense time (c. 1875-1925), and many of the attitudes of those times have trickled down with bloodlines.

Big Irish community here in Butte, MT. They are still as Fenian as their Clan na Gael forefathers who went on strike in the copper mines in 1916 in an attempt to bring the British war effort to a halt and support the Easter Rising. (Wilson, under pressure from the British, who depended on Montana copper as the primary resource for munitions production, ordered the National Guard to shoot-to-kill and force the Irish miners back to work--24 were shot, mortally.) But, when pressed, they wouldn't know PSNI from PSP Go.

So such conversations can get tense in Irish neighborhoods, from one end of America to another, even still.

But the Republic has long condemned radical Fenianism and cites the IRA/Provos/RIRA/etc as criminals, not welcome in the Republic of Ireland. Most Irish agree.

These days, Ireland styles itself as more of a European country, i.e; 'on the Continent', or rather very much involved in the EU, one way or another--for better or for worse. Between the EU and the Good Friday Agreement, both effectively ending the Troubles, the only major difference between NI and the Republic is the price of petrol. (cheaper in the Republic) No border check points. Euros and sterling accepted by border towns on both sides.

The reality is that the British and Irish have far more in common than not, and 99% of Britons and Irish have rejected the Troubles and all it stood for. There are actually more Irish living in England than in Ireland, quite happily. I was one.

OK....second history lesson over (perhaps I should guide tours

All this talk......it'll be hard to wait till summer to visit England and Ireland again

Aww, man, you *know* you have to go back! You probably forgot to smuggle a piece of turf back, didn't you? Well, clearly you need one

 

faber right now I'm about 35 miles from central London ,just follow the Thames down. Was born in Dagenham where the big Ford plant is, lived in Chester up north for a few years. Also lived and worked in Portugal and Arizona

 

So you're now in Essex somewhere? I always liked that area.

Portugal and Arizona as well? You've managed to stretch a bit beyond Dagenham. Well done.

My wife would really like to move to the UK. I keep suggesting places within a 50-mile radius of London, but she has her heart set on Inverness(!) Nice riding up there, though.

 

I'm in line where Canvey island is tied on, and if I ever find the rope. Only been to Scotland once and that was enough. Suffolk is nice, but I think your going to find anywhere in the UK expensive after America. We had a place in Florida until a few years ago, glad I sold it when I did, could probably buy it for half of what I sold it for now.

 

Amen to the expensive part. Wife's family is from north Wales been over a number of times and actually just got back a couple weeks ago. With the exchange rate we take a beating every time.

However, did manage to spend a few pounds at the HD shop in Chester and Manchester. One of these years I'm gonna rent a bike or ship mine over ride around Wales and take the ferry over to Ireland to tour there too.

 

I bought a couple of shirts at Dublin HD while I was there. That was the first time I got robbed in Dublin. The second time was when they broke into my hire car.

I still wear the shirts but looking at my credit card statement when I got home was shocking. Hope my Pops likes his $50 Harley T-shirt. Damn the exchange rate.

We really had a good time. The Irish community in Kansas City is great. I go listen to many of the local musician and I try to make it to the fests. I've made quite a few friends and learned a bit of the Irish history for them.

 

Yeah and the British Pound rate is even worse than the Euro. Oh well you only go round once, eh?

 

very cool!!