Time Out

I will be traveling next week so you might not see any posts.  Don't panic - I will be back the week of June 29th. 

Have a wonderful week.  Now for an Irish Blessing:

May you always have...
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.

 

"Slainte"

Tramore Ireland

Tramore is another place in Ireland we will visit on our first full day - Sunday May 29th.

We have a very dear friend who owns a bait and tackle shop right on the water.  In fact we believe he is a real leprechaun.  Hopefully everyone will get to meet Bobby. 
 

 
 
This was Nick (Stacy) and his dad in Tramore in 2002.  They setup an amusement park during the summer months.
 
About Tramore:
 
Tramore (/trəˈmoʊr/; Irish: Trá Mhór, meaning "big strand/beach") is a seaside town in County Waterford on the southeast coast of Ireland. A small fishing village until the arrival of the railway in 1853, the town has continually expanded since. Initially the town flourished as a tourist destination and latterly it has developed as a seaside satellite town of Waterford City, which is 13 km to the North. Waterford Airport is located about 6 km northeast.
The town is situated on the north-western corner of Tramore Bay on a hill that slopes down to the strand, or sand spit, that divides the bay. Behind the spit lies the tidal lagoon known as the Back Strand. Tramore has an imposing Gothic Revival Catholic Church (which is dominated by an asymmetrical tower and spire), on a monumental site overlooking the town, built 1856–1871 by J. J. McCarthy.
The area within a 16 km (10 mi) radius of Tramore is an area rich in megalithic structures (e.g. Ballindud Cromlech; Ballynageeragh Cromlech; Knockeen Dolmen; Gaulstown Dolmen), signifying habitation long before Christianity.
 

Metal Man

A prominent feature of Tramore bay is the "Metal Man".^[5] It is a large cast-metal figure pointing seawards, set on top of one of three pillars located in Westown. It was erected in 1823 by Lloyd's of London to warn seafarers away from dangerous shallow waters. Two more pillars sit on the headland opposite, Brownstown Head. There are many myths and legends surrounding the Metal Man. One such myth is that if a woman could hop barefoot around the base of the Metal Man three times she would be married within the year. In 2006 the Irish broadcaster RTÉ had an item on its Seascapes radio programme on the history of the Metal Man and its state of repairs.^[6]

The Pickardstown Ambush

Main article: Pickardstown ambush

On the night of 6 June 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, fifty local IRA Volunteers attempted to ambush a party of forty British troops from Waterford City, who were coming to Tramore following an attack on the RIC barracks there. The ambush took place at Pickardstown, about a mile to the north of Tramore. The ambush failed to go according to plan, and two IRA men were killed and two wounded. The Tramore GAA field is named after one of the dead Volunteers.^[7]

Tourism

The town has long been associated with Irish tourists and offered a traditional seaside experience of ice-cream, fairground and sand. The beach front features a long promenade and an amusement park. It is a popular resort for tourists in the summer and has 5 km (3 mi) of beach and sand dunes looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean. Tramore has a reputation for surfing, and the T-Bay Surf club, which was established in 1967, has produced national and international surfing champions.

The Promenade, erected in 1914, serves as a popular tourist spot in Tramore and is the focus of the attractions of the strand during the summer. The Cliff Road was built in 1872 as a carriageway on the site of an old Coastguard path and provides access to Newtown Head and the men's swimming club.
 

Walks

The scenic landscape of Tramore, represented by the strand and cliffs, attracts many walkers. Walks in the locality include the Doneraile Walk, Cliff Road Walk, as well as the 5 km Strand walk commonly called 'down the back and up the front'. Another attraction between March and September every year is the set up of "The Amusements" a small amusement park with a selection of rides and other attractions opposite the beach. Otherwise known as "down-around" by the locals

 

Italian Word of the Day

Day 7 - lets count to nine now:

Six : Sei,

• segment it as se-i; pronounce it as say (hint: say). (/sεi/)

Seven : Sette,

• segment it as sett-e; pronounce it as set-teh (hint: kettle). (/sεt-te/)

Eight : Otto,

• segment it as ott-o; pronounce it as ot-toe (hint: oh, Joe). (/ɔt-to/)

Nine : Nove,

• segment it as nov-e; pronounce it as no-veh (hint: no way). (/nɔ-ve/)

Italian Word of the Day

Day 6 - Let's count to five today:

 

One : Uno,

• segment it to un-o; pronounce it as oo-no (hint: moo, no). (/u-no/)

Two : Due,

• segment it as du-e; pronounce it as doo-eh (hint: doer). (/du-e/)

Three : Tre,

• segment it as tr-e; pronounce it as tr-eh (hint: treble). (/tre/)

Four : Quattro,

• segment it as quatt-r-o; pronounce it as koo-at-tro (hint: swat row). (/kwat-tro/)

Five : Cinque,

• segment it as cinqu-e; pronounce it as cheen-koo-eh (hint: Sin doer). (/t∫in-kwe/)

Italian Word of the Day

Day 5 - today is a phrase -  "piacere di conoscerti."
 
 
 
Greet someone new with "piacere di conoscerti."^[7] In English, this phrase means “pleased to meet you.”
Piacere is taken from an Italian verb meaning "to please" or "to be fond of." It can also be used on its own as an interjection to say "hello," but it is not commonly used as such.

Di is a preposition that can mean "of," "to," or "for," among other things

 

Conoscerti is an informal conjugation of the Italian verb "conoscere," meaning "to know" or "to meet." Note that a more formal way to conjugate this verb would be "conoscerla."  

 

Pronounce piacere di conoscerti as pee-ah-cheh-reh dee koh-noh-shehr-tee.

Pronounce piacere di conoscerla as pee-ah-cheh-reh dee koh-no-shehr-lah

 

 

 

Italian Word of the Day

Day 4 - the word is "buonasera"

Tell someone "buonasera" in the evening. After roughly 4 PM, the polite way to greet or bid farewell to someone is with buonasera.

Pronounce like buonasera as bwoh-nah seh-rah.

Buona means "good" while sera is an Italian noun meaning "evening." Since sera is feminine, the masculine adjective "buon" takes on the feminine form "buona."

Waterford Crystal - Waterford Ireland

On our first full day in Ireland we will visit Waterford Ireland.  Waterford Ireland is known for Waterford Crystal. 

Here is a little information. 

Click on this link check out a tour.  http://www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com/waterford-crystal-factory-tour

Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of crystal. It is named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. Waterford Crystal is owned by WWRD Group Holdings Ltd, a luxury goods group which also owns and operates the Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands.

In January 2009 its Waterford base was closed down due to the bankruptcy of the Wedgwood Group. After several difficulties and takeovers, it re-emerged later that year. In June 2010, Waterford Crystal relocated almost back to its original roots, on The Mall in Waterford City. This new location is now home to a manufacturing facility that melts over 750 tonnes of crystal a year. This new facility offers visitors the opportunity to take guided tours of the factory and also offers a retail store, showcasing the world's largest collection of Waterford Crystal.

The origins of the crystal production in Waterford dates back to 1783^[1] when George and William Penrose started their business. It produced extremely fine flint glass that became world-renowned. However, their company closed in 1851.^[2]

In 1947, Czech immigrant Charles Bacik, grandfather of Irish senator Ivana Bacik, established a glass works in the city, due to the superb reputation of the original glassware.^{[citation needed]} Skilled crystal workers were not available in Ireland so continental Europeans were used. Aided by fellow countryman and designer Miroslav Havel,^[3] the company started operations in a depressed Ireland. By the early 1950s it had been taken over as a subsidiary of the Irish Glass Bottle company, owned by Joseph McGrath, Richard Duggan and Spencer Freeman of the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake, heavy investors in Irish business at that time.^[4]

In 1970 John Aynsley and Sons was taken over by Waterford and renamed Aynsley China Ltd.

Jasper Conran began designing his signature range of crystal for Waterford in 1999. The endeavour has evolved into four unique lines for Waterford and a complementary tableware collection in fine bone china for Wedgwood in 2001. In May 2005, Waterford Wedgwood announced the closure of its factory in Dungarvan in order to consolidate all operations into the main factory in Kilbarry, Waterford City, where 1,000 people were employed by the company.

Waterford Crystal Limited was, until March 2009, a subsidiary of Waterford Wedgwood plc, itself formed through the acquisition by the then Waterford Glass Group of the famous pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood in 1986. The last chairman was Tony O'Reilly, and the CEO John Foley. The leading shareholders of the holding company were former billionaire O'Reilly and his family, joined in the last decade by O'Reilly's brother-in-law, Greek shipping heir Peter Goulandris. Waterford Wedgwood was forced into receivership in early 2009. On 5 January 2009, news of the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood Ltd. was announced in Ireland and the UK.^[5]

On 30 January 2009 it was announced that the Waterford Crystal plant in Kilbarry was to shut down immediately, despite earlier promises to discuss any such move with the unions in advance. The Kilbarry operation featured a tourist centre offering guided tours of the factory, a gift shop, café, and gallery. Many of the employees performed an unofficial sit-in^[6] The sit-in made the BBC News,^[7] hoping to prevail upon receiver Deloitte to retain those jobs.^[8] On 4 February 2009, there were protests across the city at how the workers were being treated. On 27 February 2009, the receiver, David Carson of Deloitte, confirmed US equity firm KPS Capital were to purchase certain overseas assets and businesses of the Waterford Wedgwood Group.^[9] The sit in ended in March, 2009 after workers agreed to split a payment of €10m.^[10] The fight by the workers to keep the factory open is chronicled in a PBS online documentary.^[11]

Under the receivership managed by Deloitte, ownership of most of Waterford Wedgwood plc's assets was transferred to KPS Capital Partners in March 2009. Waterford Crystal, along with Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, and other brands, were transferred to the new company WWRD Holdings Ltd.^[12] The sale did not include the factory or visitor centre in Kilbary, Ireland. The visitor centre shut its doors on 22 January 2010.^[13] A new visitor and manufacturing facility opened in June 2010.^[14]

On 11 May 2015 in a deal expected to close July 2015, the Fiskars Corporation, a Finnish maker of home products, agreed to buy 100% of the holdings of WWRD