Fly me to the Emerald Isle
Saturday morning at 05h30 was very dark. It was so
dark in fact, that the car decided to drive me towards work in
Bracknell rather than to Stansted Airport. Luckily this was the only
thing to go wrong all day. Saturday morning at 07h30 at Stansted was
also very dark. It livened up inside the terminal building,
as the Virgin check-in assistants seemed still unfamiliar with the
exercise of loading planes. In all it took 40 minutes to
deal with a handful of passengers requiring at least four
queues. The flight was fine, even if the coffee cost one
Irish Punt. The captain informed us that the weather was soft and
sure enough we were greeted by that familiar scene of drizzle.
Mud
The first Irish person to greet me at Shannon was the
assistant at the Avis desk. Hiring a car in Ireland can be a fraught
business, as all the rules, regulations, exceptions and taxes have to be
explained. Once I had signed, initialled and given a thumb print, I was
then told that I was the proud hirer of a one year old Cavalier. However
it was to be my steed and its first journey was to O’Malleys, just on
the other side of Limerick. A quick look round the yard, and I confirmed
that the right bus had gone to Belfast, as 75TN505 (ex GCS792N) was
parked up in the mud at the bottom of the hill. Money and documents
exchanged, I bid Edward farewell and decided to phone for the latest
news from Stena.
Run for home
An excitable fellow at Belfast harbour exclaimed that
the 12h20 sailing was cancelled, Larne was completely closed and nothing
was guaranteed to Stranraer for the rest of the day. I was shaken but
not stirred. It’s a long way to Tipperary and even further to Dublin
when the road is obstructed by tractor upon lorry upon Mini Metro .
Fortunately there is a ring road round the side of the capital saving
time and hassle. Unfortunately a Bus Eireann coach had broken down at the
key roundabout. So once I was heading north I felt more
comfortable that I would reach my destination in time for the 19h45
sailing on which both I and the bus were booked.