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Welcome to Travel Directories Ireland Newsletter for Autumn 2010
Travel Directories Ireland Autumn Newsletter Travel Directories Ireland Autumn Newsletter Travel Directories Ireland Autumn Newsletter Travel Directories Ireland Autumn Newsletter

In this Issue:

Click here to go to top of pageTourism News

Titanic Memorial Park for Cobh
Cobh Tidy Towns Committee has embarked on an ambitious project to construct the Titanic Memorial Park in time for the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic in April 2012. When the people of Ireland think of Cobh, County Cork they think of a town that is beautiful, scenic, historic, laden with heritage and a town synonymous with cruise ships and transatlantic liners. They think of the last port of call of the most famous ship of all time the Titanic!
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National Trails Day 2010
National Trails Day will take place on 3rd October 2010. National Trails Day is a celebration of Ireland’s wonderful variety of trails and a chance for everyone to enjoy some of our most beautiful countryside, forests, mountains and lakes. Start planning your event now and join in this celebration of what Ireland's trails have to offer.
www.nationaltrailsday.ie

Wexford Fringe Festival
Wexford Fringe Festival is Ireland’s largest annual fringe festival in the southeast of Ireland, taking place each October in the medieval town of Wexford. This year’s fringe commences on the 16th October with a dazzling fireworks display and will end on the 30th October.
www.wexfordfringe.ie

Hurling Finals
Congratulations to Tipperary who won the All Ireland Hurling finals this year.
GAA website

Rose of Tralee Winner 2010
Congratulations to London Rose - Clare Kambamettu

Clare works as an assistant psychologist for an NHS substance misuse service in London having completed a degree in Psychology (and in History) and an MSc in Mental Health. Eventually she hopes to complete a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and work within the field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. The 26-year-old is passionate about animal welfare and an active member of her local RSPCA committee, where she helps with veterinary and neutering clinics for people on low incomes as well as various fundraising events.
Rose of Tralee website

Click here to go to top of pageTravel News

Aer Arann cuts travel costs with online campaign
Taking to the skies with Aer Arann is set to get cheaper with the launch of a new online campaign, titled ‘Regional Roulette’ which offers discounts on specific routes on its network on a weekly basis. The campaign evolved following the success of the airline’s frequent ‘Happy Hours’ an online campaign that offers customers surprise discounts across its network for one day only over a three hour period.
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Manx2.com Announces New Twice Daily Cork/Belfast Service
New Service is Direct to Belfast City Airport, Providing Speedier Access to City Centre.
Manx2.com, the Isle of Man founded airline that carries 100,000 passengers a year, today announced the launch of a new twice daily service from Cork to Belfast as part of its expansion plans which also include choosing George Best Belfast City Airport as its new Northern Ireland hub and first permanent base outside the Isle of Man.
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Irish Ferries Unveils 40 Percent Reduction in Fares to France
Irish Ferries has cut 40 percent off fares to France with a late-Summer offer that sees fares start at EUR99 each way for a car plus two passengers with each additional passenger travelling from just EUR30 each way. Sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg and Roscoff on the 5-star cruise ferry ‘Oscar Wilde’, the EUR99 fare includes the provision of two reclining seats with cabin accommodation available for a small supplement.
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Bus Éireann to Expand Network of Services in Wexford and Waterford
Bus Éireann will significantly enhance its current route 370 which will see a much increased frequency of services from rural locations in the counties and enhanced direct bus links to Waterford city, Wexford town, New Ross, and regional hospitals and health centres. This new service will begin operation on Monday, September 20th 2010.
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Fond farewell to the last ‘boat train’
The Waterford to Rosslare has officially ceased to operate and was replaced by a bus service as of Monday morning. The line, which has been in operation for 100 years, has been suspended by Irish Rail due to the cost of running the line and the underutilisation of it. The last train left Waterford on Saturday evening. Despite additional carriages being added for the occasion it departed the station half empty, with just over 100 people on it.
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Click here to go to top of pageRecipe

Early autumn minestrone soup

Ingredients
Serves 4 - 6

  • 200g cannellini or borlotti beans, fresh, or dried and soaked overnight
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tomato, squashed
  • 1 small potato, peeled
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil
  • 4 rashers smoked pancetta or bacon, preferably free-range or organic
  • 2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
  • ½ a head of fennel, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
  • 2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
  • a glass of red wine
  • 2 small courgettes, quartered and sliced
  • 200g chard or spinach, washed and roughly sliced (including stalks)
  • 565ml chicken, ham or vegetable stock, preferably organic
  • 55g dried pasta
  • a block of Parmesan cheese, to serve

    Directions

    Add your fresh or dried and soaked beans to a pan of water with the bay leaf, squashed tomato and potato – this will help to flavour the beans and soften their skins. Cook until tender – check by tasting. They must be soft. Dried beans can take up to an hour, but check fresh ones after 25 minutes. Drain (reserving about half a glass of the cooking water), and discard the bay leaf, tomato and potato. Now season with salt, pepper and a splash of oil.

    While the beans are cooking, make your soffrito. Heat a good splash of olive oil in a saucepan and add the chopped pancetta or bacon, onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and the finely sliced basil stalks. Sweat very slowly on a low heat, with the lid just ajar, for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add the tomatoes, courgettes and red wine and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

    Now add the chard or spinach, stock and beans. Put the dried pasta into a polythene bag, squeeze all the air out and tie the end up. Bash gently with a rolling pin to break the pasta into pieces. Snip the end off the bag and empty the contents into the soup. Stir and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked.

    If you think the soup is looking too thick, add a little more stock or some of the reserved cooking water to thin it down a bit. Then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the torn-up basil leaves and with some extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top. Put a block of Parmesan and a grater on the table for everyone to help themselves. Heaven!

    For more recipe ideas click here more>>

    Click here to go to top of pageBrain Teaser

    Five People were all taking a vacation in Shriekville, unfortunately all their vacations were cut short by a terrifying encounter with a resident ghost. Can you determine the type of accommodation, its name and the name of the the resident ghost?
    Print out a blank grid to help you click here

  • Archibald stayed at St George's, he was not frightened off by Macabre Malcolm.
  • The pub was the home of Chilling Charlie, who frequently turned down the thermostat and then let out gruesome shrieks, chilling everyone to the bone.
  • Lucas or Archibald's vacation was at the castle - was Terrifying Tony the resident ghost there?
  • Charlie went to stay with friends, this was in a bungalow, but it did not have the name Briar Hill. He was not terrified by Bloodcurdling Brian, the ghost that left bloodstained footprints behind.
  • Billy vacationed at a place named Rosedale, which was not a hotel.
  • Creepy Craig really did scare Gary, as he was settling down to sleep, by scraping his fingernails on the bedroom window, this was not at a hotel and it wasn't a place named Avalon.
  • The bed and breakfast accommodation was not High Lodge, which was also not the castle where Macabre Malcolm was resident. answer

    Click here to go to top of pageFinal Thought


    Common sense is not so common.
    Voltaire



    Slán

    Travel Directories Ireland
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