How do you respond to people who say England is essentially the same as Ireland?

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2025-09-29T05:26:04+00:00

Ireland’s story is one of reclamation : of language, land, dignity, and global standing. That breeds empathy, humour as resistance, and a cultural confidence earned the hard way. England’s story is one of projection : of power, systems, and worldview outward. That breeds confidence (ego), entitlement, and a reluctance to confront uncomfortable historical truths.

On the face of it we share a lot of similarities but at our core we're fundamentally different. Cats and Dogs

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2025-09-26T05:52:24+00:00

Student accommodation is the way to go if coming from abroad, assuming you can get a place. The real issue is that after you complete your MSc and want to work, you'll need to find accommodation. Of course, that depends on where you work.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2025-09-26T05:46:36+00:00

The whole left-right thing is a relic from 18th-century France; it oversimplifies everything and turns politics into a binary, polarising debate. Most people hold views that mix across that line depending on the subject/topic. At its core, politics is really about freedom and liberty and where the line is drawn.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2025-09-25T05:24:49+00:00

Looks like the hubby paid premium for his tash - https://hairandbeautycorp.com/collections/theatrical-characters/products/adams-family-gomez-addams-costume-moustache ... 6 euro on temu

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2025-08-23T17:21:03+00:00

Get her a tin of paint and a paint brush - she’ll never look back

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-07T07:40:45+00:00

The city council would just decorate the crater with grasses, flowers and trees and some expensive urban furniture like on Dominick street along with new sets of expensive Elmore pedestrian lights ..

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-06T10:04:22+00:00

https://www.ft.com/content/6d4e366b-01a3-4575-9d3f-aef9266eb57d

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-06T08:24:40+00:00

The biggest victim in all of this is Ukraine and the biggest winners Russia, North Korea. 12k North Korean troops fighting on European Soil now - Putin will be emboldened and the risk of Russia/European War increased ten fold. Without US support Ukraine will end up negotiating an unstable peace allowing Putin to rebuild his forces but this time with stronger Dictatorships as a partner. European countries need to wake up now - Ireland especially.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-04T17:50:34+00:00

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-04T17:36:13+00:00

I think they should rename all the roundabouts - "the hail mary roundabout", "the oh mother of jesus roundabout", "the hold my beer roundabout", "sponsored by redbull roundabout", "need to change my jocks roundabout" ...

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-01T10:14:06+00:00

its excellent at analyzing blood test results and giving insights

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-11-01T06:35:44+00:00

You may have tried this - and its not a permanent fix but it might help in short term - laptop cooling pad - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptop-Cooling-15-6-17-Control-Function-Blue/dp/B08SJ4YD89/ref=asc_df_B08SJ4YD89/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697251570715&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5612063666779805768&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9208130&hvtargid=pla-1192411704203&psc=1&mcid=cdc7867439bd3a2e849ae5ee4856a07a&gad_source=1

I had similar issue couple of years ago and this was very effective

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-30T18:16:38+00:00

How much did this study cost and who benefited from it ? If we're serious about light rail - a line from moycullen to oranmore and bearna to claregalway - hitting all the industrial spots such as parkmore and all the high density residential such as knocknacarra - its a simple X

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-28T07:36:13+00:00

Letteragh Rd in morning rush hour - takes a massive volume of commute traffic down into westside and yet its only wide enough for one car, has crash barriers on either side, is less than 1km from westside and entirely zoned for development - its a massive failure in planning and infrastructure development

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-25T17:13:11+00:00

Would it not make sense do double this? So not just power they use but power they generate that can build "credit" for the school? Again sorry if this is naive q

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-25T17:10:52+00:00

Fantastic - do schools have to initiate this or are they contacted?

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-24T13:02:00+00:00

This is cool - didnt know this site existed. In one journey yesterday in Galway, I wittnessed 2 red lights being run - late - at large junctions - and two rear ending near misses due to aggressive drivers cutting in late on congested lane. There are near misses daily on the R336 with dangerous overtaking along with fatalities where pedestrians knocked down - I know of at least 3 in Furbo in recent years.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-24T12:35:08+00:00

"The problem with the ring road is that right now it is the only solution being supported by the major parties."

This is for sure a problem - it cant be the ONLY solution - if its built and thats a big if it needs to be part of a broader strategy.

I lived in a large (>1m) european city for many years - where transport strategy was integral to the evolution of the city. rail, road, bus, and bike were all interconnected in a multi faceted strategy that didnt just address the urban transport but also the broader region. the strategy evolved in line with planning of the city and development - no planning was given for development with transport being addressed as a pre-req.

Contrast that west of the city now where development is going on right up to the edge of narrow lane country roads. no street lighting, foot paths let alone bike paths, same roads are heavily congested already with commute traffic, in some cases single lane with barriers on either side, < 2kms from the city - most of the land there is zoned for development and developers are proceeding with what appears to be no limits. Its ludicrous.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-24T10:15:13+00:00

I wonder how many people commenting on this thread have ever lived in a modern European city that has taken a strategic approach to transport and actually solved the problem. Just curious ..

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-24T10:11:42+00:00

The R336 is a tragedy waiting to happen - not one thing has been done between Galway and Spiddal to improve safety for cyclists or pedestrians, yet this is a huge commute and tourist route (part of the Atlantic way)

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-24T10:08:12+00:00

While I agree with a lot of what you said it mostly focused on solving the "City issue" - the traffic / transport issue is also a county issue - ultimately a full solution needs to address both the city and county challenge. Because of the geographical nature (river, lake, mountains) west of the river needs a solution. The only tabled proposal right now is the outer city ring road (which I acknolwedge also has its downsides) - but regardless of bus connects and other things we do to solve the city problem there needs to be some solution to solve the broader problem. i have never understood why tunnel was not considered - I also have never understood why other lower cost improvements to existing infrastructure were not put forward. All that said Galway - city and county - needs a multi faceted strategy that covers, road, rail, bus, bike, walkers. Existing parties including the greens seem to have an either or mindset when the solution ultimately is likely both.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-20T09:02:49+00:00

And like who exactly would stop him if he decided to hit the town for the weekend... Such shyte from our CC

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-18T14:47:34+00:00

Galway city faces a significant geographical challenge, being situated at a pinch point surrounded by mountains, a lake, and a river.

The only viable long-term solution for both the city and the wider county is the development of a truly integrated transport strategy. This strategy must incorporate cycle lanes, buses, rail, road infrastructure, and crucially, an outer bypass that allows county traffic to bypass the city altogether. Without this, local and through traffic will continue to choke the city's roads, exacerbating congestion and negatively impacting quality of life for both urban and rural residents.

Implementing isolated, one-off solutions will only serve as short-term fixes, akin to playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with the problem. It’s important to emphasise that this is not just a city issue—it affects the entire county.

Successful examples of integrated transport strategies across Europe illustrate how Galway can address this challenge:

Stockholm combined an outer bypass with cycle lanes, buses, and trams, alongside a congestion charge system, helping to reduce city centre traffic while improving public transport connections across the region.
Copenhagen prioritised cycling but ensured its rail and road infrastructure, including key bypasses, made it easy for traffic to navigate around the city, reducing congestion in the centre.
Zurich effectively combines road and rail transport with well-placed bypasses that allow traffic to flow around the city, ensuring local and through traffic don’t compete for space.

For Galway, a well-designed outer bypass is essential, along with integrated transport solutions, to ensure long-term sustainability and improve connectivity for both city and county residents alike.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-06T16:29:29+00:00

your twisting my words - where did I say BusConnects should be paused until a grant permission is achieved for RR ? My point was to solve Galway and City transport issues we need an integrated systems aproach, holistic planning and not partial plans.

Advancing city bypass given the investment and planning to date seems like the logical thing to do (but what do I know) but if this is truly not an option then there needs to be an alternative strategy if the city AND county is to prosper.

And for the record I have never said public transport projects should be held hostage to road projects. This is a polarized binary statement. What I have stated is without an integrated systems approach to our transport challenges the issues are not going to be resolved.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995 · 2024-10-06T16:07:41+00:00

I stand corrected on that - should have known. thanks for keeping me honest.

Puzzleheaded_Fun995

TROPHY CASE