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Rip off Ireland - Dicey Reillys

We had a work night out last night in Dicey Reillys on Harcourt street. They have a summer BBQ and they offer different BBQ menus depending on the companies budget. It all went wrong yesterday afternoon when our S&S rep got a call from someone in Dicey Reillys to say the seating area we had originally reserved had been downgraded to another spot in the pub due to a bigger group booking in. Our Rep had asked for us to be seated at the large Bay window at the back.  We got demoted to a stupid strip of seats across from the bar while ‘The bigger group’ got the nice bay window area! The bigger group incidently were leaving the bay window area at 8pm to go to a casino night somewhere else in the hotel and we were told we could move in to the bay area after them. They’re very nice altogether the staff at Dicey Reillys!!!

The BBQ food came around 7pm ish. When I say BBQ food, I’m not sure the food ever saw a BBQ (even from a distance). It consisted of a burger, one chicken drumstick and one pork rib, a “backed” potato and an excuse of a salad. Yes the token said “backed”. We were correct in assuming it was a baked potato :). This was 15Euro per head. A bit excessive if you ask me!!

When the S&S budget for drinks ran out we had to buy the drink ourselves. This is where the fun started. While the S&S club were buying the drinks the bottles of beer were five Euro, a pint was somewhere around five Euro too. When we went to the bar after 8pm the drinks had gone up to 5.90 for a bottle of Heineken, 6Euro for a pint of Heineken and 5.80 for a pint of Guinness. They put the prices up from 8pm!! A colleague had two pints of flat Beer served to him and had to return both and settle on a bottle. For 6Euro a pint you’d expect a pretty nice pint I would have thought.

I wouldn’t have gone there normally and I won’t be going back there any time soon. You can go there if you would like to be robbed completely blind!!!

The Sally Gap

While everyone was at Merrion Square at the Street Performance World Championship I hit the road and went looking for two trees I saw in a photo from one of my flickr contacts. Yes it was mad. Finsing two particular trees somewhere up the wicklow mountains makes me sound mad as a brush but I did actually find them. They’re at a place called the Sally Gap. Very close to the source of the liffey and Kippure. I had just purchased a new Manfrotto tripod that morning and was excited about trying it out. I opted for IR shots only. The weather wasn’t exactly ideal but I took some shots anyways.  Here is one from the afternoon. Not of the two trees mentioned but a different two trees.

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The Great Saltee

As some of you know I’ve wanted for about the past year to get a photo of a Puffin. I didn’t even mind if it wasn’t a great photo it was just to see one really.

I got up at 6am on Sunday morning. Had superquinn sausages ready to cook for my breakfast. I was cutting the superquinn batch loaf with my big bread knife and the thing slipped and I cut my finger quite badly. Couldn’t get it to stop bleeding. I eventually fashioned a bandage out of tissue and tape ate my sausage sandwich cursing the bread and went to pick up my friend on the drive to Wexford. The drive down was uneventful and the weather was absolutely fantastic. The boat left at 11am and we arrived on the Saltees at 11.30ish. We saw lots of Razorbills, Guillemots, shags, Gulls, Gannets and two Puffins. I was over the moon at seeing them. We got a bit lost at one point and had to trek through ferns and long grass. Baz was leading the way cos he was the man. A pheasant flew out from the grass and he screamed like the biggest girl ever. I could hardly stand with the laughing.

The gannet colony was amazing. They are stunning birds. It was a great day trip. I’d be half temped to head out again this month. Here are a few pics from the day.

Family portrait

Puffin

Dance of the gannets

Gannets