Here's everything you didn't know about the Emerald isle

As St. Patrick’s Day fast approaches, here’s are some interesting and, we hope, entertaining facts about that land of beauty and, sometimes, tears. The information has been gleaned from assorted books and websites, so here we go:

* The longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway.

* Couples  could marry legally on St. Brigid's Day (Feb. 1) in Teltown, County Meath, as recently as the 1920s by simply walking toward each other. If the marriage failed, they could "divorce'" by walking away from each other at the same spot, on St. Brigid’s day the following year.

* An  estimated  80 million people of Irish descent live elsewhere than Ireland

* The original Guinness Brewery in Dublin has a 9,000-year lease on its property.

* A traditional Irish cure for a hangover was to be buried up to the neck in moist river sand.

* According to a 2007 census, the most popular boy’s name in Ireland is Jack, followed by Sean; and the most popular girls’ names are Sarah and Emma.

* The last woman accused of witchcraft in Ireland was Dame Alice Kyteler, born in Kilkenny in 1280. All four of her husbands died, and she was accused of poisioning them. Today you can dine at Kyteler's Inn in Kilkenny (www.kytelersinn.ie), which operates in her old home.

* Some historians maintain that over 40 percent of America's presidents, Barack Obama among them, have had some Irish ancestry.

* Dublin was originally called "Dubh Linn," which means "Black Pool." The name refers to an ancient treacle lake in the city, which became  part of a penguin enclosure at the Dublin City Zoo.

* It’s not the custom in Ireland to wear green ties, hats or other green clothes on St. Patrick's Day. A sprig of shamrock in the coat lapel is considered plenty.

 Search Amazon.com for Ireland

Trivial question

In Ireland, what is a banshee’s wail believed to foretell? (Answer somewhere below.)

Four nights at Dublin’s Four Seasons for $699

Sceptre Tours has a  package that includes four nights at the Four Seasons Hotel Dublin and round-trip airfare to Dublin starting from $699 per person.  If you put the package together yourself, Sceptre says you’d pay over $1,099. The $699 price, which excludes fees of course, is from JFK Airport in New York. The price is $719 from Boston, $789 from Chicago, and $769  from Orlando. The price is based on two people traveling, on select Wednesday and Thursday departures from March 20 to May 16.  call 1-800-221-0924 or click here.

Worth quoting

“Definition of an 'Irish fact': That which tells you not what is the case but what you want to hear.’’  -- Hugh Kenner

$100 discount for exploring all of Ireland

CIE Tours is offering the Irish Classic vacation, a 13-day/11-night comprehensive escorted tour of all Ireland with more than 50 departures,, operating on Wednesdays and Fridays from March 11 through Nov. 18.  Land tour prices start at $1,758, but in honor of St. Patrick, CIE is extending a $100 per couple discount on any departure if you book and pay a deposit before March 31. Use code 033111CLA50. Call 800-CIE-TOUR or visit www.cietours.com.

Who’s confused?

There is a village in Kerry called Inch, and a road sign outside the village reads,  "Inch 1 Mile."

An eight-day walking tour of Ireland

Walking is a wonderful way to tour Ireland, and Boundless Journeys has an eight-day walking trip called Gems of the Emerald Isle. Participants will walk and hike the  forested valleys of the Ring of Kerry, the  hills of the Dingle Peninsula, and the  limestone paths of the Burren. Walking the quaint streets of villages dotting the south and west of Ireland will be complemented by evenings in a traditional pub. Dates are May 22-29, July 22-29 and Aug. 14-21, and the land cost is $4,095 per person, which includes guides, accommodations, all meals but one, transportation in Ireland, park fees and activities. Call 800-941-8010 or click here.

A chance to see Scotland as well as Eire

A 15-day Brendan Vacations tour begins in Glasgow, witnessing the rugged beauty of Scotland's glens, locks, and isles. Participants then visit Cawdor Castle, famous for its associations with Shakespeare's Macbeth. The trip moves on to Edinburgh, visiting places from Edinburgh Castle to the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. Next up is Ireland. with time to explore the cities of Letterkenny, Connemara, Killarney, and Dublin and, of course, have a pint of Guinness. Prices begin at $2599 land only, double occupancy. Visit www.brendanvacations.com or call 800-428-6000.

Trivial answer

A banshee’s cry is said to foretell a death in the family.

What it's like to live and work on a cruise ship

For my Boston Globe article on spending 10 days at sea, click here.


By Richard P. Carpenter
HONOLULU -- Although it seems hard to believe, cruise directors insist that passengers often ask them this question: “Does the crew sleep onboard?”
The answer, of course, is yes. They snooze onboard, work onboard, and live onboard in a society all their own. A rare insight into just how unique that society is was given by the cruise director and assistant cruise director of the Golden Princess as the 2,600-passenger ship visited the Hawaiian islands during a recent sailing.
Sharing that information was cruise director David Cole, 46, of Pennsylvania, and deputy director Anna Fell of England, who is younger than that. Both spoke frankly about life on the lower decks, discussing everything but salaries because, as Cole noted, that information should be between employee and employer.
It has been established that the crew sleeps aboard, but where? Most of the 1,100 crew members have rooms for two that are “really small,” Cole said, and have bunk beds. Differentiating between the hotel staff -- most of the people that passengers interact with -- and the marine staff, he said that the higher up one goes in the ship hierarchy, the bigger the room they get, “and the less time they have to spend in it.”
A ship’s staff is indeed kept busy. They are required to get 10 hours rest every 24 hours, but that still leaves the possibility of 14-hour days and depending upon circumstances, they have been know to work all of those 14 hours.
A crew has to eat, and the workers get the same good food as passengers, although there are separate “messes” for the entertainment staff, crew, and officers. Fell noted that there is a buffet table, nicknamed The Trough, which is used often by staff members on the run. And there’s a funny thing about good food: You can get tired of it. “When I go ashore, I stock up on Subway sandwiches for my refrigerator,” Cole said. There are, of course, many other services for the staff, from laundry to tailoring, and one deck containing such services is nicknamed the M1, after the British highway.
How does one get hired? Cole, who has spent 21 years at sea, has a background in musical theater and never even saw a cruise ship until he decided to apply and was quickly hired. Fell, who has worked on ships for six years, also has a background in performing arts that includes entertainment at a theme park in Spain. Both have homes to go to (Fell just recently bought hers) during the six to eight weeks between cruises. Other workers, such as waiters and cabin stewards, are often recruited, and while there are some 50 nationalities aboard, about a third of the crew comes from the Philippines.
Then there are the extremely temporary “employees,” such as the people who give lectures on the ports cruisegoers will visit, or the history of the cruise industry, or any number of topics to help passengers pass the time. There are agencies such as Sixth Star Entertainment & Marketing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that specialize in getting such people aboard ship. The lecturers’ remuneration is a free cruise, although they are usually responsible for their flight and port taxes.
As for the permanent staff, most are young and healthy, and many are single. Nature does take its course, and during the discussion of ship life, the name “Peyton Place” understandably came up.

Provincetown set for first Restaurant Week

Twenty Provincetown, Mass.,  restaurants will set their tables for the town’s first  Restaurant Week, Nov. 6-12. The  participating restaurants will offer three-course (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) prix fixe dinners at either $25 or $35, excluding gratuity, alcohol and tax. A  Gallery Stroll will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 5-8 p.m., when galleries along Commercial Street will host festive open houses.

For details, click here.

Speaking of food, check out Epcot

At Walt Disney World, the 14^th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is now on through Nov. 8, with a chance to sample food, beer and wine from around the world, to the accompaniment of live music.  Some 250 chefs including Disney chefs and guest chefs from across the country will participate.  Some events are free at others cost varying prices.

For details and a complete program, click here.

Fascinating fact 

Americans eat about 350 slices of pizza per second.

Bermuda, for girlfriends and golfers

Bermuda's Elbow Beach resort has launched two new packages for the fall. The Girls Just Want to Have Fun  package provides welcome sweets, beach and pool time, a two-hour session at the spa, and a wine- and cheese-tasting event. Rates at $430 per person, with breakfast and dinner included.  The  package includes a fourth night free for a minimum four-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. The golf and spa package, meanwhile, offers a variety of holistic treatments to choose from at The Spa at Elbow Beach, and a tee time at the newly renovated Port Royal Golf Course. Rates start at $420 per person with breakfast, dinner, two hours at the spa, and a round of golf. This package is for a minimum three-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. Both packages are valid until Dec. 31.

For details, click here or call 441-236-3535.

Worth quoting

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.”

                                                                            - – Fitzhugh Mullan

Where the deals are this autumn

The Orbitz Insider Index has reviewed average hotel costs in 10 popular shoulder-season destinations, with an eye toward the ones that give travelers the most value this fall.  International hot spots Dublin and Bermuda top the list, offering  the highest  percentage of savings, 44% and 38% respectively.  But, savvy spenders should also set their sights on a fall trip on to Las Vegas, San Juan, and once again, Dublin, all of which offer average hotel rates under $100 per night.

For hotel rooms beginning at $29 a night, visit www.orbitz.com/sales.

Be prompt, and save big at Squaw Valley

Starting tomorrow, Sept. 29, the first 100 people to book a winter stay in the Village at Squaw Valley USA will get 40 percent off the price of reservations.   Book by calling 866-818-6963 or visiting www.thevillageatsquaw.com beginning Sept. 29 at midnight.     Blackout dates and restrictions apply at the California resort; and at least two nights must be booked to receive the rate.  High-season prices start around $209 a night