Tag Archives: Ireland

All this excitement …

… can’t be good for me.

Last week Their Excellencies the Revenue Commissioners published two versions of their list of holders of marked fuel trader’s licences, the second [.xls] dated St Valentine’s Day. I was so excited I almost spilt my Ovaltine.

And what’s more, there are now two more candidates for haloes and wings. Step forward Emerald Star Portumna and Carrick-on-Shannon, becoming the fourth and fifth members of the Elect and lengthening the stretch of the Shannon where green diesel can legally be sold. No sign of anyone in Belturbet, though, and I can think of a couple of other places on the Shannon where it would be nice to be able to buy diesel, but we don’t want too much excitement all at once.

Muffins

I gather that there is, nowadays, a demand for muffins. I’ll bet they’re not advertised as elegantly as were Murphy’s Muffins in the Freeman’s Journal of 22 April 1845.

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MUFFINS — MUFFINS — MUFFINS

THESE DELECTABLE APPENDAGES to the TEA-TABLE can be had, fresh every day, at 10d per dozen at MURPHY’S BELFAST CONFECTIONARY HOUSE, 157, CAPEL STREET, and 68, DAME-STREET.

NB — MURPHY’s ONLY are GENUINE.

‘Tis custom now, at close of day,
Before the hour of nine,
To take a cup of Congou tea,
With MURPHY’S MUFFINS fine.
His Muffins are both pure and sweet,
At morning, noon and even,
And they are bought in CAPEL-street,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.
‘Tis pleasure’s task, through time’s career,
To give a zest to life —
The young and innocent to cheer,
The unmarried maid, and wife;
And to enjoy this pleasant treat,
These MUFFINS pure are given,
In MURPHY’s shop, in CAPEL-STREET,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.
To invalids, whose ailing hours
Bid appetite be still,
The MUFFINS have the happy powers
To meet their anxious will.
And ladies fair, whose tempers sweet
Make earth itself a heaven,
Are pleased to visit CAPEL-street,
At number ONE-FIVE-SEVEN.

157, Capel-street, April 8th, 1845.

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The compulsory waterways link? Oh, er …. Perhaps this to this.

 

For spatial cadets

Last August I wrote:

Even the misbegotten excuse for a government that published the spatial strategy didn’t take it seriously, so I doubt if it counts for much these days.

I see that Their Current Majesties agree with me and have decided to abolish the thing: the NatSpatStrat will be no more.

Unfortunately Phil Hogan intends to devise a replacement.

Alas, no more!

I can find no additions to the list of Shannon-based holders of licences to sell marked fuel. Could it be that there is some delay in processing the applications of, for instance, some hire firms and marinas? As it stands, only three sellers are listed as being licensed, at Killinure, Lanesborough and Rooskey; the rest of the Shannon has no licensed traders.

The glory that was Greese

The River Greese is a tributary of the River Barrow, joining it below Maganey Lock. The photo is taken from the road on the west bank of the Barrow.

River Greese joins the Barrow 01_resize

The Greese joins the Barrow: the trackway passes over it on a bridge

You can locate it on the OSI map by zooming out from here; the extract below shows the confluence.

Greese_resize

The confluence

My OSI logo and permit number for website

The dangers of canal bridges …

… to Her Majesty’s mails.

Lismore to Fermoy

A meeting was held in Fermoy in 1844 to promote a proposal to make the Blackwater navigable from Lismore upstream to Fermoy. Here is the Cork Examiner‘s account of the meeting.

Fermoy railway station opened in 1860.

Sarah Kelly and the Royal Canal

Quite the most remarkable story I’ve come across about the Royal Canal and the Midland Great Western Railway ….

Big it up for Hanley’s Marina

Yes, folks: the high point of your week — the inspection of the updated list of holders of Marked Fuel Trader’s Licences [.xls] — will be even more exciting this week, with a 50% increase in the number of traders licensed to sell green diesel along the Shannon. Welcome Hanley’s Marina at Ballyleague, Lanesborough, to the fold: there are now three places on the Shannon where you can buy green diesel.

Mind you, there are still none south of Killinure, none in Carrick-on-Shannon, none on the [RoI] Erne ….

Flagging enthusiasm

Not a lot of people know that. But I am delighted that, thanks to the inimitable Póló, I now do. This opens up whole new conversational realms for interesting discussions at parties.

And if that topic flags, as it were, I can fall back on reciting the list of holders of Marked Fuel Trader’s Licences, which accountants find so interesting.