Did you know that Dublins Phoenix Park is not named after the mythical bird, but is a 'sounds like' of its real Gaelic name 'Fionn Uisce' which means 'clear water' which is from a well located where the actual Phoenix Column stands.
The wall surrounding the park is 16km in circumference (so ye can use the old 'Simpsons Rule' to find how many acres it is) and is the largest enclosed city park in Europe.
DNA is taken from the 200 odd fallow deer born in the park each year and they are traced back to the original herd that were established there hundreds of years earlier.

Incidently...The Phoenix Park is the only place on the north side of the Liffey to have a 'south side even number' postal address....Dublin 8.

Regards,

Snufalufagus.....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 22/07/2008 10:54:49    53620

Very good Snuffy. Just regarding the Dublin 8 postcode , Conyngham Rd and Parkgate st also have Dublin 8 postcodes. But in fairness , they are right beside the park itself.

dubupnorth (Dublin) - Posts: 1897 - 22/07/2008 14:10:48    53866

That one you mentioned about the way a horse is positioned on a statue telling how a person died is an urban legend, and not actually true. It's a shame, because when I heard it first I thought it was great.

Here's another one that mightn't be true. I haven't been able to confirm it. Apparently when de Valera was trying to make Ireland self-sufficient in the '30's, he began a scheme of growing bananas in Mayo. Can anyone tell me if this is true or not? It seems ridiculous, but you never know...

As for the 'Rebel county' business, Kildare could be called the Rebel county too, but Cork's reputation as such was cemented during the Civil War, when Liam Lynch founded the 'Munster Republic' as an anti-Treaty stronghold. Cork city being made capital of the 'Munster Republic' is the reason people today call it the 'Real capital'. That nickname goes a lot deeper than Cork arrogance.

One final point. Cork's nickname is 'The Rebel County'. But at least 2 counties owe their nicknames to a Corkman. Thomas Davis (from Mallow, so a neighbour of mine) is the man who (indirectly) gave Tipperary the nickname of 'The Premier County' and mayo the nickname of 'The Green above the Red'.

St.K (Cork) - Posts: 210 - 22/07/2008 15:47:32    54040

Apparently when de Valera was trying to make Ireland self-sufficient in the '30's, he began a scheme of growing bananas in Mayo.
St.K , 22/07/2008 at 15:47
____________________________________
Apparently this scheme was a complete disaster. The bananas were not yellow but turned out white. They fed them to this test case in Mayo and it made him go stark raving mad. He is a legend in Mayo to this day. No one can understands him, he comes out with all sorts of nonsense but is considered generally harmless. He is known locally as Whiterbannnas!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 22/07/2008 15:55:04    54058

Lads, the film Ned Kelly is being shown ar TG4 one of these days. Its a great film though much of it is far from accurate.
Did you know that Neds father John 'Red' Kelly was born in Tipp and was transported to Van Diemens land for stealing pigs. I had the pleasure of visiting the mans grave in a place called Avenel in mid-Victoria.
His mother was from Antrim and her name was Ellen Quinn, but her family were 'free settlers'.

Lads should do themselves a favour and read up on the history of the Kelly gang. I have been intriuged by their armour (the prototype to those now due to be issued to players going to McHale Park).

The four gang members were:
Ned Kelly
Dan Kelly
Joe Byrne
Steve Hart

Each had a suit of armour. I have had the pleasure of seeing 2 of these.
Neds is in Victoria State Library in Melbourne.
Dans is in Old Melbourne Gaol
Joes is with Victoria State police museum (I did not see)
Steves is in the hands of a private collector (I did not see)

Two years ago Neds helmet came to Ireland and was on view at the 'House of the Dead' from the Joyce book located at the south side of the liffey quays directly facing the new arched bridge near Hueston station.

Watch the film lads!
While driving through a place called Kyneton I stopped for lunch and a box of chicken wings and a bottle of blue Powerade I strolled into a small museum which was the post office too. I asked if they had ever been held up by the Kelly gang and the curator told me to go around to the police station to see where he was held as a 15 year old apprentice to Harry Power. The police showed me around the cell and even took me into the courthouse for a gawk too!
I followed the Kelly Trail when I was in Victoria.
I remember going into the pub in Glenrowan and talking to the locals in the bar about Compromise Rules football and an ould lad at the bar just turns and says: "Ahh, thats a bloody Shelias game!" Great stuff!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 25/07/2008 14:05:31    56832

Well, did anybody watch Ned Kelly movie the other night as suggested in my earlier post?
Nil se ar tg4. Bron orm!
It was on TV3. Same time as The Sunday Game 'mouthpiece'!

Regards,

Snufalufagus.....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 30/07/2008 16:08:00    61271

Have read this before & also heard it from some folk who would consider themselves to be intellectuals. Apparantly , Dublin is the only city in the World to produce 3 nobel prize winners for literature. Namely Oscar Wilde , James Joyce & George Bernard Shaw. Anyone know if this is true of false? I know all 3 mentioned did indeed win the big prize but there may another city(ies) who have a similar claim.

dubupnorth (Dublin) - Posts: 1897 - 30/07/2008 16:57:22    61351

Did you know that de valera brought about 20,000 westies over to meath in the 30s/40s and took the land off many FG meath farmers just to raise the FF vote. It was disguised as giving land back to its previous owners or (land commission) but that was just nonsense.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 30/07/2008 18:24:58    61448

Oscar Wilde never won the Nobel Prize. There's been 4 Irish Literature winners, and they were WB Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Shaw and Beckett were Dubs (although Beckett was nearly more French than Irish), but Seamus is from over the border and Sligo claim Yeats.

St.K (Cork) - Posts: 210 - 31/07/2008 00:35:58    61606

Htaem. You should be down on your knees thanking Dev for the land transfer. Meath had a very small population due to large treks of land owned by the gentry/landlords. Hey presto they arrive from the west and Meath have a decent football team and win all Irelands. Sam would probably never have arrived in The Royal only for Dev.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 31/07/2008 09:26:20    61675

Snuf is that bridge not a ruin no?

paddym123 (Meath) - Posts: 367 - 31/07/2008 15:01:29    62301

Biddy early supposely cursed Clare hurling team in the 1932 as they refused her a lift to a munster final. She cursed them saying that clare would never win another all-ireland until every member of that team was dead.

In 1995 clare clare won their next all-ireland there were 3 surviving members of the 1932 team.

Moral of the story...... Clare people blame everyone but themselves

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 31/07/2008 15:11:38    62311

Hag - who did the '51 Mayo team leave on the side of the road then?

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 31/07/2008 15:14:29    62313

Biddy Late (for the bus)

Hag_and_Cheese (Tipperary) - Posts: 6103 - 31/07/2008 15:27:42    62327

paddym123 I hope its not. I havent been there since I was a kid but its only a tiny thing anyway. The Griffeen is only a stream really although it absolutely destroys Lucan during the floods, sure the village is always on TV getting lashed out of it! I'll check it out!. You'd never know maybe in all those years one of our beloved property developers that love beautiful Lucan so much probably built apartments on it by now! Regards, Snufalufagus.....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 31/07/2008 15:33:19    62334

I think it is Snuff been there before....sure dont i have relatives near Lucan!

paddym123 (Meath) - Posts: 367 - 31/07/2008 16:01:06    62378

Real Kerry Fan apart from o'rourke who else was land commission, sure what would you know about it anyway i live here and i know well what im talking about. Dev took land off farmers and left them with nothing, how does that deserve a thanks?

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 31/07/2008 16:02:15    62381

Where abouts in Lucan ya from Snuff?

paddym123 (Meath) - Posts: 367 - 01/08/2008 14:56:51    63334

Top o the hill!
Near the church!

Sure we all know each other in 'old' Lucan. Who are your relatives? Or if you cant say....Where do they live? I probably know them. Lucan used to be a tiny place you know!
Where are you from (in meath that is)!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 01/08/2008 15:08:02    63365

This may have been posted before so apologies if its a repeat.

The Red Hand of Ulster eminates from Co Tyrone. It was a sign to Queen Elizabeth I crown forces to keep out of O'Neill country where Irish independents such as Hugh O Neill and Hugh O Donnell held sway.

Ironically the symbol was usurped by loyalists (e.g. Red Hand Brigade) who obviously hadn't a clue about the origins of the "Red Hand" and what it stands for, quite the opposite to what they believe.

Beacaire Gorm (Dublin) - Posts: 597 - 01/08/2008 15:40:07    63429