eileenc

hi. anybody every been to a concert at slane castle outside dublin in ireland? going to see the stones on august 18. staying in the town with the castle, so that should be relatively easy. just wondering what it's like. thanks.

cailin

Yes, I was at U2 there a few years ago. It's a great venue - the field is on a hill with the stage at the bottom, so you get a great view of the stage from everywhere. Have you worked out how you're getting to and from the venue?

eileenc

hi. thanks. (all those letters--sorry spilled coffee on my keyboard). actually, we are staying in meath, so they tell me we will be practically on the grounds already. i think we will just walk in. is it relatively easy to get to dublin from there? we are going there hte next day.

Padraig

All I know (well, most of what I know) is that Slane is about 25 miles from Dublin on the N2, the Dublin-Derry road, which I use frequently. Around the time of the Slane concert the traffic delays are horrendous. So I suggest that you take the implication of cailin's question seriously: getting there and getting back can be difficult.

amyb

I was at U2 in 2001. We stayed in Dublin without a car and it was more or less a nightmare getting there and back (public bus), but I'd expect that with 100,000 or so people doing the same thing. I don't know how you'd do it otherwise.

Go to the loo early, it gets disgusting fast. But it was absolutely worth it.

Padraig

Eileen, your second post came in as I was composing mine.

First, are you sure that your accommodation in Co. Meath will be within walking distance of the venue?

Second, my non-participant observation is fully in line with amyb's experience. I have driven from Dublin to Slane on the day after the concert and it was one long traffic jam going the other direction. Do you really need to go to Dublin the next day, or can you consider more relaxed alternatives?

eileenc

hey, you gusy are making me nervous. i was planning on taking a train or something. we won't have a car. is there a train? i'm staying at teh conyngham arms hotel slane, county meath on friday and saturday. the concert is saturday. i got the hotel from slane castle number. i talked to them and they told me we are almost on the grounds, while other people have to wait 3 hours or so to get in. maybe we will stay another night.

Padraig

The Conyngham Arms is fine. Right in the middle of the village. You are lucky to have got such a good base.

I'm not seeing that it's impossible to get back to Dublin the following day -- just that it's a bit of an ordeal with so many trying to do the same thing. There is no rail service to Slane. It will have to be buses. You'll make it. Just consider it a day's travel, even though it is only 25 miles. Make no plans for Dublin, but you might get lucky and have time to do something.

eileenc

thanks padraig. also, do you know anything about the clarence hotel in dublin ? (continuing my rock and roll week) is it nice? then driving to donegal on tuesday. says 3.5 hours. does that sound about right? if you know. thanks.

LoriNY1

U2 in Ireland. that must be awesome.

mr_go

Eileen: You're probably already aware of this, but that 2001 U2 show at Slane is available on DVD. You can buy/rent the disc and see for yourself what the place is like as a concert venue. Good show, too (if you like the band).

eileenc

actually love U2. but going to see the rolling stones. have seen U2 a few times here in New york city. they're great!

Padraig

The last time I was in the Clarence (other than for a quick coffee) was before the boys in U2 bought it. I liked it then, even though it was a little tired and old-fashioned.

It has been freshened up considerably, and looks good. The cost of the makeover is reflected in the prices. Good location for a short visit to Dublin -- it's near a lot of what you might want to see.

Dublin-Donegal: what part of Donegal? It's a big enough county. You might be passing my home: give me a wave!

eileenc

hi. we're staying at st. ernan's country house in donegal. don't have any family in ireland, but my great grandfather came from a town called mount charles. so, i'm just another american looking for my roots. He went back in the 1930's for a visit, but i'll be the first one back since him. i know it is a very small village, but would like to see it.

Padraig

Ah. You probably won't be passing my house, then. You will probably use the N3: Dublin-Cavan-Enniskillen-Donegal.

It might be done in 3.5 hours. That depends on where you start your timing. If it's from the city centre, it can take 30-40 minutes to clear the city, and your time might move towards 4 hours. Then there are places along the way where you might be tempted to stop.

Mountcharles (one word) is a small place. I have driven through it, but never stopped there. It's possible that if you go into a pub or a shop there and ask about your family, somebody will know. In small communities people tend to know who is who out to third cousins. I imagine that is what you are hoping for.

lana81

I was in Dublin last year and also went to Donegal for 5 days. My husbands family is from there. I believe think it was called Middletown. It took us approx 4.5 hrs to get there.

PS Donegal is beautiful

CAPH52

eileenc, forgive me for butting in on your thread. But I'm hoping that you won't mind if I ask Padraig a question. And hoping he won't mind either!

My daughter's boyfriend is from County Meath. But it wasn't until a conversation earlier today that I realized that because he (and now she) pronounces it "Mead". I just googled pronunciation of County Meath and it shows a "th" sound at the end. Is my daughter's boyfriend's pronunciation the common one? Or is it because both of his parents are originally from County Galway?

While I was there in March we had a conversation about the large number of dialects in Ireland considering what a small island it is. So I'm curious as to whether this is an example of that.

Thanks, Padraig. And you too, eileenc!

Padraig

CAPH, pronunciation questions can be very tricky, even if we set aside the question of who has the right to prescribe standards and whether one accent is inferior to another. And then there is the problem of dealing with sounds in writing. I saw your question last night, wondered how I could answer it, fell asleep thinking about it, and here I am with my first good coffee of the day (cross-reference to the "food in Ireland" thread) still wondering what to write.

The short answer is no. But, like any short answer to a tricky question, it might not inform you properly. You might have a wrong idea of how the "th" is sounded. The phonics we use in Ireland, especially in placenames and the like, are derived from Gaelic. There is a difference between "meath" and "meeth". We would say that the "a" broadens the sound. That broadening is more apparent in the following consonant that in the vowel sound. The "th" goes a little towards a "d" sound. I find this very difficult to describe in writing. It's a blend of "d" and "th". But I never hear it with a hard "d" sound.

There. Have I added some confusion?

[I'm sure Eileen won't mind a little thread drift. After all, she will be visiting the county. If she objects, I'll ask her how to pronounce "vvtffxcxxcxscxfffggfcxcvddswdzx".]

Padraig

I just asked Herself if she ever heard "Meath" pronounced "Mead". She said no and wanted to know why I asked. So I told her about this discussion and what I had said.

She is smarter than I am. My answer was much too elaborate (although not wrong). She pointed out that it rhymes with "breathe". Duh!

CAPH52

Thank you to you and your wife, Padraig. I very much appreciate your putting so much thought into your answer!