portaferry gathering

Subject: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST, Belfast fiddle.
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:17 PM

I have just got home from the most enjoyable evening I can remember this last few years!
I must admit two years ago I went to the first Portaferry meeting and I was quite disapointed, this time WOW! everyone I met (including locals) were very talented, AND very nice to meet! what a night. The music was magic, the three folk from Iceland (with exception of the WHITE SHARK MEAT) I enjoyed. The Icelandic music was fantastic, their harmony was flawless. Lead fingers stole the show!! A gentleman and a VERY talented musician. Fibula (Katy)and her parents put us up and fed us, what a lovely family. All I can say is I hope next year I can get time off to go back (even if the gathering isn't on) I fell in love with the village and the folk who live there. The locals who Katy organised to play for us were very talented. Thanks Fibula.
Guest fiddle.
I supose this isn't a thread but more a statement! nice to hear from everyone else who was there.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Sorcha
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:20 PM

Oh, to be in Portaferry in February.....

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,wrinkles
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 04:56 AM

that's right, make us more jealous than we already were....grrrrrr

wrinkles

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Herge
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 07:43 AM

Just back home myself and suffering from a bit of a hangover! Briliant nights music. Good variety of tunes and songs.

The icelantic contingent were very entertaining. It also was nice to hear some lovely English folk tunes that are not normally heard in these parts.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 08:13 AM

Masquerading as Liz the Squeak...

We're still partying!! It's Sunday lunchtime and the catters are gathering again in the Fiddlers... The Lard Magnate has this wonderful wireless contraption which means you can get a live, blow by blow account (almost literally last night!)...

Skarpi, Helgi and Rosa are fantastic musicians, the Icelandic schnapps is something out of this world (it goes by the name of 'Black Death'.... I can't think why!!) but as mentioned above, the shark meat was rather different!

Don't worry Micca & Khatt, we've saved you some! (Schnapps, not shark meat, but I'm sure we can bring you a jar if you like!)

Now, where did my beer go?!

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 12:10 PM

'lo folks, I've nipped out from the pub to pen this missive. The weekend has been great. The music last night was absolutely cracking - I was torn about which room I should listen in as everywhere I went there was such an amazing standard. Thanks very much to all who turned up, old friends and new. It was an honour to have the Norn Iron musicians there again, and a pleasure to have met with the Mudcatters once more (especially since we even got surprise Mudcat visitors - more names to faces!). I would like to say I was taking sneaky pictures, but there was nothing surreptitious about it - my camera has a flash that'd burn out your retinas at 500 yards.

Anyway, soon as I've deposited the raffle proceedings (around 60 quid) into my high security bank vault (a jar in the kitchen) I'll be back down t'pub to gatecrash the regular monthly comhaltas session and drink restorative hot whiskeys.

Don't forget - this weekend next year for "Loughstock 80" (my 30th and the lovely Bassic's 50th).

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,FIDDLE4
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 03:47 PM

GOT HOME SAFELY
HAD A REALY GOOD TIME THANKS TO YOU ALL.

FIRST TIME I EVER PLAYED A HARDANGER FIDDLE THANKS ROSA
AND HER FRIENDS FROM ICELAND =GOT VERY INTERSTED IN THE ENGLISH TRAD=
TUNES ...HAD A NICE TIME THANKS AGAIN

FIDDLE 4
JIM MCAULEY

WOULD GO AGAIN ....

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 05:35 PM

Am home. Bloody great, can't think where the hours went but they flew by! Precious little sleep for most of us, but so much fun. Great musicians, great place, great people, but very few sheep. Though having said that Davey looked a bit wooley backed in my sleeping bag this morning! More of that later.

Kate, just wonderful. Thanks to you, John and Lilli for a wonderful wreckend.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Big Mick
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 05:46 PM

HEY JIM, WHY ARE YOU YELLING??????

Mick

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,YELLING.
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 06:26 PM

big mick and co..
sorry Sorcha has already told me off for this
it will not happen again ?

jim mcauley
fiddle 4

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 07:23 PM

LOL, well, I tried to be nice about it. But, where are the pics????

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,Brendy
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 08:41 PM

Well, I surfaced late, and didn't make it back across, Kate.

Thanks to all for the music and craic, especially Skarpi (will you remember that diminished chord, do you think? ;-)), Rosa, mooman, and last but not least, Skipjack, whom I eventually got to meet after all this time.

Thanks to the owners of the pub, Kate, for the hospitality, and all the mugs of coffee.

I had a great night, altogether

Back to the porridge in the morning..........

B.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,Kate-who-is-Fibs (very-tired-and-at-work)
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 08:37 AM

Next year's gathering is now under the working title of LOUGHSTOCK 4-SCORE! (Thanks, LtS.)

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: GUEST,Giok in Sligo town.
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:33 AM

I echo the general felicitations, and as it took me 3 years to get there it was even more enjoyable. I left this morning and am now in Sligo have driven round Mourne mountains, and admired all the lovely fortified policew stations in Armagh etc. Tomorrow the Giants Causeway etc, don't you wish you'd given up work like me?
Fibs ye must be shattered, PM soon to thank you personally. Lovely to meet everybody it was brill!!
Giok

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: My guru always said
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 01:15 PM

Knew you'd all have a Fantabulous time!!! I really wish I could have joined you all this year, I am Green with Envy. Next year is a definite if you're still letting singers come along...

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Letty
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 01:28 PM

ah, another thread I nearly missed.

Back in Cork after a 7-hour drive.
Thanks everyone for a great weekend! Enjoyed myself immensely.
Good to see old friends and make new ones.
Hope to be back next year, with more tunes in my head.
Pity I didn't get to examine the Hardanger fiddle...

Letty
PS Kate-who-is-Kate, do you have my email address?

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 02:59 PM

Alas, I didn't realise Brendy WAS Brendy till big Nigel snapped in his direction and the entertainment kind of fizzled out (it being 2.30am after all, so no wonder if tempers finally got a bit frayed). I've got to say that Sorch, Hardanger fiddling Rosa and I were blown away by Brendy's guitar playing, even it was sometimes a bit dominant for some tastes. Rather like having Arty McGlynn in the company, without having to pay a booking fee.

Saturday night was certainly a real belter of a session, fortified by, among others, the three cracking musicians from Iceland, the three from Larne and the three from Bangor - not to mention Greg (Skipjack K8) and Eric the Viking, whose visits briefly overlapped; Giok; "Leadfingers" Terry, and various other assorted mudcatters. Manitas unaccountably peaked early, and missed most of the night, but made up for it as a mainstay of most of the other sessions of the weekend.

In fact the back-room at Dumigan's was just not big enough for all the excitement on Saturday night. Not even all the musicians could squeeze in, never mind others who just wanted to listen. If Portaferry happens again on this scale, I'd be happy to organise a bar with a bigger room, unless someone else wants to do it - but I hear a whisper that the Iceland Three might be persuaded to host a Mudcat gathering on their home soil? Or home ice? Portaferry turns out to have various well-established connections with Iceland, as do the Bangor contingent, and easyJet do flights from Stansted to Reykjavik....

By the way, who is "Belfast fiddle" who started this thread?

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 03:31 PM

Any pix yet, folks?

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Herge
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 03:44 PM

I think the venue was great - got to look at the fabulous starry night when out for a pee!    I think the cabaret at the end of Sat night was amusing - that's what you get when you mix talent, passion, Guinness and a small amount of ego (on all sides) :-) The music on Sat really was excellent - over 8 hours of continuous music in the one pub, and hardly a song or tune repeated.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 03:47 PM

Well, here I am, back home on my own computer, rather than the laptop of the Lard Magnate.

We had a little live link up on the Chat, with Micca, EmmaB and Rumanci, but had to cut it short because the above mentioned Lard Magnate needed to look at his shares.

It was indeed a wonderful weekend, I'm so glad I had my operation before I went though, I'd never have lasted as long as I did!

We continued the tradition of dubious song material... Morticia penned a little number some time ago called 'Oh damn it all, the pipes, the pipes are frozen'..... it went down well, after the initial sharp intake of breath!

The sessions were something to behold... they went on for hours and were incredible.... a few songs were sung, but it was mostly music. I can't remember when last I played so much.

The town of Portaferry is very pretty, the weather was sunny and clear, but cold. The only time it rained was Saturday night, and even that was 'soft', just a small shower. Dawn coming up over the Lough is stunning.

Hopefully the Barholme will be scaffold-less for next year's Poratferry 4 score, the back room of the Fiddlers' is already booked!

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 04:01 PM

Pics were taken, will edit the naughty ones out and send to Pene to put up.... except the pictures I took of Eric the Viking gave the message 'disk error' so I doubt they'll be there!

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 04:57 PM

Not sure how much Guinness you got through Herge, but it was pissing down whenever I went out for a leak, so never a star to be seen!

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: MudGuard
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:13 PM

Made it safely home. Too tired now. More tomorrow ...

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: White tiger
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:24 PM

Hello
It was a great weekend, that Michael guy was funny!!!LOL
Sorry you missed it(Cat&Micca)can't wait till next year too tired to write more!!!LOL
Sorch

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:53 PM

Michael was the town drunk who turned up at every session and generally acted like the town drunk... he's a millionaire who seems intent on drinking it all away..... But a nice guy nonetheless....

Pictures have been sent to Pene Azul, hopefully there will be a link to them when he gets round to it.

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Brendy
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 06:19 PM

'Big Nigel', Fionn, thought that where I was from was somehow relevant to the situation.
Considering that a fair percentage of the people at the gathering were from somewhere else other than there, I thought it relevant to the situation to mention to him that it was irrelevant to the situation as to where I (and by association, 90% of that room) was from.

As for 'cutting across' other musicians playing..., no one seemed to give a good God damn about it happening all the way up to that moment, from all corners.
'Big Nigel' probably weighed up the arguments for and against, did the sensible thing, and withdrew from the situation.

People get their noses put out of joint for one reason or another in sessions, Fionn.

Where I come from, sessions were used to pass music on from one to another. It's what was done to me by some incredibly magnanimous souls, when I was cutting my teeth in sessions as a kid, and it is what I naturally do when in the presence of able and willing musicians, myself, the 'Big Nigels' of the World notwithstanding.

As for egos, Pete, I didn't have anything to prove, and you don't know me well enough, anyway, to be able to make that judgement.

I wasn't going to bring this up, Fionn. So you can congatulate yourself bigtime, here.

I also noticed you never introduced yourself.

Well done.

B.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 06:25 PM

It's kinda funny how something so good is underlined by something not so good. My Monday started with precious few hours kip, a tour-de-force 5,000 calorie Ulster Fry from the skillet of the redoubtable Mrs A, a lovely gentle drive to Belfast in the company of the delicious Fibs, the latte that herself says one cannot get in Portaferry.

The the calls started, and lard futures went haywire, and to cap it all, I got Denver booted in Liverpool John Lennon (ho ho) International (ho ho) Airport Long Stay car park. After some chimpanzee in dayglo relieved me of forty quid, I was released to return home, planning my written invective all the way, and readjusting my position on Boris Johnson.

Highlights for me were two twelve hour sessions, pretty much back to back, and meeting Brendy five years after he guided me round Norway by phone. Jaysus, he's a powerful good performer, that one. The standard of the musicians was yet again awe-inspiring, and topped off by Diana and Nigel, who delighted us again this year.

As one here who coined the peon of praise would have it, 'it was really nice'.

Thanks Fibs

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 06:44 PM

Brendy, you were stonking, about as good a dadgad guitar player I ever saw. You reminded me of listening to Denny Bartley and I really rate him. Greg told me you were "Brendy", but I was stuck pretty much in the corner so sadly never got to meet you or try a pathetic attempt at trying to watch how you were doing it so bloody excellently. I was out with Helge from Iceland in the last minutes of the session.There were so many good musicians there I was just, as usual, on a learning curve re-enforcing just how far I have to go yet! But it was a wicked day and night of playing all round was Saturday, even though it stretched far into Sunday morning. It was so much fun that my troubled head melted away, or was it the rotten fish and schnapps or the odd pint o black stuff? Ah,it don't really matter, I just can't wait for next year.That Fibs really knows how to organise a party!

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 06:49 PM

By the way, ain't that a bloody good Cd from skarpi's band? Hope you all got home safely from London without any troubles. Tell Helge he promised me a cigar-I'll just have to come and collect it sometime. Great to meet you all.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 07:16 PM

Thanks, LtS. I look forward to seeing them!

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: skarpi
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 03:32 AM

Halló all , we just came home last night 2 a clock after midnight
going from such a wonderful wheather to a frosty the snowman and the
cold brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr but this memory of this weekend
will warm us up , Rósa and Helgi as long as me will just say thank you all for such unforgetible time I am about to go to work
so I have to go , I new I had friends on Mudcat but to meet you all
like this gives more than it will ever be on the Internet, I learned
alot about my Bodhrán and how to play I ahope also that you
liked our music.
with lots of love to all of you I am not gonna take someone out
but your all very special friends thanks again for all
hroo hrooo rhoooo ..... sorry
All the skarpi Iceland.
P.s Rósa and Helgi send you all a best whishes.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liam of the Ferry
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 03:35 AM

Holy pants batman- brilliant weekend. It as nice to see you all again and enjoyed the music immensely. I will be encountering Michael (Portaferry's own Prince of Darkness) again tonite no doubt as we're playing in Sands Bar at the top of the village. Remember to keep the photos away from the dole office. Decided to change my name to this as most of you only know me as Liam anyway.
All the best

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: MudGuard
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 03:37 AM

Ok, feel a bit less tired now.

A big thank-you to all involved in the planning/organisation/participation of that lovely weekend!

Especially thanks to (in more or less random order):
Kate (Fibula) for creating and running Loughstock
Max for creating Mudcat (without that I'd not been in Portaferry)
Kate's parents for creating Kate ;-))
Peter (Fionn) for organizing the cottage
Liz and Paul (Manitas) for providing a bed in London and organizing travel (cab/bus/car) from there on
Whoever it was that gave the Cara CD "Long Forgotten" as a raffle prize
Letty (?) for the bottle of German wine which is now back in Germany ;-)
Fiddler's Green's Landlord for providing loads of sandwiches
The locales for putting up with us
Arthur Guinness for the pints ;-)

And of course (last but definitely not least):
all the musicians for great tunes and songs


I will work through the photos in the afternoon so you will have to wait a bit til they will be available.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 05:16 AM

I suppose the 'rotten fish' and references to shark need some explainations....

Rosa, Skarpi and Helgi turned up at Dummigans - known as 'All night Eddie's' - dressed in their finest and bearing gifts of food and drink. Apparently, in Iceland, on that night (it was Saturday, but don't ask me what date it was!!), it is the tradition to eat a meal with dried fish, pickled white shark and drink schnapps. Plates of fish and a jar of shark cubes were passed around, along with the schnapps... they were eaten with various amounts of gusto. For my part, Honour was satisfied, but to be perfectly frank, I'd rather see the whole shark swimming in the sea rather than in cubes in a jar! The dried fish was a lot more palatable, but not as good as the schnapps! I managed to abscond with about a quarter of a bottle, so that Manitas could have a swig and we had some to bring home for Micca and CatsPhiddle. We still have some, I didn't drink it all. As to the whereabouts of the second bottle, I can give no information at all. It was wrested from my grasp by person or persons unknown.

I am presently engaged in sewing a Mudcat Patch to a hat, to send to the Fiddlers, so they can nail it up over the bar, with their collection. We were very lucky not to lose Giok's lovely felt number, Bassic's leather jobbie and Skarpi's knitted beauty to the collection!

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Brendy
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 05:22 AM

Got your PM, Fionn.
No worries, my man.

:-)

B.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Brendy
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 06:11 AM

Eric, were you the guy in the glasses with the Yam(aha), who asked me about The Tinkerman's Daughter'?.
I was talking to Giok for a bit, and John from Cornwall, who knows a friend of mine, here in Oslo..

I've a great story, though, from the road home....

I'm sitting way off in the 5th row, or something, at Gate 17 in Aldergrove airport, with the sunglasses on, so as I can doze off for a bit, un-noticed.
The Easy Jet flight to Stansted is delayed a bit, and there's loads of people milling around, getting on to their mobile phones, and stressing to their colleagues about being late for meetings, and such mundane things..

I look up at one stage, and there's this stocky bloke walking himself to the front of the queue, with guitars and luggage and things...
I was half-asleep, but one thing struck me about the guy.. He was wearing a Green, White and Gold wolly hat with GW&G braids down the side.
I said to myself, "that guy's got bollocks!... Aldergrove airport, RUC all over the place, and yer man waltzes in with his Green White & Gold 'Cyap'"
"Fair play to him" I thought

He had a nice 'girlfriend', though! And there was another slightly older guy there, with glasses on.

I've got sunglasses on, remember, so I'm watching these ones..., and the faces of the ones looking at them, and I was grinning from ear to ear at the surreallness of the situation!!!

Next thing I know, yer man's 'girlfriend' looks directly at me, and points to me, and waves.
She then nudges the fella with the 'Cyap', and points me out to him as well....

I said "Hang on.... thats Rósa and Skarpi.!"
And so it was!!!!

I left my seat, and went straight up to them.

Excellent!!!

I met Helgi, then, as I didn't meet him on Saturday

... And because the ground staff were letting people on to the plane according to the boarding card numbers, we all waltzed right past the begrudging element in that little room, and off we went to claim the window seats, just behind the wings, on the right-hand side, as you're flying out.

We parted company in Stansted, as the lads went off into London for a bit, killing time while waiting for their connection.
While my Ryanair flight back to Oslo was about 3/4 of an hour in the air (we were flying up the Dutch coast), a Virgin Airways 737, travelling in the opposite direction, flew incredibly close under our wing.
And as I remember, the pilot banked upwards about 30 secs before this.

There was nowhere near 1000m clearance between those two planes...

Again, thanks for a great session on Saturday night, folks.
I was glad to meet those of you that I did get talking to, and I'll see a few of you from time to time, no doubt.

B.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: mr. weekend
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 10:24 AM

Hello folks. I'm Helgi from Iceland. I like to thank you all for a great time I had this weekend. I really enjoyed all these sessions and I'm very lucky I had opportunity to meet all of this nice and friendly people and having good fiends after this time. I met great musicians, I'm sure I will never forget these moments.

Best regards.

p.s. Eric you must come to Iceland to collect this great cigar I promised you.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 04:30 PM

Yes Brendy I was playing the Yam,and asking asking about the tinkerman's daughter. I'd love to heard you play and sing it. I can travel without too much fear for that box,the Yam, but left my newish Avalon at home. Helge, I will try my best if I am invited. Skarpi, helge and Rosa, glad that your trip to london went smoothly. Did you get what you wanted? What a great weekend!

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: skarpi
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 05:48 PM

Eric , we got what looked for .
Helgi got Mandolin and Banjo for a good price.
i have to got to sleep.
All the best Skarpi Iceland.
P.s where shall we send the pictures to let seen at Mudcat ?

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Bassic
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 05:53 PM

Skarpi, email them as jpeg files to [e-mail]

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: mooman
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 08:08 PM

Dear Friends,

Well...just got home meself after a detour via the North Antrim Coast and the Inishowen penisular in Donegal where we stayed with good friends of 27 years standing last night.

Have to echo what everyone else said and to thank especially Kate-that-is-Fibula, John and Lily putting up with us and putting us up.

I entirely missed the reported excitement in the early hours of Sunday morning as I was in the other bar of Dumigans playing some blues and jazz with Helgi, Kate-that-is-Kate and Lady McMoo. Anyway ...mighty sessions all weekend and praise to all involved!

It was a great pleasure to meet new friends especially White Tiger, Giok, Bassic, Rock Chick, Louise, Liz, Manitas, Skarpi, Helgi, Rosa and Brendy and we both especially enjoyed Brendy's singing and ace guitar playing...hope to meet again and swap some DADGAG ideas with you! Also the great Icelandic harmony singing.

Looking forward to Portaferry 4-score next year and to getting to me bed now!

Peace

moo (and from The Good Lady)

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Leadfingers
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 08:43 PM

I have just sent off a selection of the piccies I took at Loughstock to Pene Azul - If any one who was there PM's me an e-mail addy I will send them any I have with them in . And how soon can we start booking for Loughstock Fourscore ??

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 04:15 AM

Easy Jet don't take bookings past October '05 and we're waiting to hear about the Barholme restoration before we commit to B&B again. I bagsy the four poster in the Fiddlers if we can't get Barholme!!

I sent Pene some photos on Monday, I'll keep checking to see if they're up.

LTS

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: MudGuard
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 04:25 PM

My pictures are on their way across the atlantic to Jeff as I write this message!
Once again I want to thank you all for that great weekend!

I hope to see many of you again in May in France for the Eurogathering!

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: skarpi
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 05:17 PM

Halló , still trying to get some sleep I am a wreck, b-flat
I think I could sleep for a week i think oh
I just gonna get tickets for us In October so
I ´ll see you there I hope.
All the best Skarpi Iceland.

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: mr. weekend
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 06:50 PM

Good old Skarpi always sleepy

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 11:39 AM

Hello again fellow revellers, I just arrived home about an hour ago, bringing with me a real stinker of a cold, unfortunately I don't remember getting close enough to Mandy to have caught it from her; shame!
Went across the Porta-ferry, and toured around, spent two days in Killybegs, and I can recommend it, good Chinese, and Indian food. Went to visit the Giant's Causeway yesterday cold windy and sunny it was, but an enjoyable visit. The campsite near Carrickfergus was closed in spite of advertising being open all year, so I thought F**k it! and jumped on the ferry back to Stranraer.
It was a great weekend, which would have been entirely ruined if somebody had nailed my genuine Akubra hat to the joists. Especially as it cost about £80, and I had to go to Australia to get it.
Lovely to meet so many nice people.
Giok

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: MudGuard
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 11:43 AM

John, as long as it is just your hat and not yourself that ends nailed to the beam, it should be bearable ;-)

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: mooman
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 12:13 PM

Does the beam still exist after Andy walked into it...?

moo

Subject: RE: portaferry gathering
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 12:34 PM

I was always taught that rubbing two bits of wood together like that, can start a fire!
Giok ;~)