Thanks RKF. MiddleEastExile - you ever hear of the DOB Club - as in Done Our Bit? An uncle of mine (QPR fan also) was involved and got many a membership for an Irishman sorted! Grand spot for a game of snooker, a bit of bingo and a cheap pint. The more ye drank the more ye saved!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 09/01/2009 13:06:32    176576

Wests-Awake, do I take it that Connemara heads are now wearing suits and ties in the City of London. This is surely more momentus than Obama putting his feet up in the oval office.

Back in London (was a geeza' mself for 4 years) for the wkend. Give me a shout if u think u can make it to the Valley tomorrow, Charlton vs the Kings of football
mossbags@gmail.com

mossbags (Galway) - Posts: 1089 - 09/01/2009 13:07:37    176578

Ah Spuddy don't start me off again will ya! It's beautiful around Croagh Patrick and I can see why you'd miss it. I was up in Westport on an errand the day after St Stephen's Day and some fella was telling me that they have Mass on the mountain on New Years Day. I truthfully considered it, more for the hike and the scenery than the Mass, but the porter got the better of me in the end. Next year maybe. Though the barefoot job on the last Sunday of July should be enough for any man.

Wests_Awake (Galway) - Posts: 877 - 09/01/2009 14:07:03    176631

some truly great posts on here lads - never had the fortune/misfortune of living in another country. Being a regular visitor to England I find their way of life quite strange. Don't think I could live there to be honest, there's no place I'd rather be than Ireland.

bocerty (Tyrone) - Posts: 539 - 09/01/2009 14:37:45    176657

I agree bocerty, sometimes you say hello to a stranger on the street and the look at you like you have ten heads! I have a habit of that from home. Over here and anywhere abroad is a different kettle of fish altogether.

Spuddy (Mayo) - Posts: 345 - 09/01/2009 15:19:18    176713

Cheers for the offer Mossbags (Charlton v Nottm Forest isn't it?) but I've already agreed to go on the Free Palestine march in Hyde Park with a couple of mates from Egypt this Saturday.

One thing that I could never get in Connemara back in the day; Having the craic with lads from Africa, the Middle East and especially the West Indians who I've found to be very similar to the Irish in some respects. They originally found solace in the Irish pubs due to the No Dogs/No Blacks/No Irish signs of the 60's & 70's and share our laid back attitude, and have a fondness for the Guinness & the bookies. And when they reminisce about their homeland they complain about missing the weather and the beach, whilst I kind of prefer the weather but miss the mountains.

And no suit wearing I'm afraid. But a shirt, tie and shoes is the order of the day in my office. The other lads get a kick out of it as they can see how uncomfortable I am in a tie. Apparently I look like someone who should never wear one! I was seriously considering going back on the sites but the squeeze is on that industry over here at the moment. Unless you're lucky enough to secure a contract on the Olympic site in Hackney that is.

Oh and Jayo, in response to one of your questions posed on the first post a pint can cost anywhere from £2.50 to £6.00 depending on where you go.

Wests_Awake (Galway) - Posts: 877 - 09/01/2009 15:21:30    176716

Working in North Dakota. Not much GAA. Or anything else for that matter. Except Indians. Plenty of them. And yes, despite all you hear in the PC media, you can call them Indians. I'm working mostly with the Sioux (I'm an archaeologist) on their reservations.

Weather? -40. Hurts to breath.

Price of a pint? Cheap. $4 will get you a litre and a half of the local brew called Bison Drool. I'm not joking. It's a nice rich ale. More beer in this country than the Bud/Millars/Coors swill. But the Guinness here tastes like tatonka pee.

From Galway and get back fairly regularly. Living here with the wife who's a yank, and we'll be moving on home in the next couple of years to spread some of our yankee dollars around now that Ireland's bubble has well burst.

festinog (Galway) - Posts: 3151 - 09/01/2009 17:41:11    176920

Great tales people. Really enjoying them.
festinog - So are you like Indiana Jones or that funny looking lad who be's on Channel 4's Time Team?

RMDrive (Donegal) - Posts: 2202 - 09/01/2009 19:05:50    176976

westsawake and rkf and any others, i would recommend ye watch the film KINGS, its brilliant it follows the lives of 5 lads from connemara who emmigrate to london and get consumed by the city and the craic and........ well, just watch it, its a very touching sceal

charlotted (Leitrim) - Posts: 598 - 09/01/2009 21:33:28    177051

Spuddy County: Mayo Posts: 202 my mum is from Killadoon, more specifically the village of Cross, O'Malleys but there's loads of them round there. Climbed the Reek myself on numerous occasions as a kid. what is the name of the family who run the pub in Liverpool? no doubt my mum will know them. my little sis is at John Moores Uni and plays a bit of football and is joining the Mitchell's herself once her membership of her London Club expires. she's already met so many people through the uni team so if you're thinking about joining i'd definitely recommend it. JayoCluxton County: Dublin Posts: 2417 i know the DOB, am originally from Co. Kilburn myself but we moved a bit further out the Edgware Rd to Neasden. the DOB is the local of a load of my mates but I drank more in Neasden and Willesden although I've been to the DOB a few times. Uszed to go to the Railway club in Cricklewood and the Regency Club in Willesden more than the DOB as a general comment this thread's been the most interswting one I've read so far. with a bit of luck it'll keep on going

MiddleEastExile (UK) - Posts: 26 - 10/01/2009 11:47:12    177226

Studied over in England and was hoping to move home after but got 10 job offers in England and not 1 from Ireland. I'd go home tomorrow if I thought I could get a job at home but that gets less and less likely by the day. Think I'll stick it out here for as long as I need to but I've been in England almost 6 years and I'm sick of the place now.

LoyalRoyal (None) - Posts: 465 - 10/01/2009 11:57:33    177227

middleeastexile
The family that run the Irish centre are Morrisons from Killadoon, very nice people. Its like a home away from home!

Spuddy (Mayo) - Posts: 345 - 10/01/2009 20:32:55    177479

Would love to see a few more exiles here posting. Some of the stuff has been excellent. Loads more out there - give us a few lines lads please!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 11/01/2009 23:36:50    177979

Some of the stuff has been excellent. Loads more out there - give us a few lines lads please!

Hope you're not one of them dodgey Dubs powdering their noses in toilets at back of hill16 :)

samin10 (Armagh) - Posts: 2434 - 12/01/2009 10:02:27    178088

charlotted
County: Leitrim
Posts: 207
Yes saw the film but the original play 'Kings of Kilburn High Road' was far better.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 12/01/2009 10:25:42    178105

The craic is good in cricklewood

Topman (Leitrim) - Posts: 122 - 13/01/2009 12:24:03    179089

Well lads and lassies, i've just been reading over the post on here and there are some good and very funny ones i must say. Keep them going!

Well i've been living away from Derry for near the last 5 years and now settled in England, via Austrailia. I first went to Oz on the old holiday visa about 9 years ago and stayed there for near 2 years (only left after getting the nudge from immigration!). I went back home for a while with all intentions of returning to Oz for good but a few things happened that changed a lot of things for me, and so the plans were shelved.

I stayed at home for about 2-3 years and was heavily involved in coaching and playing GAA, playing for my local clubs reserves after injury stopped me playing seriously pretty young and coaching a number of senior teams on and off for friends of mine who are club managers. I still take training sessions for them if i am home during the week!

Work & a woman forced me to Britain and i've settled well. I joined the local GAA club and am still heavily involved over here although i've never played here, instead getting involved in coaching the senior footballers and underage teams. It's brilliant to hear the English accents on a GAA pitch i can tell you!

I see a lot of people on here hold Ireland as a becon and want to eventually move back, i'm quite the opposite really. I have no plans to go back in the near or far future, and have made some brilliant friends over here, both Irish and otherwise. Strangers don't wave, nor do strangers say hello to me on the street but that's fine with me, i am well thought of and involved in the local and county community promoting the GAA in an area that is mad about soccer, rugby, hockey etc and the nippers love it! I have a good degree of success over here, Jayo knows the craic there!

England has been good to me, better than Ireland if i'm honest and i have no plans to leave for a long time. I have had more opportunities here than i would ever have got at home and i really love the city where i am living. Great place, brilliant people and a sport mad area! I'm not one of these nostalgic Irish Exiles, i'm a bit like the Cork people in a way - Irish by birth, Derry by grace of God! Nothing wrong with a bit of county pride, i've even got the young english lads i coach supporting Derry!

Bald Eagle (None) - Posts: 1009 - 13/01/2009 17:19:45    179465

I'm not quite as good looking as that wee muppet on C4. Nor have I ever been chased by gun-toting Germans.

Shotgun weilding farmers, yes.
Bulls, yes.

But nazis? Alas, no.

festinog (Galway) - Posts: 3151 - 14/01/2009 20:59:15    180594

Ah lads you'll never be lonely while HS is still on the go. Some of ye ended up in Britain for economic reasons, some of us were exiled here for political reasons in 1921. JOKE!! Some sad but very real stories on here. I remember leaving my brother down to Dublin airport in the 80's and the 100's of young Irish men and women heading for the States was breathtaking, it was an exodus and it looks like we are heading back there. If any good comes out of these situations it's that the GAA seems to get stronger and this is not the time, as Pat Spillane this week statedin his newspaper column, to cut London & New York out of GAA competitions. That was a crass and very hurful thing to say.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9819 - 14/01/2009 22:59:07    180745

Pat Spillanes comments were uncalled for, New York and london should be kept in the competitions to keep a link for gaa lads abroad.

Whats with all the lads up north blaming us for something that happened years ago? Samin10 especially, that comment was childish lad, but what else would we expect from you.

Spuddy (Mayo) - Posts: 345 - 15/01/2009 00:08:28    180830