A GRAND INVITATION TO YOU ALL TO COME TO A PARTY IN IRELAND!!


Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June, 2003.

Those who have been around these parts for a year or so will remember that a number of us met last June for a Wordapalooza week-end in Michigan, but there will be many who have joined since then who will not have heard about it.

Briefly, it was a party to end all parties, held at Sparteye's beautiful house, where just over twenty of us met up - many for the first time - to chat, play word-games, splash in the pool, drink beer and generally have a wonderful time. The notable thing was that everyone turned out to be just about as everyone else had envisaged then through board and PM contact.

All of us said we would like to do something similar in 2003. As a result, Rubrick has said that he will organise a place to meet in Ireland (hence the title of this post ) and he, CapitalKiwi, FishonaBike and I have formed a working party to help him with the organisation. (And that working party was a mini-wordapalooza in itself!! We had a most enjoyable time meeting up!)

As this year's wordapalooza was held at a private home, there had to be a certain amount of restriction on how many came, but this next year it will be held at some sort of public venue (we considered Blarney Castle, but that's booked solid ) there is no restriction. Everyone is welcome, so is their partner, spouse or best friend.

However, we need to know how many are coming, so that we can book a suitable place - and we need to know very soon, please.

The dates that have been chosen are Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June, 2003. The exact place has not yet been chosen, but will, we hope, be somewhere within easy reach of both Dublin and Shannon airports. Other details will be announced as we arrange them.

Sooooooooo !!! - - PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK YOU CAN COME
either by a post on this thread, or a PM to me, RhubarbCommando. I will, from time to time, add to a list people who are definitely or probably coming along, so you can get some idea of what you are letting yourself in for. If you have any questions, please post them on this thread (unless they are very personal, of course) and one or other of us will do our best to answer.

Later on, we may ask for volunteers to take on certain roles to help the thing run smoothly.

I'm looking forward to hearing from all-y'all out thar.

all the best

RhubarbCommando

These are the names of people who have expressed a definite intent to attend:

(as at 23/11)

Definites:-
belMarduk
CapfKa
Consuelo
Emanuela
Fiberbabe
wow
jackie
Muzick
milum
RhubarbCommando
Rubrick
TEd Remington
Wordwind

Probables:-
boronia


Maybe's:-
jmh
Sparteye

ME! ME! Count me in!

And I have some suggestions as to where we can meet! My favorite place that I stayed in in Ireland was the Peoples' Hostel, just a short drive from Shannon, Spanish Point, Milton Malbay. If you want to stay in a hostel, which I thought was loads of fun.

It's walking distance (perhaps a half mile) to some really great pubs in Milton Malbay, and the people who run the hostel are fascinating, Irish musician types, who have a gold record on a wall in their kitchen.

I stayed there for a week, and every time I thought of moving on I said to myself, "Oh, jsut one more day." And that only ended when I knew my plane would leave without me.

The hostel is on a bluff overlooking a small harbor and you can sit on the bluff and watch the sun sink into the Atlantic while porpoises or dolphins (the mammal types) play in the harbor. Behind the hostel is a golf course, one on which the fairway is sand!

But no matter where you have it, I want to be there! And fair warning, I might even bring Peggy and the kids!!

TEd

"just over twenty"??? You gotta be kidding; there were hundreds of you!!!

I think you may have been suffering a little from double vision, sparteye, my dear. Now - I wonder what could have caused that . . . . . ?

Great, TEd - it'll be good to meet you IRL - and wife and offspring, too!

Thanks for the suggestion for a venue; it sounds good. Rubrick will no doubt take a look at it.

I don't want to seem hostile to the idea of a hostel; as long as I have a comfortable bed, my own bathroom, and air conditioning, I don't care where I stay. (Yes, I'm serious.)

Sure, Jackie - the air in Eire is very well conditioned and your bathroom will be down in the estuary - plenty of room and privacy, if you choose your spot with care.
As for the comfortable bed - that depends on the quantity and quality of the heather that you gather.

>air conditioning

Mmmm, interesting, that could rule out a few million places. To be sure Jackie, the air is pre-conditioned in Ireland to be just right, you don't need to worry (other than maybe one or two days a year) .... now central heating ... that would be a bit more important.

Well, I like to sleep with the temperature of the room at about 60ºF (15.5ºC) or even lower. Most winter nights I have the window open a little, down to about 25ºF (-3.8 C).
Makes me feel safe, snuggling under all those covers.

I like to sleep with the temperature of the room at about 60ºF
In that case, Jackie, jmh is right - you'll probably need a heater in there!

Jackie, anything over 60º in the daytime is considered warm in ireland, over 80º, and people are complaining about a heat wave! by irish thinking, NY's summers are tropical!
(on the other hand, it rarely goes below freezing in the winter, and snow is rare,too! ) My memories though, include lovely summer days, you never got hot running around, (cause it never was that warm!) and while morning were misty, afternoons were clear, and sunny!

Woolens are still a big industry in UK an Ireland.. and there reasons!

you'll probably need a heater in there!
Ahem--are you volunteering?

Woolens are still a big industry in UK an Ireland.. and there reasons!

It gives employment to all the sheep we have over here.

Hostel? All those I've seen are closer to hostile if you have a handicap! (Couldn't resist the "hostel/hostile" Sorry!)
But seriously. I have trouble walking and I'm an old lady who likes her comfort! Like Jackie I want a comfy bed and my own bath. A walk to the local pub sounds lovely, wish I could do it. From my door to the mailbox across the road is about all I can manage. HOWEVER. If all decide to stay at a hostel-type place I can find accommodations close by and join you when I could. Whatthehell - as my late husband used to say : "If I had my life to live over, I'd live over a pub."
Must say that sitting on a terrace watching the sunset sounds just lovely!

Time is galloping past.

Rubrick is densely involved in the theory of finding a place for us all to stay, whether it be a host with ahostel, guessing where the guesthouse is, or finding hot rooms in a hotel.

We need to know numbers, folks - we have a fair few definites, a couple of probables: are there any more of you out there who would like to put faces to the names (and RL names to the soubriquets)


Please
- SPEAK OUT

if you would like to come across the sea to Ireland,
or if there is a reasonable chance that you might be able to make it.

Please PM me if you want to know more about it,

Yet another recruit!!

boronia has expressed a hope that she may attend.

With spouses, partners and other additions, it looks as though we will have just over twenty people. A goodly number - but there's room for many a more.


(For full list, see the second post, above)

The list of attendees has been amended - 23/11/03

You will note that milum's name has been added

- how can any of you refuse to come now?

I'm really going to have to start reading the information & announcements section more often...

Can we count you in, then Alex? [best salesman's smile ]

We are rather nearer to getting the arrangements in place for the Emerald Wordapalooza. We have a provisional venue - a row of ex-coastguard cottages on the coast just outside Clifden, in County Galway - one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland. The view is westward across the Atlantic, so those US'ns who are home-sick can look back homewards! (Sorry, emanuela!!) We hope to know whether we can book the place, and what the costs will be, this coming week-end.

What Rubrick and I need to know right now is who is coming. There is a list at the top of this post which lists those who were initially interested, and I know that quite a few of them are still "up for it;" however, I am also aware that circumstances have changed for some on the list and mat have done for others.
There may also be AWADers (ayleurs if you prefer) who have joined us since this idea was first mooted who would like to be part of this Great International Symposium of Linguists. (GISoL) [/tongue in cheek-e]
Hence, a re-afirmation of your intent to come will help us to work out exactly what the costs will be, therefore how much we need up front as a deposit, with which we will then shock you.
So - PMs, please, to re-affirm - or to sign up for the first time, as appropriate.

I need the definite dates that will be asked for, please, so that my family members will be able to decide whether they can come with me.

I'm going to talk to RhubarbCommando tomorrow by phone and finalise the details. We should have everything up on the board by mid next week.