Monitoring and Reporting

Eileen Fitzgerald  27 January 2012 08:38:53

Lotusphere 2012 was excellent , from a professional and a personal perspective. My session on what to monitor and how to report was very well received and shortly and an extended version of the presentation shall shortly be available as an article in the VIEW. So exciting times. For those of you who have not seen the presentation, we focus on monitoring and reporting from an ITIL perspective. Many operations managers and administrators are completely overwhelmed with prioritizing what requires monitoring and what requires reporting on. In this session ( using and ITIL framework ) we go through the steps on how to identify what requires monitoring and reporting, how to prioritize and how to report.

A lot of individuals in the session provided some excellent feedback , most of the comments about the presentation were very encouraging.. individual felt that they had learnt a lot and that they suddenly realized items that they should be monitoring that they had not considered before. So highly enjoyable..

I have been asked by a few people whether this is available as a workshop or whether I would be available to deliver it . I'm thinking about it.. if anyone is interested contact me .. I'm happy to answer any questions about the presentation, Article in the view ( my first !! :-) ) or follow on queries.


Eileen

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Annual Bloggers a Dandering Charity Hike 2012

Eileen Fitzgerald  26 January 2012 18:56:17

Last year Steve McDonagh and Andy and I did the Moyle way, 26 miles across country. The lads did it in Kits and we raise over 3k for Charity .. the Bloggers a dandering ( a dander is the Northern Irish version of a hike by the way ) second annual charity hike is taking place on August 25th 2012 .. more than likely the Great Western Greenway  but Steve and I have to do a recon on it first. So far we have five bloggers signed up to brave the hike ..  with many more interested in coming along.

SO make sure to donate to our Charity Page or drop us a line if you are interested in taking part.




Eileen

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Types of Shoppers !!

Eileen Fitzgerald  5 November 2011 20:06:36

Had lunch today with a friend .. who is a new mum ( and hence is now pushing a buggy .... ) and the topic of stopper shoppers came up ( BTW I'll not be running back to Fire Restaurant, it used to be great but was really bad today .. ) so we have a category of shopper who drive us mad, made for a hilarious lunch chat and I had to share ..

1. The Exit Stopper
This person will head for an exit , walk outside and then just stop , trying to decide where to go next. Now by the virtue of the fact that they were heading for the exit you would think that they have a plan in mind .. NO... this individual exits and THEN stops dead just outside the exit effectively blocking your exit if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be exiting behind them. Dear stopper .. the correct procedure is to have a plan on where you wish to go next when you exit a shop, if you are in doubt please exit and immediately step to the side  to not impede the exit of those behind you who actually know whether they are going left or right when they exit the shop.

2. The Escalator Stopper
Yes this person is very very closely related to the Exit stopper but definitely there are much less grey cells going on there. As with the exit stopper this person has chosen a direction but has to stop mid way en route to negotiate where to go next, HOWEVER , this stop point is normally at the top of the escalator. You arrived at the top of the escalator by means of a mechanical system that DOES NOT STOP .. hence  just because you have stopped at the top of the escalator does not mean that the individuals behind you can stop .. they cannot , normally they end up desperately trying to NOT knock you over ( Note I'm not bothered to try any more .. tough ) . AGAIN , the correct procedure ( if you are unsure of where to go .. is to STEP TO THE SIDE, and then decide where to go)

3. The Straight exit ..
This person is the complete opposite of 1&2 , They know exactly where they are going , the are exiting the shop and do so without looking left or right or having any consideration for any individuals who may be utilizing the street. Yes these intrepid shoppers exit without care for who may actually be in the path.. No again , normally I've given up caring whether I knock them over or not .. they are the ones that have just walked into me.. but.. but .. there are the straight exit with buggy's.. YES , they simply push their buggy into the path of oncoming pedestrians without care for the pedestrians or .. it seems .. the child contained within the buggy .. Many is the time I've been walking along and suddenly immediately in front of me is a buggy, forcing me to stop suddenly ( if possible ) and frequently do the mad balancing act of someone trying not to fall forwards over a buggy with a child within. What really makes me laugh is that normally the pusher of the BUGGY is the one who gives you the dirty look ( you almost fell over my child !! ) while being the one who simply pushed their buggy into your oncoming path.

These were our top three .. there is also the , yes I can text while walking, the saunterer, the gaggle ( Yes let us walk three / four abreast very slowly and take up the entire footpath .. ) .. and a few others..

Anyone have any others ?

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The Beara Way

Eileen Fitzgerald  31 October 2011 12:33:26

What a 12 months .. I've been exceptionally lucky with weather and friends who I've managed to Drag around some of the ways of Ireland .. in the past 12 months I've completed The Kerry Way, the Sheeps head Way , The Bluestack Way , the Moyle Way and now the Beara Way , Thanks straight up to Tony who I've dragged over from the UK to walk with me , challenge me ( he sets a cracking pace) and has ensured that I've not managed to get lost ( despite my best efforts ... )

The Beara Way .. as with all of the Ways that we have completed in Ireland , is exceptionally well marked , with some excellent hospitality from the B&B's along the way. The Beara Way I found to have the most varied and stunning scenery compared to the Kerry Way and the Sheeps head way. Every day was different and every day was more spectacular but in a different way.  However ..... it was also one of the least well maintained in terms of being a path .. some sections were very very boggy with minimal effort at creating a path and its not really advisable to do it without VERY waterproof boots ( as poor Tony discovered .. When hiking in Ireland , leaking boots are as useful as a chocolate fireguard).

Day 1 - Glengarriff to Adrigole ( 17K )
We kinda cheated today and I kinda regretted it We took a lift to the start of the off road section from our very kind B&B landlord. We really appreciated it but the road walking would have been pretty and also would have warmed us ( ME !! ) up before the steep ascent up Sugarloaf  Steep ascent but the view were worth it absolutely stunning scenery .. the trail was exceptionally well marked , however the descent was pretty boggy .. I think it was about this time that Tony learnt that leaking boots in Ireland really suck ..

..
BUT we did manage to find a pub at the end of it for the obligatory couple of pints .. ;-)

Day 2 Adrigole to CastleTown Bere (23K)
Again we knocked off the first 2/3 k of walking with a kindly offered lift to the start of the off road walking we were happy to do so , the road is pretty narrow and during tourist season would have been pretty busy ..start of the walk was really really mucky ... but there were some stunning views over the Fish ( Mussel ) Farms and the bay as as ascended out over the Harbor.. Stunning views around lakes and a great path up to an old mass rock, again the trail varied from good path to REALLY boggy ,,, but all very well marked. I have to admit I managed to slip on a really mucky steep UPHill acescent today and found myself in the inglorious position of slowly sliding down a hill while trying to hug onto it.
Stunning views coming into CastleTown Bere and we met a lone hiker on the route as well , 80 years old and on a hiking holidays.. I hope that I'm still hiking when I'm 80... the obligatory Post Hike Pint was taken in MacCarthys Bar .. the cover pic of the Book by the late great Pete McCarthy. Where not only did I have a pint , I watched the All Ireland Football final and watched Dublin beat Kerry ..


Day 3 - CastletownBere to Alilhies 13.5K
Another short day today ,we cut off the bog section so it was a steep wood climb , then gradual road walk into Alishies,  so finished Mid Day but we were actually lucky because as soon as we arrived in our B&B the heavens opened and it poured for the afternoon. Discovered O'Neills , fantastic Bar that serves great food , so the afternoon and evening was spend faffing , Food , Books , Newspapers , Wifi in the Bar , etc etc ....



Day 3 - Alihies vis Dursey (26K)
Now today should have been A round trip with a lot of back tracking but .. as you need a cable car ( the only one in Ireland ) to get to the Island , we took a lift to near the the cable car ( it operates in the morning and the afternoon .. not continuously ).
We technically arrived in loads of time to catch the cable car .. but of course as we had time we decided to throw in an additional loop .. ( and missed the cable car  ;-( ) have to admit to being disappointed at missing not doing the cable car and Dursey but we threw in an additional couple of loops . Stunning scenery, with a beautiful coastal walk back into the Alihies ( and back to O'Neills again for a few and some great steak )


Day 4 - Alihies to Ardgroom  (24K)
Leaving the Alihies we passed some of the old  copper mines, apparently the area used to be a very prosperous copper mining area and indeed we did pass a few mines dotting the landscape

Bit of a mix today in terms of the trail was either and excellent path or else exceptionally boggy but here was a good section of it along the coastal path I was taken by surprise, when coming into Ardgroom to be stopped by a man on a bike requesting if I was Eileen Fitzgerald ( turns out to have been our landlord ) Ardgroom  was a lovely small town, and the B&B was excelllent  I was very impressed.

Day 5 Ardgroom to Tuosist (25k)
Lovely day today and the walk out of  Tuosist was beautiful , lots of tourists around today, there are a lot of Stone Circles in the area , I tried to get a photo of one as we passed it but unfortunately there was a tourist who was deeply engrossed / involved with slowly going from stone to stone and embracing them ( I lost patience with waiting for her to get out of my photo shot and left ).  Suppose it takes all sorts ..
 the descent today was really boggy , I think I fell about five times .. for once I was way ahead of Tony .. ( but fell a lot more ).


Day 6 Tuosist to Kenmare (24K )
The first portion of the walk today was very challenging but more due to having to hike in very muddy conditions , the descent was stunning with some spectacular views as a backdrop to the two lakes ( inchiquin and Cloonee) I cannot say that I enjoyed the last section of the walk which was a road walk on a rather busy route, but we were rewarded with finally managing to get a reservation at Packies in Kenmare , excellent food well worth the wait.


Day 7 , Kenmare to Glengarriff via Dromoghty lake ( 27K)
This was my favorite day .. absolutely stunning views mostly road / track walking, with some steep ascents. And an absolutely glorious ascent over Knocknacorraveela, there was an option to take an easier route but we decided to take the more challanging one and I was sooo glad that we did. It was stunning.  


And then back to Glengariff for a few well deserved pints and another great meal at MacCarthys Bar .

Of all the walks that we have completed , the scenery along the Bera Way was possibly the most stunning , the more varied with constant surprises around every corner. We organized our own luggage transfer and accommodation this time and it was exceptionally reasonable even if some of the accommodation was pretty basic all of the places we stayed were clean and , West Cork lived up to its reputation of great food. The trail was well marked but as was commented, putting markers across a bog does not a trail make', some sections really really could have done with sleepers or something ,  anything and while our hosts were being very considerate offering us lifts to avoid boggy spells , sometimes they seemed to forget the fact that we were on a WALKING holiday ;-)) we learnt to NOT accept any offer of lifts as our hosts seemed determined to have us skip sections of the walk.

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Moyle Way Domino Dander Charity hike

Eileen Fitzgerald  21 August 2011 17:49:58

Before I even start this recap , I have to comment on Steve McDonagh ..  a couple of years ago he invited a few of us up North to walk the Giants Causeway , and an excellent outting we had .. ( Yes Bill there eventually was a pub around the corner ) . This kinda developed into an Annual tradition of a Domino Dander .. where a few of us who work in the same industry will do a walk. This year , Steve suggested upping our game... making it a challenge and raising money for charity. So we did , we decided to do the Moyle Way 26 miles across country. For me , it was a challenge but something that I knew that I was more than capable of achieving , Steve had been involved in a bike accident (Someone went into him ) and has a leg injury which did cause him pain and suffering during certain sections of the walk. So if anyone earned the money for charity it was Steve .. anyone who would put pressure on themselves , and obviously be in pain to achieve the Charity objective.... well if you have not contributed Steve deserves it for the pain and effort that he put himself through yesterday.  So if you have no given already .. now is your chance Moyle Charity

The Moyle Way

Before we start lets state that Andy and Steve decided to do the walk in Kilts , now its a terrible shame that this photo is out of focus as its the only one that I have of the three of us and if it had been in Focus it would have been a great photo .. ( But I'm including it anyway )






Soo off we went,  thank you too much to Val McDonagh for the lift at the start and pick up at the end. One of the repeated conversations that we had during the day , was the fact that Ireland is beautiful .. and only the 5% of the population in Ireland who Hike (heard that stat somewhere ) get to see the really beautiful sections . I constantly consider myself privileged to be part of that 5%.

Anyway off we went , Setting off at Glenariff ( I'll let Steve comment on the Barbies at the start ;-)) we had a lovely walk along the river bank and even saw a buzzard , we actually saw three of them during the walk , I'm not sure if its because I do not walk in Wicklow with the font of knowledge that is Steve McDonagh or because they are not there but I've never seen them when out walking down south , yet we saw three on the Moyle way wall .   Anyway off we went , heading through through  Glenariff Forest Park , the entrance of which is through a 'stress free zone' well it was before I got there anyway ;-)

Absolutely stunning walk , with loads of waterfalls and river view, s bit of a steep ascent,  but well marked and a very very obvious trail, then up Trostan ( well around really ) where the Scottish really came out in Andy ( add a kilt to a Scotsman) with loads of catalog posing and pointing out thistles ;-).

The around to Slieveanorra Forest ( with a slight off trail mishap ) where we stopped for a well deserved lunch. I learnt early in the day on that its an interesting exercise on where to look when Men in Kilts sit down. I did a lot of sudden map studying .
Then onto the way around Croaghan , nice trail but a bit mucky .. through Breen Forest .. where we saw the most amazing sight ( I'm really annoyed with not getting a pic ) of 100's of ducks by a pond. Then up a steep ascent ( where Steve's injury hurt him and he earned every penny for charity ) after Breen Bridge.

The Descent down and around Knocklayd was stunning, absolutely beautiful scenery

I have to admit the last 5 miles were tough , when you know the end is near , you start willing it. We made a strategic decision to skip the forest way into Ballycastle and go along the road. For a list ticker like me ( If I do the Moyle way I do the entire Moyle way) it was a tough call, but it was the right decision for the time. It was dusk so a forest walk would have been dreary, it had been raining so the route would have been muddy plus we coming in via the forest would have meant missing the sea views on the way in. And it was the same distance anyway. So we were treated to views of Rathlin Island and even Scotland ( you cannot really see it on the photo ) on the way into Ballycastle.




And into Ballycastle where a well deserved and enjoyed pint ( glass of wine for me ) was consumed just before Val picked us up , off to Chez McDonagh for a fantastic stew. Points to note during the walk..

• Both Andy and Steve have declared that they will hike in future in Kilts .. they found it very liberating ;-)
• As always amazing hospitality from the McDonaghs
• Great company with Andy and Steve for the day, I'd spent a day walking with them anytime
• Steve claimed to be the Johnny Cash of walking as he was dressed entirely in Black .. except for one item of clothing which was not on view. Unfortunately (for me) I can verify that he was not 100% in Black
• Andy has a song and retort for every occasion

This will become an annual charity hike, we have the date and potential hike organized for next year including everyone that we know, whether they like it or not ;-)) and I will do it in a Kilt next year as well ;-)


Great day , thank you to Steve and fantastic that while having a day out we also raise money for a well deserved Charity . thank you to everyone who contributed.

• Comments [1]

Moyle Way

Eileen Fitzgerald  21 August 2011 16:13:39

Before I even start this recap , I have to comment on Steve McDonagh ..  a couple of years ago he invited a few of us up North to walk the Giants Causeway , and an excellent outting we had .. ( Yes Bill there eventually was a pub around the corner ) . This kinda developed into an Annual tradition of a Domino Dander .. where a few of us who work in the same industry will do a walk. This year , Steve suggested upping our game... making it a challenge and raising money for charity. So we did , we decided to do the Moyle Way 26 miles across country. For me , it was a challenge but something that I knew that I was more than capable of achieving , Steve had been involved in a bike accident (Someone went into him ) and has a leg injury which did cause him pain and suffering during certain sections of the walk. So if anyone earned the money for charity it was Steve .. anyone who would put pressure on themselves , and obviously be in pain to achieve the Charity objective.... well if you have not contributed Steve deserves it for the pain and effort that he put himself through yesterday.  So if you have no given already .. now is your chance Moyle Charity

The Moyle Way

Before we start lets state that Andy and Steve decided to do the walk in Kilts , now its a terrible shame that this photo is out of focus as its the only one that I have of the three of us and if it had been in Focus it would have been a great photo .. ( But I'm including it anyway )






Soo off we went,  thank you too much to Val McDonagh for the lift at the start and pick up at the end. One of the repeated conversations that we had during the day , was the fact that Ireland is beautiful .. and only the 5% of the population in Ireland who Hike (heard that stat somewhere ) get to see the really beautiful sections . I constantly consider myself privileged to be part of that 5%.

Anyway off we went , Setting off at Glenariff ( I'll let Steve comment on the Barbies at the start ;-)) we had a lovely walk along the river bank and even saw a buzzard , we actually saw three of them during the walk , I'm not sure if its because I do not walk in Wicklow with the font of knowledge that is Steve McDonagh or because they are not there but I've never seen them when out walking down south , yet we saw three on the Moyle way wall .   Anyway off we went , heading through through  Glenariff Forest Park , the entrance of which is through a 'stress free zone' well it was before I got there anyway ;-)

Absolutely stunning walk , with loads of waterfalls and river view, s bit of a steep ascent,  but well marked and a very very obvious trail, then up Trostan ( well around really ) where the Scottish really came out in Andy ( add a kilt to a Scotsman) with loads of catalog posing and pointing out thistles ;-).

The around to Slieveanorra Forest ( with a slight off trail mishap ) where we stopped for a well deserved lunch. I learnt early in the day on that its an interesting exercise on where to look when Men in Kilts sit down. I did a lot of sudden map studying .
Then onto the way around Croaghan , nice trail but a bit mucky .. through Breen Forest .. where we saw the most amazing sight ( I'm really annoyed with not getting a pic ) of 100's of ducks by a pond. Then up a steep ascent ( where Steve's injury hurt him and he earned every penny for charity ) after Breen Bridge.

The Descent down and around Knocklayd was stunning, absolutely beautiful scenery

I have to admit the last 5 miles were tough , when you know the end is near , you start willing it. We made a strategic decision to skip the forest way into Ballycastle and go along the road. For a list ticker like me ( If I do the Moyle way I do the entire Moyle way) it was a tough call, but it was the right decision for the time. It was dusk so a forest walk would have been dreary, it had been raining so the route would have been muddy plus we coming in via the forest would have meant missing the sea views on the way in. And it was the same distance anyway. So we were treated to views of Rathlin Island and even Scotland ( you cannot really see it on the photo ) on the way into Ballycastle.




And into Ballycastle where a well deserved and enjoyed pint ( glass of wine for me ) was consumed just before Val picked us up , off to Chez McDonagh for a fantastic stew. Points to note during the walk..

• Both Andy and Steve have declared that they will hike in future in Kilts .. they found it very liberating ;-)
• As always amazing hospitality from the McDonaghs
• Great company with Andy and Steve for the day, I'd spent a day walking with them anytime
• Steve claimed to be the Johnny Cash of walking as he was dressed entirely in Black .. except for one item of clothing which was not on view. Unfortunately (for me) I can verify that he was not 100% in Black
• Andy has a song and retort for every occasion

This will become an annual charity hike, we have the date and potential hike organized for next year including everyone that we know, whether they like it or not ;-)) and I will do it in a Kilt next year as well ;-)


Great day , thank you to Steve and fantastic that while having a day out we also raise money for a well deserved Charity . thank you to everyone who contributed.

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BlueStacks Way. Donegal

Eileen Fitzgerald  14 August 2011 21:32:32

Legs are really tired after this one .... ;-) but it was a great walk. My first time ever hiking in Donegal and I shall be back ;-) But praying for fine weather .. The weather this weekend really really put the waterproofs to the test ...

The original plan was to head down to Donegal on the Thursday night , do the BlueStacks Way from Donegal to Glenties ( approx 40K ) on the Friday, on the Saturday do the remainder ( Glenties to Ardara, 10K )  and maybe throw in a hike on the Sunday before heading back to Dublin .. Well plans went wrong and in some aspect fortunately so .  Two of my hiking group Peader and Fiona had signed up to do the hike with me (and both agreed that my navigational skills have improved dramatically, apparently now when I pass the map to Peader to find out where we are, I actually have it pointed in the right direction .. )  but unfortunately Fiona was unable to make the trip until Friday evening, so a quick change of plans later and the Bluestacks Way was moved to Saturday and Peader and myself decided to do the Slieve League Cliff walk on the Friday. The Slieve League Cliff walk is a linear  22 K ( there and back ) walk and suppose to be one of the most spectacular cliff walks  in Europe ....

Well we arrived at the cliffs , it was pouring rain , there was a heavy mist , the forecast was for it to get worse .. Peader and I sat in the car .. staring out at the wind , rain and mist .. willing it to clear. It did not .. we did actually stick our heads out at one stage .. the brief view of the cliffs ( through the fog) I did get to see were frustratingly tantalizing. We had the gear but neither of us were interested in doing a walk in driving rain with no views just for the sake of it.

So we did the sensible thing , got back into the car, got the papers and spent a few hours in 'The Castle' with lunch ,coffee,  crossword , newspapers and the most amazing Chocolate and Prune Cake I have ever tasted !!!!

That evening Fiona Met us and onto Glenties where we were staying.. with Mary Ita of Avalon B&B in Glenties . Mary Ita was fantastic , when I told her we were doing the BlueStack way she was brilliant .. Close to the walk she is well used to walkers. Excellent hospitality and organized a packed lunch and luggage transfer to Donegal for us an everything ... I if you are thinking of doing the Bluestack way .. she's the person to contact about accommodation and logistics . She had loads of information and advice on other walks in the region as well.

Onto the walk .. Well we were exceptionally lucky as the walk had been moved from Friday to Saturday.  Friday it just poured rain all day, Saturday it was a mix , isolated showers .. but damm when it rained it rained. It was amazing , literally at one stage I was considering taking off my waterproofs within five minutes of me uttering that , it poured .. the heavens opened.

ANYWAY .. the Bluestacks way runs from Donegal to Glenties (39K)  and then onto Ardara (10K ) one of the guys in then hiking club had done it before and told us that the section from the Glenties to Ardara was a nice River Walk but nothing stunning so we were interested in completing it but were not too worried about completing that section. Because of the change in plan we were walking from Glenties to Donegal.

So we set off from Mary Ita's at 9:00 AM , within 30 minutes we were grumbling about having to put our waterproof jackets on ,, 60 min in the waterproof trousers came on ;-) and stayed on for most of the rest of the day. The section up Meenalilwirra was very boggy .. it was tough going but rapidly provided stunning views
Then onto the pass between Luaghnabrogue and Cloghmeen , absolutely stunning views coming down that pass , really stunning , you could see for miles ( yes it actually cleared long enough to see the views and make it actually think that I might take off my waterproofs )
The onto Disert Graveyard  where we stopped for a very quick lunch (generous lunch packed for us by Mary Ita:-)) a quick lunch because , yet again , it suddenly went from sun splitting the stones to pouring rain. As with all the Ways that I have completed in Ireland to date , the way was exceptionally well marked
But it made sense to carry a map and be able to track your progress on the map ( OSI 11 and 10 ). From Disert we made our way to Sheskinatawy , Meenataggart , and then a fantastic path that skirted the Bluestacks, it was rather frustrating as they were covered in cloud but even with that the views were stunning , I can only imagine what they would have been like in clear weather.. and I am coming back to actually hike over them next time.



Then onto the route to Lough Eske. The trail  from Lough Eske back into Donegal is all on road.. about 10K, it was really tough going . From our perspective it was good to complete the walk, but if I was ever to do it again , ( and I could afford it ) I may stay in Harveys Point just at the end of the walk , its an exclusive hotel in a stunning localtion just at the start / end of the off road section of the walk, from there to Donegal its a 6k road walk to Donegal town. The suggestion was made it stop in here for a G&T and get a Taxi back to Donegal but we brave it on for the last 7K to the B&B,, Much to Peaders disgust.

So we made it back to Margret in Ocean Breeze http://www.bandbireland.com/dsp.hoteldetails.cfm?hotelkey=3100 where our luggage was waiting for us ( thanks to Mary Ita ;-)) 38.5 K and 9 hours later ..


After a quick shower and a change it was off back into Donegal where we were all dying for a pint of Guinness . at this point there was a minor uprising .. where one of the party expressed no interest in walking the .5 K into the pub, we were exceptionally concerned as we also noted that there had not been a sarcastic comment from him in five minutes . However he was duly bundled into the car , dragged into the pub.. had wine poured down his gullet and he soon came back to normal and was raining caustic put-downs as per normal ;-))

On Sunday the legs ( and heads ) were a bit delicate .. we wanted to head back to Slieve League but en route it started to pour rain .. so any plans of a walk that morning were abandoned. Instead we headed out to Ardara to check it out .. really lovely place with some stunning views and cliffs


Then back to Harverys Point for lunch..excellent location but was very very unimpressed with the food and service..... And then back to Dublin..


Great weekend .. terrible weather, excellent walk , amazing value and hospitality  in the B&B's .. in Donegal we ate in Dom's , the Harbour , and The Castle .. the Castle was the only one that stood out for me. I'll be back to finally do Slieve League and some of the other trail's in Donegal .. there is some fantastic walking there ...

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Glen Coughlan HorseShoe

Eileen Fitzgerald  10 July 2011 21:37:24

Been a while and I'm long overdue a post .. but the walk I did this weekend demands a post.. I'll synopsis it before I comment. I'd googled some of the best walks in Ireland and this came up as one of the best and must do walks in Ireland. Promised to be rewarding from a scenery perspective but also physically and technically ( navigational ) challenging. As per usual , I looked at it , realised that It was wayy beyond me and decided I had to do it. Sent out an email and some of my hiking group signed up to do it, I set the date and booked the B&B's and were were organized. Seemed like a great idea at the time but ...as I said to someone recently, I advise with my ideas , unless its ' Lets go to the Pub' Just say NO EILEEN.....

It was an amazing walk but wayyy more challenging that I had envisioned. I knew that there would be a lot of steep ascents and descents but I did not anticipate the amount of climbing involved, the steep descents having to climb your way down a mountain , or slip down a steep descent navigating scree and ended up scree skiing.

So the Glen Coughlan horseshoe is an approx 14 K walk ( 16K if you do not do a car split ) that takes in 6 of the 12 peaks of the Bens in Co Galway. DerryClare ( 677M) , Bencorr (711) , Bencollaghduff (696m), Benbreen, Glengower (664m), Benlettery (577m)

But lots of steep ascents and descents .. I'm used to some walks where you can get your breath back and stretch the legs between ascents .. not on this walk , everything is either a steep ascent or descent , there is no in-between. Plus there is a lot of scrambling, a lot more than I anticipated.

I really would strongly advise organising a car split , some of the guys in our group suggested it and I swear , by the time we came down off the mountain , a 2 / 3 K road walk would have broken us. We left some cars at BenLettery Youth Hostel and took the rest to the foot of Derry Clare.



Steep ascent ( or so we though !!! ) then steep descent and ascent to Bencorr , lots of scrambling DOWN.. then again a steep ascent to Bencollaghdugg and a moment where we congratulated ourselves on getting three outta the six points completed. At this stage we stopped for lunch and it got really interesting.. we looked up ( or rather I looked up ) and wondered how the HELL we were to ascend Benbreen, but we did with some scrambling.The descent from Benbreen Scared the life outta me , exceptionally steep and scree , but once I tried Scree skiing and got a rhythm going it was rather fun ... not sure that I could get used to it.

The a steep ascent up to Glenglower ( which again involved some scrambling ... OK a hell of a lot ) there was one stage where I actually turned back .. said it was too steep / was not remotely comfortable with what I had to do and realised that it was the only way off the mountain .. so had to turn back and do it. I need to double check that the hiking I do has levels that I am comfortable with. I like a physical challenge , but no interest in being in danger.

The only Benlettery .. at this stage we were pretty tired , had been hiking for about 7 hours  and the legs were wrecked, the walk from GlenGlower to Benlettery was actaully OK but the descent from Benlettery was again.. steep , no clear path , scrambling involved .. we could see our cars at the Youth Hostel .. but it never seemed to get closer ... it tool about an hour to descend .. with our cars always in sight.

But we got there .. and then back to Clifden , ( I love that spot ) where we had a great meal, few glasses of wine and relaxed .. next day we went for a calm walk ( sea walk, 6K) just to stretch the legs ( in bits ) and clear the heads. its an amazing walk , with stunning , stunning scenery .. it is amazing .. but if you are not comfortable with scrambling then its not for you. I'm not sure whether I'm comfortable with the scrambling .. have yet to decide but absolutely delighted to have completed it, and we were soo lucky with the weather ..  It well deserves its reputation as one of the best walks in Ireland and I was lucky to have good company to complete it with.
 

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An Obituary printed in the London Times

Eileen Fitzgerald  11 February 2011 19:13:57

An Obituary  printed in the London Times - Interesting and  sadly rather
true. 


Today we mourn the passing of a beloved  old friend, Common Sense, who has
been  with us for many years. No one knows for sure  how old he was, since
his birth records were  long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will
be remembered as having cultivated such valuable  lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of  the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the  worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and  maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense  lived by simple, sound financial policies  (don't spend more
than you can earn) and  reliable strategies (adults, not children, are  in
charge).

His health began to  deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place.  Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual  harassment for kissing a classmate; teens  suspended
from school for using mouthwash after  lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an  unruly student, only worsened his condition. 

Common Sense lost ground when  parents attacked teachers for doing the job
that  they themselves had failed to do in disciplining  their unruly
children.

It declined even  further when schools were required to get  parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an  aspirin to a student; but could
not inform  parents when a student became pregnant and  wanted to have an
abortion.

Common  Sense lost the will to live as the churches  became businesses;
and criminals received better  treatment than their victims.

Common  Sense took a beating when you couldn't  defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home  and the burglar could sue you for assault. 

Common Sense finally gave up the  will to live, after a woman failed to
realize  that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She  spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly  awarded a huge settlement.

Common  Sense was preceded in death, by his parents,  Truth and Trust, by
his wife, Discretion, by his  daughter, Responsibility, and by his son,
Reason.

He is survived by his 4  stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It  Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A  Victim

Not many attended his funeral  because so few realized he was gone. If you
still remember him, pass this on. If not, join  the majority and do
nothing.
 

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Books that influenced me

Eileen Fitzgerald  20 November 2010 00:06:22

This week a list went out on facebook , 100 books have you read them or not, I've been a big reader all my life ( not had too much time recently and must make it) and a lot of people have commented on the books that are absent , Soo I'm going to add mine , books/authors that left a major impression on me that were not on the list. So here they are and why:

• Cosmos - Carl Sagan ... amazing , introduction to the cosmos , science and the solar system, in language that I could understand
• Before she met me - - Julian Barnes ... I love Julian Barnes, this is a slice of excellence. Amazing study in how a relationship turns to the dark side because of jealously
• The Music of Chance - Paul Auster .. he is just such a beautiful writer , I would read anything that he writes just for the quality of writing
• Tim Cahill - Anything he writes !!... I want this mans life .. basically go out , travel writer for Rolling Stone and tell us about it, but in such a DRY format :-)
• Neil Gaiman - Stardust .. tough one , as he is mostly comics , but is is a beautiful story well told ( BUT Sandman comic is better ... )
• American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis.. Difficult decision but basically at one stage reading this book I threw it across the metro in disgust, and then went to reclaim it, as I wanted to see what happened next. He provoked a reaction, and it worked.
• Salems Lot - Stephen King .. for many reasons scared the living daylights out of me .. still does .....
• Jewels / Colors - Victoria-Finlay .. just fantastic books , I love books about why things are and she does an amazing job of explaining how Jewels/ colors   are mined/achieved and achieved their value scale ( marketing )
• Longitude - Dava Sobel .. great writer , Galelios Daughter is also amazing, do not read Umberto Ecos - Island of the Day before without first reading Longitude

Lastly ..... as its not one Author, 'What if'  Book about some of the Major battles in life that turned on an chance event, question that is discussed in the essays is What IF that event had not happened ? How would history have evolved ?

And again these are the Authors / Books that did NOT appear on the list .. some of the authors on the list on on my book shelf ( glad to see Thomas Hardy there ) so this is my list of authors that were not on the list ..

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