Hoping to pat this fluey infection on the back and wave it out the door by tomorrow.
How come with thousands and thousands of years of this kind of weather behind us, our bodies still buckle so easily to Irish winter weather? I wrapped up good and proper, everytime I stepped out, yet the cold in Avoca last week still managed to get under my skin and I've been knocked out since.
Anyway, this post isn't about how many sachets of Lemsip 1000g paracetamol I've resorted to, it's a post to plug an excellent weekend of birding which has been organised by Breffni Martin and Eric Dempsey.
I went along to last year's and really enjoyed it, so just thought I'd post the details here in case anyone fancied going along this year. I'd highly recommend.
Here's the details:
Sixth Carlingford Birding Weekend 4th, 5th and 6th February 2011
With Eric Dempsey
 Carlingford is one of the most beautiful places in Ireland, with fantastic scenery, medieval ruins, and a great culinary tradition. The mudflats, wetlands, and mountains around Carlingford also support thousands of overwintering birds which can be viewed just a short walk from the village. This year we are hosting the Birding Weekend on the weekend of 4th, 5th and 6th of February 2011. Friday 4th February 2011 • Illustrated talk with Eric Dempsey, 7pm – 8pm – Four Seasons Hotel, Carlingford, Co. Louth. Saturday 5th February 2011 • Bus outing around the Carlingford Lough and Dundalk Bay shore stopping at several well known birding spots. • One hour stop for lunch at Ballymascanlon Hotel (around €10). • Walk in grounds of Ballymascanlon Hotel or Ravensdale Forest depending on weather. • Final swing by coastal sites before returning to Carlingford. • Group dinner Four Seasons Hotel (€25). Sunday 6th February 2011 • Walk along the Carlingford Shore and Shilties Lough starting at 10am. • Weekend ends 1pm though further optional walk after lunch for those interested. Cost • €50 per person covers guide, bus, and talks. • Carlingford has dozens of B&Bs and several hotels, prices for the weekend starting at 75 Euros, as well as public transport options – see www.carlingford.ie • To book please email Breffni Martin bmartin@regintel.com, 087 9145363 Eric Dempsey is the guide for the weekend. Eric is a professional guide, lecturer, broadcaster, author and photographer. Notably he is author of Finding Birds in Ireland, The Complete Field Guide to Irish Birds, Birdwatching in Ireland with Eric Dempsey and several other publications. Eric is also a regular panelist on the RTE radio show Mooney Goes Wild. For the post I wrote last year on the Carlingford birding weekend you can click here. If anyone's looking for something decent to watch online, I found a film called Wedding Belles on 4oD - bit on the dark side and easy to tell Irvine Welsh wrote it, but free and a great performance by Michelle Gomez. |
