We have some cruise details for you …
Towns, Bases, Boats and Guides …
Yes, you can helm (drive) if you like … as long as the skipper deems it safe for the rest of us ;). Skips may take the helm in tight spots – when passing other boats and cruising under narrow rock bridges etc..
Click PortumnaBase for general and transfer info for Portumna base
Click CarrickBase for general and transfer info for Carrick on Shannon base
Click SkipHandbkLebt for a guide to the boats and running them on Ireland’s rivers and canals
Key towns and villages …
-Portumna
Situated at the head of Lough Derg, Portumna is one of Galway’s most attractive towns and is famous for Portumna Castle. Both King James I and Queen Elizabeth I of England visited. Home to lords, the castle and walled gardens takes you back to a time of aristocratic wealth.
-Banagher
Banagher is steeped in history. Come here and discover this peaceful and quiet town hiding many treasures of the past, like the old Castle Clonony. Head downtown and visit the pretty Saint-Paul’s church.
-Clonmacnoise
Near Shannonbridge, it is a wonderful vestige of the past, lost in nature. Discover a great monastery, established in the 6th century. It was once the most famous of the island, before being destroyed by Athlone. Come explore Clonmacnoise and her many beautiful monuments, like the old monastery, the ruin of the cathedral and the pretty castle ruins too. The landscapes here are marvelous.
-Athlone
The capital of the Midlands, is a welcoming town. Discover its culture, especially Athlone Castle, built to defend the island against French attacks and then partially destroyed by a lightening strike in 1967. Learn about Athlone’s history at the Folk Museum, which trace Irish farming and folk traditions from the 18th century. Take time to see the visitor centre and the beautiful landscapes over the river Shannon.
-Lanesborough
In the small town of Lanesborough stands one of the oldest centres of Christianity in Longford, Saint-John’s church, a beautiful building built on an older church dating from the 5th century. St. John’s Church has been on the site since the 5th century.
-Tarmonbarry
Is a welcoming town with many vestiges of the past. Discover the hidden Abbey in the church grounds, built in the twelth century or enjoy the sight of the great Carriglas Manor. If you stay for the night, enjoy the plentiful local pubs and restaurants.
-Roosky
This picturesque village is an important boating harbour on the River Shannon with many attractive mooring places. There are some lovely walks here, and really good spots for anglers. Be sure and try their new Crimean Take-over Pie (sorry, I added that last part – Woody).
-Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-On-Shannon is the largest town in County Leitrim. The ruins of the old Carrick Castle can be glimpsed on the Carrick Bridge. Stop in this pretty town and visit the great Saint-Mary’s Church. Learn its history and discover its culture in the art centre.
Some Irish Phrases …
- Acting the Maggot – Fooling and messing around.
- An Lár – (Irish – ‘On Larr’) – City Centre (An Lar is written on the front of Dublin buses to confuse tourists!)
- Áras an Uachtaráin – (Irish – ‘Arr Iss On Ook TarAwn’) – Home of the President i.e. Located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin
- Bad dose – Severe illness
- Bags (To make a bags of something) – a botched job
- Bang on – Correct. Accurate
- Banjaxed – Broken
- Batch Bread – Thick bread, sometimes sliced already
- Biteen – Little bit
- Black Stuff – Guinness
- Bogball – Gaelic Football
- Bogger – A person from the countryside
- Bowsie – A useless good for nothing usually a male
- Boyo – Male juvenile delinquent
- Bazzer -A haircut (Cork)
- Brutal – Terrible or awful
- Bucketing down – Raining
- Bulmers – Legendary Irish cider, called ‘Magners’ abroad
- Bunk Off – To skip school
- Chancer – Someone who’d try anything i.e. ‘chance their arm’
- Chiseler – A child (Dublin slang)
- Ciotóg- A left handed preson (irish- Kithogue)
- Cod/Codding ya – To pull someone’s leg
- College – University
- Craic – Fun; gossip i.e. “What’s/How’s the craic?” means “tell me your news/gossip”
- Crack on -Continue on
- Crocked – Broken
- Croker – Croke Park in Dublin (main GAA stadium)
- Culchie – A person from the countryside (i.e. outside Dublin) from agricultural
- Cute hoor – A sly person, someone who quietly engineers things to his own advantage.
- Dekko- Look at or inspect
- Delira and Excira – ‘Delighted and Excited’ (Dublin slang)
- Dub – A Dubliner. A ‘True Blue Dub’ is praise.
- Dubes – Short for Dubarry (A brand of shoe favoured by Rugger Buggers)
- Dublin 4 / D4 – A Dublin postcode, but usually refers to a posh person (even if they’re from another Dublin postcode)
- Deadly – Fantastic, Wonderful
- Dense – stupid or thick
- Desperate – terrible (isn’t she/he so/just so Desperate) awful (Irish Roscommon etc slang)
- Donkey’s years – For a very very long time
- Dosser – Someone who is not working at their job
- Eat the head off – To give out to someone
- Eejit – Complete fool
- Earwiging- Listening in to a private conversation
- Effin’ and blindin’ – Swearing, cursing
- Eff off – polite swear word
- Fair play! – Well done
- Feck Off – Go away.
- Fella – A guy. Particularly as in ‘Me Fella’ or ‘My boyfriend / husband / partner’ (Dublin slang)
- Fierce – Very
- Fine thing – Good looking man or woman
- Floozie – Woman of dubious moral attributes
- Fluthered – Very drunk
- Fool eegit – Idiot (Cork slang)
- Fooster – fiddling about
- Football – Soccer
- GAA – Gaelic Athletics Association (Organisation responsible for Hurling and Gaelic Football). Sometimes referred to as ‘Gah’ instead of the G.A.A.
- Gaa – same as the GAA pronounced as as a single syllable GAH
- Gaff – Home. ‘To have a free gaff’ means you’re home alone
- Gammy – crooked or funny looking; as in “he has a gammy leg”
- Gander – A quick glance
- Garrison Game – Football / soccer
- Gas – Funny or amusing
- Gawk – To stare rudely
- Gaybo Famous Irish T.V and Radio personality Gay Byrne
- Get Outta That Garden – affectionate phrase generally thrown into a conversation to encourage laughter, example: “ah would ya get outta that garden!”
- Give out – To have a go / chew someone out e.g. I gave out to him
- Glass (A Glass of ) a half pint Beer/Cider/Guinness
- Gobshite – Socially inept person and / or complete fool
- Gouger – aggressive male
- Guff – excuses and lies
- Gurrier – Hooligan
- Hames/Haymes- Complete mess e.g. to make a complete haymes of something
- Hardchaw – Tough Guy
- Harpic – as in “a pint of harpic”, reference to Harp, a former brand of lager beer
- Hockeyed – Heavily defeated
- Holy Joe – Self righteous person
- Holy show – Disgrace
- How’s she cutting? – ‘Hi’
- Howya – ‘Hi’ or a person from a rough area of Dublin
- Hurl – To play hurling. A hurley stick. To vomit. Or to throw.
- Jackeen – A rural person’s name for a Dubliner and it’s not nice.
- Jacks – toilet
- Jo Maxi – Taxi. Shortened to simply ‘Joer’ (pronounced: jo-er)
- Joy (The) – Mountjoy Prison in Dublin
- Kip – a dump. e.g.: “The hotel was a complete kip.” Or to have a sleep.
- Knacker Drinking – To drink outside illegaly
- Knackered – Very tired or broken beyond repair
- Langer – A cork name for an unliked person (male)
- Langers- Very drunk
- Lash – To rain. e.g.: “It lashed out of the heavens the whole time.” Also verb : ‘give it a lash – to make an attempt at something or ‘to go on the lash’ – to out drinking
- Leg it – To run away quickly
- Locked – Very drunk
- Manky – Filthy dirty or disgusting
- Mi Daza (Cork) Means excellent, brilliant, fantastic. Pronounced (mee-dah-za)
- Mineral- a soft drink
- Mitch – To skip school
- Moran – A fool
- Mortified (or morto, e.g. I was morto!) – Highly embarrassed
- Mot – Girlfriend (Dublin slang). From ‘maith’, Gaelic for ‘good’.
- Murder – Very difficult. e.g.: “Trying to find a taxi was murder.” Or else to really want to do something e.g. ‘I could murder a pint.’
- Naggin – A small bottle of alcohol, particularly vodka
- Nip (in the) – nude
- Nixer – job done for cash to avoid tax
- Norn Iron – Northern Ireland
- Not the full shilling – not fully sane
- Now your sucking diesel You have solved or understand a problem
- On the tear – To go out drinking
- Ossified – Very drunk
- Oul Fella – Your Father (Dublin slang)
- Oul Dear / Oul Wan – Your Mother (Dublin slang)
- Oul Doll – Girlfriend (Pronounced: Owl-Doll)
- Paralytic – Very drunk
- Pictures – To go to the movies i.e. I went to the pictures last night
- Plain – Guinness, as in Flann O’Brien’s “a pint of plain is your only man”, or similar black stout
- Plastered – Very drunk
- Puss (To have a puss on you) – Sulky face
- Rugger Bugger – Person who’s posh loud and likes rugby (usually from Dublin)
- Rugger Hugger – Girl who’s posh and goes out with rugby players (usually from Dublin). Can also be called a ‘Rugger Bugger’.
- Savage – brilliant, great e.g I went to see a savage match yesterday
- Scarlet – To be very embarrassed e.g. ‘I was scarlet’
- School – Primary or Secondary School / Elementary, Junior High or Senior High School
- Senior Cup – Major schools rugby trophy played for by schools mainly in Dublin.
- Shattered – Very tired
- Sheila – a pet name for a promiscuous girl.
- Shinner – Someone who supports Sinn Fein
- Shite – something that’s bad quality, as in “the car was a pile of shite”
- Shower of savages – Ignorant group of people
- Slag – To make fun of someone in a nice way ,nb to be used as a verb, if not has the same meaning as elsewhere ie ‘a common prostitute’.
- Sleeveen – Devious and sly person, usually referring to someone from outside Dublin
- Sliced Pan – Bread bought already cut into thinnish slices
- Sorry- means Sorry, also used instead of excuse me or pardon me. If you want to get to the bar say Sorry !
- Story? (What’s the) – ‘Hi’
- Suckin’ diesel (Now you’re) – Now you’re talking. Now you’re doing well
- Tánaiste – (Irish – ‘Tawn Ish Teh’) – Deputy Prime Minister
- Taoiseach – (Irish – ‘Tee Shock’) – Prime Minister
- Tayto – Legendary Irish brand of crisps (US ‘chips’)
- The Pale – Anywhere inside the Dublin region
- Thick – Extremely stupid
- Throw shapes – To show off, sometimes aggressively
- Touched – Someone who hasn’t their full mental capacities i.e. He’s touched
- Town – City Centre or even the local town!
- Tricolour – Irish flag
- Trinners – Trinity College Dublin
- Uachtarán na hÉireann – (Irish – ‘Ook Tar Awn Na Hair In’) – President (Of Ireland)
- Weak as a kitten – Very tired
- Waster – Someone who’s completely useless i.e. ‘Yer man’s an awful waster altogether’
- Work away – Continue what you are doing
- Yoke – An object or thing i.e. ‘That’s a strange looking yoke, what is it?’
- Young Fella (male) or Young One (female) – Young man or Young woman (Dublin slang)
- Your Man (male) or Your Woman (female) – referring to someone you are talking about (not boy or girl friend/wife etc.)
- Your only man – Something that you can rely on e.g. If you’re hungry, a burger’s your only man (a burger will alleviate your hunger), see Plain above