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Priorities? — 7 Comments

  1. A gallon of puke?
    You were lucky Grandad..I remember in the early sixties emigrating to England on a flat bottomed converted cattle boat called the “Princess Maude”. Jesus the puke was all around our ankles, on corridors, stairs, suitcases..fuck it Grandad ’twas everywhere. But it’s amazing how you cope when you’re young.

  2. Your Highness – I thought the Princess Maude was the Isle of Man steamer?  Maybe not.  I would have classed last night’s crossing as “calm” but obviously others thought differently?

  3. Mi dear broth of a boy,
    Ne’er were truer words spoken in anger.
    To well I recall the night crossings ,Holyhead to
    Dun Laoghaire in the late 40s,the days when one
    could smoke,sup, wretch and break wind to your
    hearts content. Were there ever better times than
    those rain swept days on Connemara’s shores.
    Alas no more for me Eireans green isle ,tis too grey.
    too regimented,too controlled for hearts and souls
    that were weaned in the yearning for freedom .
    Indeed ,4 years ago harsh letters were dispatched
    to the Failte and many others in the tourist trade.
    “I’lle not be coming again to your Emerald Gulag nor
    any of my blood”
    I’lle take no more groups to Knock,Lisdoonvarna nor
    Donegal
    Mi little bitterness is now at end

  4. Grandad I looked it up and the Princess Maud plied her trade for British Railways between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead until 1965. It was some boat alright !!
    Barrus you’re right the days of freedom on Paddy’s green shamrock shere are well and truly over. Can’t wait for the revolution…

  5. Barrus – Those were the good old days of the [coal-fired] Mailboat and the [coal-fired] mail train.  By the time you got to Euston you had  about half a ton of coal slack floating around your lungs.  We were all better off for it too.

    Your Highness – Most of my memories are of travelling on the Hibernia or the Cambria which must have been in the ’50s.  I vaguely remember the Princess Maude now that I think of it.

  6. Ah, you bring back back the fond memories of spending 3 days on the surface of the North Sea during a raging storm. 80 knot winds and a sea state 7, rolling around like a drunk whale in a nuclear submarine that has no keel. Only 11 out of 90 or so crew members were not afflicted with violent seasickness for those 3 days and I, fortunately, was among those 11.
    Didn’t we 11 have a bit of fun with the other 80 or so.

  7. We always travelled on the either the Hibernia or the Cambria but my Dad always talked about a third – maybe that was the Princess Maud..
    Anyway, as I recall – every deck and corridor was swimming in vomit on a rough crossing…. don’t think people were checking it for fag ends though …
     

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