How Do the Irish Wash?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m leaving for a trip to Ireland in a few weeks…flying into Dublin and almost immediately striking out for the West Coast.

I’m traveling with the Ukulele Lady, 11-year-old Pianola, and 5-year-old Banjo. We figure that, with two kids on a 2-week trip, we have the option either of packing the clothes into a steamer trunk and bringing along a personal Porter, or finding some way to do laundry at least once.

My question…in the smaller cities and towns of coastal Ireland, will there be Launderettes (good) or laundries where we can drop our clothes off and pick 'em up clean (better) or nothing at all (very, very bad)?

Also…is it worth packing my flute along? Or will I be courting a savage beating if I sit in with the local pub musicians and screw up?

2

Can’t tell you about the Laudrette availability, as it has been ages since I’ve been to Ireland. But I have done many a wash in a ladies room sink, blowing dry with the hand dryer or hanging undies from my backpack!

But will you pass through Co. Leitram on your trek? My friend Jerry has a pub & restaurant in Ballinamore, on Church Street. My brother works there, stop in if you can, it’s called the Poor Scholar.

You should love the coast, especially Galway. Aren’t you brave, trekking with the little ones.

3

Why, take them to the Magdalene Laundries, where wayward girls, harlots, and unwed mothers will wash your skivvies in return for a small donation to the wardens…er…nuns.

4

Yes, there will be laundrettes almost everywhere, but most will be self-service. You go in, you put your clothes in the wash, you wait, you take them out again. An hour out of your day.

I have no idea on the flute thing.

5

Well, that depends. In most tourist areas, or in larger towns, there will be self-serve launderettes and cleaners both. If, however, you’re going to the tiny towns on the West Coast, then I wouldn’t put your chances too high. Ask at your hotel/B&B/hostel. Many places will have washing machines, or you might find someone willing to take in washing. Take stuff that dries easily-you may have to wash it be hand and jeans, for one take forever to dry. And besides, it’s Eire and it WILL rain. Even in summer. Sometimes twice a day. That’s how we get the 9000 shades of green. :slight_smile:

As for the flute, bring it along by all means. Even if you’re not brilliant at it, people appreciate a try. And if someone tells you of a pub “They’ll be good craic (pron. crack) the evening there” they’re referring to the Irish/Gaelic word for fun, not the white substance.

6

Dublin, hmmmm? Why not wear a jacket made out of the Union Jack? It won’t show the dirt at all, and you won’t HAVE to worry about washing it. Especially if you wear it with bright orange pants. Remember: orange. You’ll look swell.

7

According to my sources, all Irish wash in springs, using heavily scented soaps. And they all end up fresh and clean as a whistle.[sup]TM[/sup]

As for the flute thing, my (real) sources tell me that, so long as you aren’t an embarrasment to flutedom, the Irish are much more forgiving of less-than-perfect playing than we Yanks are.
Just don’t tell them your stories about band camp.

Sua

8

Dude, you totally crack me up!!

9

geez.

i thought that there would be a punchline in here somewhere :slight_smile:

10

Anyone remember Britannia jeans? When I was in my teens, I was visiting my Irish grandmother in Dublin. She kindly offered to do my laundry one day. I got my jeans back, neatly folded, with the Union Jack label carefully snipped out.

11

I’m sure they have laundromats.

My question is:

Do the native Irish use Irish Spring soap like I do? Or am I being misled about the Irish authenticity by the corporate world?

12

What? The Irish don’t use Imperial Leather???

13

Yeah, Mick, they use Irish Spring too. And, if the commercials are to be believed, they just wander into the bushes and are immediately doused with a continuous spray of water.

14

Yes, they have Laundromats. Shouldn’t really be a problem.

As for bringing along your flute, The musicians would be surprised to see a Yank that didnt try to play the Bodhran, inevitably just bought in the local tourist trap and with a picture of a leprechaun on it.

To be on the safe side, ask one of the bar wenches if it is ok for people to sit in on the sessiun. THe vast majority of Ceoiltoirs are very happy for people to sit in, but some are stuck up themselves and don’t like the attention being diverted from them. These people are the ones who play 28 verse songs about the famine, and look like they could break into tears at any moment. These people are in the extreme minority.
So, any chance of meeting up for a pint?

15

I was just going to ask the same question.

16

Thank you for the info, ladies and gents. I’ll be sure to schedule a couple hours of a day midway through for a trip to the suds parlor.

Twisty and yojimbo: Trust me, guys, when I say I’d really love to get together with you guys (actually, I wanna get together with ruadh and tatertot, as close as possible, but that’s neither here nor there).

I’ll be there with my two surly, high-maintenance children, however, whose dispositions will not be improved by the transAtlantic crossing, and we’re going to be in Dublin for about 24 hours before leaving for Cork, and afterwards up the coast as far as Sligo. A few hours of this Dublin time will be devoted to finding the hotel and napping in it. And if I tell the wife that I’m taking off afterward to drink with a couple of jolly mates from the SDMB, I know for sure where my NEXT savage beating will be coming from.

(I was planning on spending the remaining time in the city visiting the Trinity Library, Treasury, and Long Room…not terribly creative of me, but I’d hate to miss 'em. Is this a Good Idea, or should we do something else?)

Flute thing: I’m not a master, by any means, and I wouldn’t try to elbow out the fiddler and take over the leads on any jigs, reels, or set dances…what I’d hope to do would be figger out the changes and kind of “harmonize,” adding a mournful, keening layer to the mix. It really depends on whether there’ll be room in my bag for it, I suppose. Packing along a sopranino recorder is another thought, although I consider people who show up with a recorder to be musical losers. (Speaking of which…Bodhran? Are you calling me a drummer???)

Sua: As soon as I submitted the OP, I considered coming back and offering to shoot the first guy to make an Irish Spring joke. I know where you live, man.

Eve: If I decide to swing by Belfast, can I bring you anything back? A pipe bomb?

17

I believe that’s called “the Irish Climate.” Wife works with a recently-arrived Irish woman who loves it over here because one can picnic and do other outdoorsy things that she couldn’t do in the old country without getting soaked. The rest of us are calling it a drought and find that our clothes are soaked in five minutes from sweat, but why ruin her fun?

18

Go See Trinity.

I’m sure you’ll find it intruiging.

As for the drinks, I’m sure you can find some excuse. Ruadh should be about. C’mon, Your drinks bill will be paid by me. Bring the wife along. get her used to this Pub culture, as she’s going to be seeing a lot of it during your stay in the country.

Honestly!! There’s not much to do in Sligo. Its all rain and incest out that way.

19

“Eve: If I decide to swing by Belfast, can I bring you anything back? A pipe bomb?”

—Oooh, please do, dear heart! But remember to TELL THE STEWARDESS that you have it when you get on the plane. They have a, ummm, special compartment they like to keep 'em in.

[exiting stage left, whistling “Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?”]

20

Once, I wandered into the bushes and was immediately doused with a continuous spray.

It was at Cub Scout Camp. Some of the other lads thought it was too far to the outhouse, so…

:frowning:

:mad:

I made my immediate rebuttal with a 2-by-4 that had a rusty nail driven through it. :slight_smile:
Later that evening, I presented several of the offenders with a Yellow Jackets’ nest. By “presented”, I mean I threw it into their tent after they were asleep. :smiley:

It was about that time I was asked to leave the Cub Scouts…