Recession is here. So does that mean the good times are over? We say no. Cop yerselves on! Instead of crying into that pint (which will continue to cost you about €5 a pop), here are some great ways to have fun without having to fork out pots of cash and certainly not on expensive flights to foreign lands. In fact some of the activities we’ve lined up are downright cheap – or even free. So turn off the news for a bit, quit the whinging and get out there and enjoy what’s staring you in the face.
1. Bogged down?
Times might be hard but one thing we’re not short of in this country is bogs. If you’ve never explored these often-overlooked national treasures why not immerse yourself in them (literally) some day with a spot of bog snorkelling.
One of the biggest of these competitions on this island is the Northern Ireland Bog Snorkelling Championships which will take place in July in Peatlands Park, Dungannon. This free event is part of International Bog Day.
Competitors are not allowed to use conventional swimming strokes but must rely entirely on flipper power to swim the 110m-long course which consists of a water-filled trench cut through the peat. This course is the same length as the World Championship course in Wales. In fact, last year’s NI champion, Conor Murphy, who broke the world record in Dungannon, then went on to take the world title in August.
If this doesn’t sound extreme enough for you, you might like to check out the bog snorkelling triathlon that is also held in Wales annually. You’re talking a 19km run, a 110m bog snorkel and a 40km mountain bike ride – on a bike with its tyres filled with water and its frame filled with lead!
2. Get a wife!
2010 is the year for you and your husband/wife to figure out once and for all what your favourite position is. Then you’ll need to practice it a plenty if you want to be in with a chance of scooping the top prize at the All Ireland Wife Carrying Competition.
Taking place in July at the annual Sneem Family Festival, participants and spectators alike can expect splashes and spectacle as competitors make their way over the 253.5meters long which includes two dry obstacles and one water obstacle.
If you don’t have a spouse, don’t despair. The rules state that ‘the wife’ can be your own, the neighbour’s or a complete stranger. However, she must be over 18 and weigh a minimum of 49kg. If she weighs less, she will be handicapped with a loaded rucksack to reach the minimum weight. Organisers state that if you do borrow someone else’s wife, they recommend returning her immediately after the event.
Entry costs a paltry €20. For more information, visit www.sneemfestival.com.
3.Say no to neoprene
We’ve a thing or two to learn from previous generations about making our own fun and the most of our surroundings.
Take the Newtown and Guillamene Swimmers for example. This club has been going since the 1940s and many of these hardy seadogs meet daily at 11am to hit the icy water at their favoured cove near Tramore. Member Ken O’Neill says the daily dip is a recipe for camaraderie, long life and good health, pointing to fellow swimmer Neil Coneelly who died recently at the ripe old age of 90 and who till shortly before his death took the plunge religiously.
The club is all about promoting the simple pleasure of swimming in the sea followed by a chat and maybe a cuppa. The members also maintain the bathing area and hold charity fundraisers throughout the year which have raised an estimated €250,000 over the years.
Christmas Day is a highlight on the calendar when members and non-members alike head to the cover and are usually accompanied by a local brass band. Once the preserve of men only, these days women are welcome too. But let’s get one thing straight, it’s a big faux pas to arrive wearing a wetsuit!
And the Newtown and Guillamene Swimmers are not alone. Clubs like this one are to be found all along Ireland’s coast. There’s the Frosties who meet daily at 11.30 in Skerries, the Forty Foot Gentlemen’s Swimming Club whose members are known locally as daily communicants, and many more.
If you’d like to get a taster for what’s involved, head down to your local spot this 25 December (if you don’t know where that is, listen out for loud boasting in the pub on Christmas Eve). This is one of the best ways we know to ratchet up feelings of festive cheer as you share round a well-earned hot toddy or flask of tea. And believe me, your dinner will taste twice as good.
4. Craggy island
So many of us fork out our hard-earned cash to join gyms when equivalent natural facilities are on our doorsteps. For example, climbing walls in gyms are great but nothing can compare with the satisfaction you’ll get from clawing your way up rock faces in the great outdoors.
Ireland truly is blessed with an abundance of free-to-use crags dotted all over the country. Take Dalkey Quarry for example. Just a stone’s throw from Dublin’s city centre, you’ll feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle in this disused granite quarry. On a summer’s evening this is a great place to get an adrenalin high as well as enjoying stunning views out over Dublin Bay and listen to the birds chirping in the greenery. And when you’re finished your climb, you can always pop down for a swim or head to lovely Dalkey village for a pint in one of the classic pubs like Finnegan’s.
If this all tickles your fancy but you have no experience, no equipment and you don’t know how to get started, Nathan Kingerlee Outdoor Training (tel. 086-8604563; e-mail: info@outdoorsireland.com; web: www.outdoorsireland.com) is running free introduction to climbing promos in the quarry and in the Gap of Dunloe at the end of March. Other providers, including climbing instructor Declan Cunningham (e-mail: tel. 086-6028639; declancunningham@hotmail.com) take people out for around €50 per person.
5.Set sail
Dramatic unspoilt coastlines, generous breezes and endless welcoming nooks and crannies in which to drop anchor combine to make Ireland one of the world’s best sailing locations. And it’s not just a sport for loaded people.
You can spend five days plying the coastal waters on a luxury yacht for just €750 with Irish company Sailing West (www.sailingwest.ie). A first glance that price might seem out of place in our recession-busting list but did we mention that that includes your accommodation (a cosy berth on board), your meals and that over those five days you’ll become a certified crew member to boot – meaning that you’ll be very welcome on any boat in the future. Next stop the notice boards of any of the country’s yacht clubs where there are plenty of skippers looking for crew to man their boats through the seasons.
Now does that seem like money well spent?
Another alternative is to learn the ropes on the Jeanie Johnston (www.jeaniejohnston.ie), a stunning triple-masted replica of a 19th century sailing ship, one of the last of its kind before the steam ship era dawned. The overnight rate is €170 per person (including breakfast, lunch and evening meal.)
6.Surf’s up!
Ireland might be a tiny island at 1,448km long, we’ve a whole lot of coastline. That’s a veritable feast of surf spots for you to enjoy – free of charge – all through the year.
If you haven’t had a go yet, then you’ve no idea what you’re missing out on. This is a sport where even the most amateur of enthusiasts will emerge from the water with a grin on their face.
And if you decide to give surfing a go here in Ireland, you can learn from the best. Many of the highly skilful surfers that have ridden headline-grabbing behemoth waves are fully qualified teachers willing to pass on their impressive wave knowledge to novices.
To name but a few, Irish women’s champion, Easkey Britton, coaches at Finn McCools school in Rossnowlagh; current senior Irish surf champion, John McCarthy, heads up Lahinch Surf School; pro-rider Richie Fitzgerald teaches at TurfnSurf School in Bundoran, while big wave charger Martin Cullinane is Director of T-Bay Surf and Eco Centre in Tramore.
All of these instructors have surfed Aileens, so you’ll be in good hands with them. Or for that matter with ex-Irish team members Andy Hill of Trogg’s Surf School and Martin Kelly of TK Surf School in Portrush, not to mention Perfect Day Surf School in Strandhill where former Irish team coach Tom Hickey takes novices into the water.
Ireland may just be the hottest place to learn to surf right now despite our not-so-hot sea temperatures. The good news on that front is that cooler water keeps the crowds at bay – a big downside for learning to surf in warmer destinations. And lessons (which include wetsuit and board rental) start from approximately 35 Euro
