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Steel yourself Dublin for NFL touchdown

13th May 202513th May 2025 funtime65

The hour has arrived and Ireland is ready, so steel yourself Dublin for NFL touchdown with confirmation of a regular season game this autumn at Croke Park.

The big touchdown has been 30 years in the planning and will be a homecoming of sorts for the Rooney family, owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers who are rooted in Ireland.

Long-term American Football fans speak wistfully about the Pride of Pennsylvania, the Steelers’ visit to Dublin back in 1997 for a pre-season game against the Chicago Bears.

But there will be more than a passing connection too in the Minnesota Vikings through head coach Kevin O’Connell.

The Viking Irish

Despite the moniker Minnesota boasts a large Irish community.

Dating back to three demob soldiers in 1838, who will no doubt see the historic game as an opportunity to ‘come home.’

Minnesotans will, of course, be able to avail of direct routes from Minneapolis-Saint Paul with Aer Lingus.

One of 18 transatlantic routes it operates, and with pre-clearance.

Back in the late 19th century the flow of peoples was very much going westwards.

With Archbishop John Ireland a pied piper for Irish from the eastern seaboard and further afield.

The good cleric even attempted to settle his compatriots from the Old Sod.

In an area that reflected their roots, Connemara Patch around Graceville in 1880.

The immigrants who spoke only the Irish language struggled in the new colony.

Because of the cold but they were assimilated into greater Minnesota.

Minnesota mini-Ireland

Irish life and culture is rightly celebrated to this very day.

Every August the Irish Fair of Minnesota sees Irish-Americans come out in force for the craic.

Where you can dance, drink (this is Dyland and Prince’s state), sing and even learn how to play the bodhran (see picture). And all for free.

Being Irish too they take great pride in their St Paddy’s Day festivities in March in Saint Paul which date back as far as 1851.

When 300 waved the flag, made and listened to speeches.

And, of course, the Irish need little encouragement there, and fired a salute.

More surprising perhaps is the part played in early parades by The Irish Catholic Temperance Society.

With the 1956 iteration seeing the Benevolent Society of Erin host a dinner complete with toasts of cold water.

Croker is the real thing

Move aside: Croke Park, the home of the GAA

Thankfully these days since the revival of the parades in 1967, they have replaced the uisce (water) with uisce beatha (water of life/whiskey).

And now 100,000 revellers take to the streets with the Irish Music and Dance Association hosting dancing and live music.

All of which will be on display in Dublin’s Croke Park and throughout the city on Sunday, September 28.

Win lose or draw.

So steel yourself Dublin for NFL touchdown whether it’s Pittsburgh steel or the sharpness of a Minnesota Viking.

And for visitors from these shores to Minnesota-Saint Paul will shell out only €548.25 for flights with Ireland’s national airline carrier.

America, Countries, Pilgrimage

Sweet Rome Chicago

9th May 20259th May 2025 funtime65

And as £1.4 billion Catholic eyes turn their gaze to the Windy City why all roads have led from sweet Rome Chicago.

Because Cardinal Robert Prevost, or Pope Leo XIV as we now know him, hails from what could now be tagged the Holy City too.

That Chicago of all the cities in the world should be chosen to produce the 267th Pontiff is, of course, God’s calling.

But he has long cast his blessings on the great city of the Mid West since its first French Catholic settlement in the 1690s.

And our new Papa has French blood running through him and Italian and Spanish.

The Holy Ground

We recommend the locally-released documentary Holy Ground for those who want to delve deeper into Chicago Catholicism.

And we are grateful too to Chicago Catholic for helping us see the light.

Better still find yourself in Chicago as we will, God willing, next month.

Bless you all: Chicago’s most famous son, Robert Prevost

And will now seek out the Queen of All Saints church in Sauganash.

Where the worshippers have dedicated a stained-glass window to favourite son, Billy Caldwell, the very same Chief Sauganash.

That he has had the thriving southern neighbourhood of Sauganash named for him is testament to his contribution.

Hail to the Chief Sauganash

Two tribes: Billy Caldwell/Chief Sauganash

The son of a Scots-Irishman (all the best people are) and a Mohawk or Shawnee woman Caldwell championed the indigenous tribes.

The Potawatomi people who would populate the Chicago area.

Chicago Catholic marks the year 1833 as pivotal in the church’s story.

When Robert Prevost would have been but a twinkle in his great-grandfather’s eye.

The annus mirabilis 1833 marks the incorporation of Chicago as a town and the creation of its first parish, Old St. Mary’s.

The explosion of Catholic Chicago when because of its positioning in the Mid West it became a transport hub.

And a destination of choice for immigrants from the Old World.

With more parishes built to serve immigrant communities and outlying or daughter parishes.

Sky’s the limit

Chicago has long prided itself as the home of the skyscraper.

And like every other visitor we stand out among the locals for looking up.

But look between the soaring temples to consumerism, hospitality and business.

And you will see another history of Chicago, its ornate steeples.

And perhaps too, St Mary of the Assumption Parish on 137th Street in Riverside in South Chicago.

It may be a shell now of what it was but a stained glass window remains which a young Robert Prevost would have lost himself in.

The boy who would become Pope Leo XIV, the first Pontiff from the USA, now has a rather grander Vatican church from which to worship.

But all roads have led from sweet Rome Chicago

America, Countries

A return to Alcatraz

5th May 20255th May 2025 funtime65

And on the back of Donald Trump’s suggestion that the world’s most notorious jail be reopened for prisoners… a return to Alcatraz.

The penitentiary famed for being impregnable from jail breaks held some of the world’s most dangerous criminals.

Al Capone, ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, ‘The Birdman of Alcatraz’ Robert Franklin Stroud and James ‘Whitey’ Bulger among them.

Opened as a penitentiary on the rocky island 1.25 miles off San Francisco in 1934 it closed as a jail in 1963.

Tour de force

Not that all the baddies had gone away, it was dimes, buckles and cents which was the driver for change.

And a nascent tourist industry built up in 1973 around Alcatraz, or Gannet Island in Spanish.

And it has drawn millions to the fortress since.

Most of us thankfully only pass through its doors and hear the big clanky chains as visitors.

A Wilde sentence

Prisons have long held a fascination for the curious tourist.

My first working visit to an active prison was to Reading Gaol.

Where, of course, Oscar Wilde, sentenced to two years’ hard labour for ‘acts of Sodomy’ wrote the searing Ballad of Reading Gaol.

Carved in history

Prisons have since the dawn of time held the guilty, innocent and martyred.

Many have literally left their mark as you will find out first-hand in Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin.

Where the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising were held before their execution.

And where the gangrenous James Connolly, proud son of Edinburgh, died strapped to a seat at the hands of a firing squad.

Mandela to Papillon

Line up: With Mandela and Siseko in Port Elizabeth

Islands have long been used for jails from our own Gannet Island, Bass Rock, off North Berwick here on the east of Scotland.

To Devil’s Island (Cayenne, French Guiana) which held Henri Charriere, immortalised in the Steve McQueen movie Papillon.

To Robben Island, off South Africa’s Western Cape in South Africa.

Where you can walk in the footsteps of its most famous inmate Nelson Mandela.

Alcatraz, of course has given rise to a raft of movies.

The most famous real-life jailbreak being the tale of the three escapees.

Who to this day it is disputed whether they ever got to freedom or died in the freezing waters.

A fate that won’t, of course, befall the modern tourist who want to make a return to Alcatraz on a day or night tour.

So get in quick because it might all change if Donald Trump brings the island back as a penal colony.

America, Countries

Viva Splash Vegas

19th April 202519th April 2025 funtime65

We’re pooling our knowledge here today as we get the swimmers out and say Viva Splash Vegas.

Not that we’d intend to do much swimming as Las Vegas is all about the poolside parties.

So it’s good to see that our old stomping ground of the Venetian Palazzo is on the list of poolside parties.

Sent to us by our party pals from Neon City.

Trunk call

Our swimmers, trunks and togs have been everywhere with us.

The lengths and breadths of the world, the one luxury item all of us pack in our suitcases.

Except we always forget something and apart from money swimmers are the one thing we will definitely need in Vegas.

Which is how I came to be in a Wal-Mart off the Strip buying said forgotten item, a pair of Stars and Stripes string shorts.

Where Miss America happened to be appearing for our delectation and my photo album.

Top of the deck

The Palazzo Pool Deck at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas features multiple pools and hot tubs.

As well as cabanas for up to 24 guests and stacked with luxurious amenities, such as HD TVs.

Nibble on coastal cuisine as you sip a cold-pressed juice or bottomless Bellinis or sangria from the deck’s CAPRI Restaurant & Bar.

Vegas’s pool season runs from March to October.

Sounds like our party

Of course poolside parties can be loud, raucous affairs so you’ll be wanting to check out the sounds.

Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas is billed as a three-pool oasis that frequently hosts superstars like The Chainsmokers and Diplo.

TAO Beach at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas offers an Asian-inspired decor with a top-tier sound system, elaborate poolside menu.

And performances by A-list talent like Alesso and Fisher.

The club offers two cabana options, as well as the Side Chef Experience, where guests can indulge in elevated selections.

Like A5 Wagyu, lamb and tomahawk steaks, all served tableside.

Both Encore Beach Club and TAO Beach are open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Road to Mandalay

The Mandalay Bay Resort meanwhile boasts the DAYLIGHT Beach Club spanning 50,000sqft.

With a massive main pool, VIP cabanas and private spa pools.

Themed events such as Soaked Saturdays and LIT Sundays bring high-energy DJ sets.

While NEON VIBRA, a Latin night swim starting in May, transforms the space into a reggaeton-fueled party.

Go with the Flow

Or if you really want to turn up the adrenaline The Scene Pool Deck at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has an old fave we know.

From Celebrity Cruises in Barcelona, catching a wave on the FlowRider.

Hanging ten right in the middle of the Strip!

Hang with the cool crowd

And sports fans won’t want to miss Stadium Swim atCirca Resort & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas.

The 21+ pool amphitheater boasts six pools, swim-up bars and a 40ft tall HD screen displaying the biggest games of the day.

All with unbeatable views of Fremont Street where we’ve hung out on their zip wire.

Now whichever pool party you dip your toe in be sure to make the most of it.

Because it is Viva Splash Vegas.

The best way to reach Vegas from Europe is through Ireland with pre-clearance.

Aer Lingus flies from €273.02-€534.24 each way.

America, Countries

Celebrate the life of Lincoln

15th April 202515th April 2025 funtime65

We immortalise him in plaster but today on the anniversary of his death we celebrate the life of Lincoln.

The Lincoln Memorial stares out to the Capitol and the Washington Monument in the nation’s capital.

And is one of the world’s great statues and the site of another of the most defining times in American history.

When Martin Luther delivered his I Have A Dream speech before 250,000 people around the Reflecting Pool.

Belong to the angels

We mark today when he died as we did yesterday when John Wilkes Booth shot him in Ford’s Theatre.

It was at 7.22am on April 15, 1865 that the 16th US President, the one who saved the union for those Commanders In Chief after him, was declared dead.

And Secretary of War Edward Stanton pronounced that he now ‘belonged to the ages’ or ‘angels’.

Before he belonged to America, the world and the angels Abraham Lincoln belonged to Springfield, Illinois.

From Kentucky to Illinois

A dirt-poor cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hosgenville, Kentucky and Indiana before that.

Twas Illinois though where Lincoln graduated to become a lawyer and politician.

And where he laid down roots for 17 years with socialite Mary Todd and where they set up home.

Which you can see with your own eyes and we will explore the possibility of visiting.

When we attend the American Travel Fair in Chicago, a three-hour drive south, in June.

On the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets, visitors will get a glimpse into Lincoln’s life.

As well as a family man and explore his rise to prominence.

The House of Lincoln

Admission to tour the house is free but tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each tour is limited to 15 individuals.

Pick up a ticket inside the Lincoln Home Visitor Center for the 20-25 minute tour.

Lincoln is, of course, universal and the Visitor Center has thrown its doors open to the four corners of the world.

Your virtual Lincoln

Through a collabration with Google Arts and Culture, it is now possible to take a virtual tour through the Lincoln Home.

Videos of a tour through the Lincoln Home are also available on the Lincoln Home National Historic Site YouTube account.

Springfield is too the last resting place for Lincoln and you can pay homage at the Lincoln Tomb.

At the end of the 1,654-mile Lincoln Train journey from DC across the States, which set out on the April 21 of that year.

Lincoln is all around us

In fact Lincoln is ubiquitous in Springfield.

And you can check out the Lincoln Rail Splitter Statue, the Presidential Library and Museum, the New Salem State Historical Site, the Lincoln Pew and the Long Nine Museum and Lincoln Depot.

Which of course the visitspringfield site is all over it.

And which we’ll return to again next week as we celebrate the life of Lincoln and his legacy.

Countries, Flying

Holidos and Don’ts – no more boarding passes

11th April 202511th April 2025 funtime65

And the answer to all our prayers, yes the return of an old favourite feature on this site and the end of another, Holidos and Don’ts – no more boarding passes.

Boarding passes can, of course, be the bane of our lives as we pad our pockets a hundred times on the day of our departure.

And still doubt ourselves that they haven’t dropped out of our pockets or we’ve left them behind.

A lifetime of passes

Answer to our prayers: Facial recognition

Here’s a thing though, since uploading the passes to our phones and Rynair are planning on getting rid of all paper passes I’ve been getting nostalgic.

But for the Scary One and her constant spring cleaning of my War Room (I put pins in the destinations of a wall atlas) I’d still have a pile of my old passes.

With markers from everywhere from the Maldives, South Africa and Jordan to Morocco, the Caribbean and all across the States.

All of which act as mementoes which let you daydream and drift off to exotic climes.

On cold, wet, dark days of which there are many in Scotland.

And when you’ve got a list of chores around the house which you need to avoid.

Face values

Find your gate: It may be further than you think

Now we have the International Civil Aviation Organisation to thank.

For this new revolution in aviation travel.

The UN body wants to create a new ‘digital travel credential’ within ‘two to three years’.

Allowing passport information stored on devices and used for travel.

And meaning that you will be able to download ‘a journey pass’ where your face will be your key.

Of course, if you’re one of those accidental tourists, of which I can count myself a paid-up member.

You’d forget your head

Then there will be other challenges.

Such as not leaving your mobile phone behind.

As I did on my MLK50 odyssey through the Deep South.

And had to have a courier chase our coach 100 miles up country to reunite man with mobile.

Or misreading my airline and going to the wrong Lufthansa gate in Munich airport.

And despite breaking the speed record across terminals.

Having to lean on the stern but generous Bertha at the counter to move my flight.

So that I could hook up with my party in Athens.

But that’s another story.

I need now to readjust for the future, it’s all part of the ever-changing landscape that is, Holidos and Don’ts – no more boarding passes.

America, Countries

Donald ‘Jay’ Trump and The Great Gatsby tour

10th April 202510th April 2025 funtime65

And as everything always comes back to him anyway today we’re taking you on a Donald ‘Jay’ Trump and The Great Gatsby tour.

The Great Gatsby, oft-described as the Great American Novel, was first published on this day in 1925.

And social and political observers in the Oo Es of Eh and elsewhere have been falling over themselves.

To draw similarities between Gatsby and the 47th President and their worlds.

And, of course, straight off the bat, both The Donald and The Gatsby have New York in common.

Making their name and fame in glitzy Manhattan and going on to build a world and a base around them.

Which, of course, we can discover for ourselves on what we’re calling a Donald ‘Jay’ Trump and The Great Gatsby experience.

Plaza Suite

Gatsbyphiles will know well The Plaza Hotel, near Grand Army Plaza and Central Park.

Where Gatsby demands Daisy admit she never loved Tom and which sets in motion the characters’ unravelling.

And which Trumpohiles will know too that The Donald owned in the late 80s and 90s.

To channel your inner Gatsby visitors can book the Plaza’s Gatsby’s Suite Experience.

The package includes a minimum two-night stay in the art deco-inspired Gatsby Suite.

And two tickets to see The Great Gatsby Musical on Broadway and a complimentary drink at The Broadway Theatre.

For stays through Wednesday, April 30.

Trump Tour de force

And while you are in the neighbourhood explore the Gatsby of our times, The Donald.

With the OnBoard Tours Trump Tours (4.5hr bus and walking tour for under $60 adult and under $50 for kids).

Apprentice fans will jump at the chance of placing themselves at the front door of the building.

Where contestants have left with the parting shot ‘you’re fired.’

Back to the Roaring Twenties

Your Trump Tours will drive you next by Trump Parc and Trump Parc East which date back to the Roaring Twenties.

And 40 Wall Street which briefly in 1930, was the tallest building in the world.

Now Trump Place remains a particular favourite of The Donald which he calls ‘The Crown Jewel of the Upper West Side.’

The great New Yorker is at every turn with Trump International Hotel near Columbus Circle.

America, Countries

Universal is coming to Britain

9th April 20259th April 2025 funtime65

And good news out of America… Universal is coming to Britain and it will be the biggest theme park in Europe when it launches in 2031.

Yes, they’re regular visitors in these shores and in Ireland, spreading the gospel on hospitality nights promoting upcoming features.

And also inviting us over to Orlando and Los Angeles to immerse ourselves in their worlds.

So what can we expect… well, like a Ron Weasley trick all will be revealed but just not yet.

In with the bricks

Tracks of time: With pal Colin in Orlando

But what we do know is that it will be built in Bedfordshire on the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks site, 45 miles north of London, and will spread across 473 acres.

And it will attract 8.5million visitors in its first year alone.

That British Universal will be built on a former brickworks site brings to mind a story told to us.

By those behind the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on our first visit.

That when Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were being recreated in Orlando 15 years ago a designer was passing through the airport.

Only to be stopped and asked why there was a brick in his luggage.

Of course they told Homeland Security that it was for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

And that JK Rowling had insisted that it had to be exactly the same brick that she had imagined for his books from back home in Britain.

Rowling with it

Buttering up: With butter beer in Universal Orlando

It is that exact detail that sets Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley apart with every brick, fixture and fitting, merch and butter beer passed first by the author.

Of course Universal like the big milky way we live in is always evolving.

And Potterheads are besides themselves in anticipation.

For the Floridian funspot’s unveiling of 1920s Paris and the British Ministry of Magic at Universal Epic Universe on 22 May.

Five new worlds

Now we’ve been keeping you up to date with Universal’s mega plans in the Oo Es of Eh.

And its five unique new worlds including Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Dark Universe.

And, of course, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.

Now just think then what they might have in store for all of us on this side of the pond with six years to go.

And that Universal is coming to Britain.

America, Countries

Griffith Observatory’s stars out

8th April 20258th April 2025 funtime65

James Dean said it best in Rebel Without A Cause with the Griffith Observatory’s stars out.

‘Once you been up there, you know you’ve been some place.’

And where Jimmy Dean trod other icons of the big screen followed.

Such as Michael J Fox, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and a host of others including the Transformers.

Force of nature: Transformers at the Observatory

This year marks 90 years since the Welsh industrialist Griffith J Griffith’s legacy dream of an observatory became reality.

And 70 since Dean popularised it for the world in the ultimate coming of age teenage angst film.

In James Dean’s space

Mirror image: The knife scene at Observatory

Now when his character Jim Stark slouched in his seat in the planetarium and goofed about as the lecturer opened up the world of space.

It would be another six years before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space.

The world has changed, as every politician is fond of telling us, but space hasn’t other than the traffic up there now.

And Griffith Park and the observatory are strikingly similar to when Jim and his rivals had their knife fight outside.

Griffith’s graft

We imagine the imaginatively named Griffith J Griffith would approve of the continuum.

Having insisted that the 4,310 acre park in the Santa Monica mountains should be the property of the Los Angeles people in perpetuity.

Which means that trekking through the park and picnicking there remains a favourite pastime of locals and tourists alike.

The Griffith Observatory as demanded by its donor is free as is the free night-sky telescope viewing, the most looked-through lens in the world.

Planetarium shows at the Observatory are offered eight times a day on weekdays and ten times a day on weekends with just a $10 fee.

While car parking fees are around $10 if you arrive by car though it would have cost Jim Stark big with that knifed tyre, even in 1955.

Sign of the times

Picnic time: On the Bikes and Hikes tour

The park also includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Greek Theatre and the Hollywood Sign.

Although you can no longer get right up next to the sign because of messers.

And they still try to get up them thar hills even with the threat of a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

And the cops are atop that hill with their Tannoy too.

Better hook up with Bikes & Hikes as we have and explore any of the 53 miles of trails, with them offering a holiday sale down from $59 to $39.

So if you want to do like the locals and the stellar figures of old, Griffith Observatory’s stars out to play every day in the Oo Es of Eh.

Countries, Cruising, South America

Pleasure cruises to unite Argentina and the Falklands

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Where battleships once crowded the South Atlantic seas now pleasure cruises to unite Argentina and the Falklands, or Malvinas.

The invaders though, as is always best, arm themselves with binoculars, cameras and money to spend.

On board ROL Cruises’ 21-nighter, showcasing ballroom Buenos Aires, the immense Iguazu Falls.

And the fauna and flora of the Falklands and ch-ch-ch-chilly penguins of Chile.

With your South Atlantic odyssey a year and a half away, flying out of London on February 21, there’s plenty of time to save up.

Tango in the night

You’ll quickstep into your holiday with a two-night stay in the Argentine capital.

At a 5* hotel with a dinner and tango show as part of a Concierge Class Stateroom and a Buenos Aires tour of the city’s highlights.

Your feet, barely touched the ground, you’ll be hotfooting it back to the airport for the next leg of your journey.

Two nights at Iguazu, at a 5* airport, naturally.

Before taking in the 55,000 hectares National Park and its lush rainforest.

Named for the river serving its northern border, meaning ‘great waters’ in the Gurani language.

Falling over yourself

You’ll be taken to the 80m-drop waterfalls that separate Argentina from Brazil and which are taller and wider than Niagara.

From where you can look down the Devil’s Throat from the balcony at Garganta del Diablo.

Attack it from the base by taking the elevator down to the base and stop right above river level.

From a 1,000m footbridge, admire the Falls or go up an elevator to the Salto Floreano viewpoint.

Celebrity status

You’ll overnight again in Buenos Aires before boarding Equinox from our favourite Celebrity stable.

And your 14-night all-inclusive voyage.

You’ll tick off another country with a stop-off in Montevideo in Uruguay.

Before claiming another for yourself with the Falklands/Malvinas which, of course, takes some sailing.

And you’ll be grateful your whale of a vessel in Stanley Harbour.

Which is dotted with the hulks of whalers vessels that succumbed to the fierce winds and waves of the South Atlantic.

Cape crusaders

Buttressed by the bulk of Celebrity Equinox to cruise by Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan to get round the other side.

To the Punta Arenas of Chile and gawp at the soaring mountains, beautiful national parks, vast ice fields and towering glaciers.

And even trek through Magallanes National Reserve or visit the penguin colony at Seno Otway.

Before leaving the saddlers behind for the next party.

And turning back on yourself for Puerto Madryn, Argentina, Punta Del Este, Uruguay and Buenos Aires and home to London.

Deal us in

It’ll be plain sailing too with a discount taking your Oceanview cabin down from £6,899 to £5,999.

And your Sunset Concierge reduced from £8,499 to £7,699.

So as you plan your calendars then make this your task force.

The Pleasure cruises to unite Argentina and the Falklands