Working, Living & Travelling In Ireland

Category: General

  • Ireland’s love with tea… an overview of Irish Teas(repost)

    Hello Readers,

    Tea anyone?

    I have been meaning to write about Irish tea to which I have taken a liking to over the years.
    I am definitely a Lyons fan, you won’t find me drinking Barry’s, I am Lyons tea all the way:)

    Some interesting Tea Facts

    An interesting fact is that Irish people are the largest tea consumers in the World!
    On a per head basis, the most tea is drunk in the Irish Republic where annual consumption is 2.79 kgs/head. The UK drink a bit less at 2.12 kgs/head. ( quote taken from the Tetley website)
     

    How do you drink your tea?

    You either drink your tea black or white ( with or without sugar), and if you drink it white, it’s best to put the milk in first , then the sugar, and then add the tea! When you are working you would get tea breaks, and that’s a time to relax, catch up on gossip and have tea or coffee. It’s very much part of Irish life.

    Tea before or after special occassions!

    I remember that shortly after my boys were born, I was offered tea and toast on a tray in the hospital.
    Often when visiting people the first question will be ” what about a cup of tea”?
    You might enjoy the below clip! *warning* strong language!!!

    Types of Tea

    There is , Barry’s Tea ( Cork) and Lyons Tea ( Dublin) and Bewleys Tea ( Dublin), there are also two Northern Irish Tea brands, namely Punjana and Nambarrie. There is also a company in Galway who specialises in wholeleaf Organic Teas.
    There are many many other brands available in Ireland, such as:
    Tetleys, PG Tips, Lipton, Typhoo, Pickwick  or Twinings but none of them are Irish brands.
    Amazon has a good selection of them, see below links to purchase!

    Amazon.com Widgets

    I am getting thirsty now, so where is my cup of tea!

    Katleen

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  • LE COOL – DUBLIN – Intership – work in a magazine! 2014

    Hi all,

    Looking for an internship/stage in a Dublin Magazine?
    Why not check out the below opportunity LE COOL – DUBLIN

    We offer a minimum of a month’s internship with us in South Studios. Help us put the magazine together, gain some publishing experience, take charge of your own projects and hopefully learn a little while teaching us old dogs some new tricks. Please send us a note about yourself along with your CV. For more info, please email dublin@lecool.com

    Tell them I sent you!
    Have a great weekend !!
    Katleen

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  • Interesting offer with Digiweb for international calls from a landline

    Interesting offer with Digiweb for international calls from a landline

    Hi all,

    I was doing some research to figure out what would be the cheapest way to make lots of international calls.I have covered this subject before – check out this post.

    So what’s out there?

    Tescomobile offers amazing rates, starting from just 1 cent a minute to a large selection of countries! An excellent way of keeping in touch, but do read the small print, as there is a daily allowance of 200 minutes. If I wasn’t making that many calls, I’d be using this option.

    I was pretty sure I would settle on a VOIP solution like Blueface , however when I started doing the calculations – it turned out a pricey affair. As I make a lot of international calls, I asked to get a quote for unlimited UK and Irish calls + 40 hours of international calls to land lines in the  Benelux, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland. I was given the following quote:

    Small  office plan :unlimited calls to Ireland and UK landlines = €34.95 p/m

    40 hours of international calls – €70 additional credit p/m approx

    I then happened to contact my current provider Digiweb , average bill being around 35 Euros.(Line rental and some calls)

    They offered me a rather interesting deal!

    Unlimited UK and Irish calls : : 35.57 Euros

    and an add on called Talk world : 5 Euros

    The add on offers following: 6000 minutes(ie 100 hours) of calls to Australia, USA, Canada,France, Italy, Spain, Germany,Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden

     The  icing on the cake? Mobile calls to USA and Canada are FREE and mobile calls to the other countries in the package are reduced to 19 cents! So total : just over 40 Euros!

    You can check out their plans here. They are currently revamping their website, so you won’t find this info on their website yet, so just call them to switch to them or change your call plan!

    I have been using  Localphone which I found excellent value too, with probably the cheapest rates I could find to ring international mobiles. I’ll use them and also Dialwise for other landline/mobile calls that don’t fall into the Digiweb offer.

    All I needed now was a phone that would enable me to plug in a headset! There really weren’t many options, and settled on this phone on the Harvey Norman website! I don’t live near a store, but they offer a delivery service, so I should have the phone early next week:)

    Hope this will come in handy for someone else!

    Katleen

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  • State reaches deal on cost with cancer drug producer – update Cathy Durkin Cancer Appeal

    Hi all,

    In my previous post I had asked you to send an email to the HSE for a patient called Cathy Durkin, who needs acces to the cancer drug Ipilimumab.

    The drug had been turned down by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics last year on the basis of cost, but a concerted campaign by oncologists and patients has led to a change of mind. The centre originally claimed that, at €85,000 per patient, it was too expensive given that a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found a median survival rate of 3.7 months extra for patients taking it.

    You can read the article :.State reaches deal on cost with cancer drug producer

    Thanks for those who sent an email to the HSE!.

    Happy Friday!!
    Katleen

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  • Cathy Durkin Cancer Treatment Campaign(Access to Ipilimumab) – please help!

    Dear Readers,

    I received an email from a friend a few days ago, explaining about  the  Cathy Durkin Cancer Treatment Campaign(Access to Ipilimumab) .

    I was asked to send an email to  ceopa@hse.ie and CC infoline1@hse.ie and liam.woods@hse.ie, which untill today, I didn’t do:(. However, I did like their facebook page , and when I read today’s update, well, I decided that I really do need to write that email, and I hope some of you will do too.)

    This was her update on the facebook page :

    My name is Cathy Durkin and this is my cancer story.

    In June
    of 2011, I began to see flashing lights in my right eye. I went to the
    optician who diagnosed me with a torn retina. I was sent straight to
    the Mater Hospital where I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma. From
    there, I was sent to the Eye and Ear Hospital where I was told that the
    tumour was 11.6mm and the only option was to remove the eye.

    My eye was removed on the 19th of July 2011 – one of the worst days of my life.
    Fast forward a little bit and in early October I began to have problems
    with my hip. I had an MRI which came back as atypical. Thankfully, I
    happened to have an appointment with my oncologist Professor John Crown
    on the 30th November. I gave him the disc of the MRI and the
    radiologists in St. Vincent’s reviewed the scan and diagnosed me with a
    hip fracture and cancer in the hip joint.

    Professor Crown very
    kindly waited until after Christmas before telling us that the cancer
    had spread to my hip, but with that also came the devastating news that I
    had cancer in my liver aswell. I began chemotherapy in January2012 but
    after 2 sessions we were given the worst news that the treatment wasn’t
    working and the tumours had grown slightly.
    I am now going through
    Immunotherapy which is a treatment where my immune system is heightened
    to fight the cancer cells. The next stage is a new treatment called
    Ipilimumab (Ipi) which is currently not funded by HSE or the insurance
    companies in Ireland at the moment

    My friends and family have
    come together to raise the money to pay for this treatment. They have
    also started a campaign to have the HSE reverse their position on
    funding this potentially life saving drug as currently there are a lot
    of people in addition to myself who need access to this drug.

     So how can you help?

    Simply copy and paste the below draft letter to send to the HSE to reqest
    that they change their position on funding for Ipilimumab.

    Please copy and paste the emails below and send them to ceopa@hse.ie
    (that is the email address for Cathal McGee the Head of the HSE) and
    copy main HSE enquiry infoline1@hse.ie and also Head of Finance Liam
    Woods liam.woods@hse.ie
    Below is the text:
    ===================================================================
    Dear Mr McGee

    Please find below a letter we received from Mr Francis McCaffrey, HR Manager for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
    We need to raise €85,000 for buy the drug Ipilimumab (Ipi) for our
    friend Cathy Durkin who has melanoma cancer. This story has had wide
    coverage in the last week on the Joe Duffy Show, in the Evening Herald
    and was carried on the front page of the Irish Daily Mail on Saturday
    with a follow up on the Irish Mail on Sunday and also in the last few
    days.
    Cathy has three small kids – her youngest Conor is about to
    start school in September, Alyssa is making her First Holy Communion
    next May 2013 and her eldest Alex is making his Confirmation next May
    also. We have already started to fund raise for this drug – we have
    planned choir nights, sponsored walks, football marathons, Disco Diva
    nights and cake sales – we have already raised €35k so we have €50k to
    go.
    Can you please review your decision to fund this to save families like the Durkin Family?
    Can you please make a decision on this very quickly – we have only
    really 4 weeks so that is what is causing this to be so urgent!
    Cancer affects everyone – not just the cancer sufferer, but their children, husbands, parents, friends and neighbours.
    Cathy has enough to worry about without wondering where the money is
    coming from – and that is why we are planning so many events to get as
    much money as possible together in a ridiculously short space of time in
    a recession – but we will get there if we have to by hook or by crook!

    Sadly Cathy is not the only person in this position so it’s imperative
    that the HSE change their decision on funding for Ipilimumab.

    Please help!!

    With many thanks for a speedy decision
    ============================================================== 

    I am hoping everybody who reads this blog, takes out 1 minute of their busy schedule to copy and paste this into an email, and hopefully your emails will make a difference to Cathy and her family and everybody else in Ireland who needs access to this medication.

    Thanks!
    Katleen

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  • NAMA, recession and domestic stabilisation?

    NAMA, recession and domestic stabilisation?

    Hi all,

    I have never really touched on the subject of the Irish Economy, the bailout, the Troika
    and the (possible ) reason(s) of our current debt problems.

    I have no intention to  personally give you an answer to all of these questions either :), but there are plenty of people who have very good knowledge of this all, and I’ll share some resources with you where you can read up about it to your heart’s content or watch some videos..

    I recently attended a conference in Galway, organized by the EU called
    The economic challenges facing Ireland, 24 March 2012 Galway
    I heard about this conference via a blog I follow by Krishna De.

    It’s seldom that the EU ( who have offices in  Dublin) come to Galway to hold a conference, as usually these things are held in Dublin, so I was delighted to listen to the various presentations.
    The conference was hosted by Margaret E Ward

    There were presentations by :

    • Professor John McHale, Professor and Head of Economics at the National University of Ireland
    • Dr Aidan Kane, Lecturer in economics at the National University of Ireland
    • Seamus Coffey, Lecturer in economics at the University College Cork
    • Ronan Lyons, Independent economist

    If you click here, you can listen to them too!

    During all these presentations, there were quite a few resources mentioned.
    The ones that I wrote down were :
    http://www.irisheconomy.ie/ – Commentary and information about the Irish economy
    http://namawinelake.wordpress.com/ – all you want to know about NAMA

    http://www.ronanlyons.com/ – Economic Analysis: Stats, Graphs, etc

    http://www.charliefell.com/ -Financial market analyses and investment
    http://www.bruegel.org/ – Bruegel is a European think tank working in the field of international economics
    http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/ – Economist, Broadcaster,  Author
    And last but not least, check out http://www.boards.ie  which has lively debates about any subject!

    Warm regards from an exceptionally sunny Galway!!!

    Katleen

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  • Google Quality Evaluator- Dutch, French, German speakers

    Hi all,
    Thought I’d share these vacancies, they are Dublin – 3 based.
    Contact Anna +353 1 614 6056  anna.dragon@cpl.ie
    This is the job spec.
    Google Quality Evaluator, French, Dutch or German speaker 
     Do you speak any of the following languages: French, Dutch or German?
    Do you want to work for one of the leading companies in business? Contact me for more information!
    Do you have the requirements that I’m looking for?
    Are you familiar with Google’s products such as Google +, Google maps, Google documents, Google translate?
    If yes, please contact me, anna.dragon@cpl.ie  
    Key tasks and activities:
    o          Make decisions regarding accuracy from multiple sources of data
    o          Review or research patterns in data, focusing on details and taking action to improve data accuracy
    o          Identify issues or inconsistencies in data and proactively question data quality
    o          Make outbound phone calls to business representatives to retrieve and/or verify information.
    o          Provide a professional face of the company to our customers
    o          Work on a computer for extended amount of time staying focused and working at a fast pace
    o          Potential side projects e.g. analyze metrics, recommend operational flow improvements based upon analyses etc.
     
    Qualifications & Requirements:
    o          Solid knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and related language and communication  skills
    o          Must have basic knowledge of computers, experience using personal computers, web browsing and data entry skills
    o          Dependable, reliable with a strong work ethic and ability to work with minimal supervision
    o          Logical thinking and independent decision making skills.
    o          Attention to detail together with creative problem-solving and analysis skills
    o          Effective time management skills
    o          Experience working and training in a cross-cultural environment with remote teams
    o          Flexibility in switching between duties and assignments as required.
    o          Detail orientated with experience working with high volume repetitive task
    o          Good knowledge of your home country?
    o          Fluent English with good writing and reading comprehension skills

    Good luck!
    Katleen

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  • For budding enterpreneurs – check out Bizgrad 2012 – 31st of March ( Dublin)

    BizGrad 2012

    Opening doors for entrepreneurs! How YOU can realise your new business potential.
     
    BizGrad consists of a series of workshops which will give you practical advice and direction on starting your own business. You can book it via this link
     
    BizGrad
    will give you the chance to attend short and sharp relevant seminars
    concerning various aspects of new business enterprise, from getting your
    ideas formulated into a coherent business plan to using technology and
    social media to reach potential customers. Speakers who feel they can
    share their own business and entrepreneurial experience are invited to
    participate. This is your chance to have learn and in turn have your
    message heard.

     
    BizGrad will consist of a morning and afternoon
    of talks which you will be able to attend according to your own business
    interests. Two keynote speakers will open and close the event. There
    will be plenty of opportunity to network and ishare your ideas with
    other ambitious and talented entrepreneurs over the course of the day
    and after.

     
    The event will take place in DIT Aungier Street, Dublin 2 on Saturday 31st March. 
     
    This
    is an entirely voluntary event, there are no sales pitches or hidden
    agendas. Our sponsors will be covering the cost of the event and all
    speakers will take part on a voluntary basis. The entire proceeds from
    the online booking charge will be donated to the Simon Community. 

     
    We realise speaking in public can be daunting,
    but we would encourage attendees to volunteer as speakers in a friendly
    and relaxed atmosphere. This is your chance to create something
    positive! We therefore invite you to attend and possibly present a talk
    of your own choosing. Suggested talks can be viewed on our website.

     
    We, the organisers, are two Masters students in
    Business and Entrepreneurship here at Dublin Institute of Technology who
    wish to bring together young entrepreneurs to inspire and influence
    each other. We believe we can all harness our own potential and do
    something for ourselves. We intend this event to be the first step on
    the road to realising our own futures. 

     
    The cost of the event is an entirely reasonable 10 Euro, which even includes lunch!

     
    Hope to see you there!
    Katleen

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  • The Late late show is calling all Irish Abroad

    The Late late show is calling all Irish Abroad

    The Late Late Show is calling all Irish Abroad

    The Late Late ShowIf you have left Ireland or you have family who have, ‘The Late Late Show’ wants to hear from you!


    On
    Friday 16th March, ‘The Late Late Show’, will feature video messages
    from Irish abroad.  They are looking for a 30 second clip telling us who
    you are, where you are and what you’re up to. 

You can tell them how
    you’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day if you feel like it or what you
    are missing about home.
    The more creative your entry the
    better!

You can email your clip, send a Youtube link or post your video
    on their Facebook page.

  Good luck!!
    

HOW TO SEND YOUR CLIP:
    

The clip can be sent via email, Twitter or Facebook.


    EMAIL: Send your video directly to
    latelate@rte.ie 


    FACEBOOK: post it right here! tinyurl.com/latelatefb 


    YOUTUBE: Upload your video to YouTube and post the link to our Facebook page or email it to
    latelate@rte.ie


    TWITTER: tweet your video @RTElatelateshow
    

The closing date is Wednesday 14th March at noon.

    Hope to see some of you on TV!!!
    Regards,
    Katleen

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