I got back from my trip to Ireland last night. As I found it interesting myself, I’ve done this diary type post in the hope that you will as well 
.
There were two of us booked on the same boat, Sundays 16:30 from Cairnryan to Larne crossing with P&O. I had spoken to my mate on Friday night and we had arraigned to run down together, so we were in the yard at about 10:30 to load our fresh gear into the cabs and have a quick chat.
We left the yard at about 11:00, as instructed, though it seemed a bit on the early side. We ran over to East Kilbride on the M8 and A725, then over Eaglesham moor. This is a bit of a rough narrow road, so we slowed down to 50 ( 
) for it. Then onto the A77 for the run down to Cairnryan. It is a two lanes in each direction, single carriageway, but they are doing a fair bit of roadworks down to Fenwick, where it changes to dual, down to Ayr. The roadworks have a 40mph limit on them and there is at least 1 camera each way, so almost everyone sticks pretty well to the limit (apart from the “grannies”, of either ■■■, who go even slower). The A77 is to become another boring dual carriageway soon. I ran up the old A74 a few months ago thinking "good grief (or words to that effect 
), we used to run up and down here, two abreast, at full chat , how did we manage it 
and survive to tell the tail, (and it wasn’t that long ago)?
Anyway, we stopped for a brew at the layby just past Girvan as we were well ahead of time, then ran down and booked in about an hour before we needed to and went for another brew.
The crossing was the usual dull affair, which took an hour and a half. From Larne we ran down, through Belfast, heading for Dublin. My mate was getting a bit low on diesel so we stopped at what looks like a BP, on the border just past Newry, to put 100l in (just in case), it isn’t a BP any more and they don’t accept Routex either, so we carried on to Dundalk, my mate with his heart in his mouth, worried about not getting there. We made it to the Shell truckstop though, and I didn’t need to tow him 
. Then we headed into Dundalk to get some €s. The first banks ATM’s were empty, the second one we tried kept telling us we had asked for an invalid amount 
, we gave up on that and walked on to yet another one. This one worked 
, result . Then we carried on south, my mates first tip was in Navan, so he turned off the Motorway at Drogeda, just before the toll-bridge. I carried on for Dublin, over the bridge. Its a suspension bridge with a great big, upside-down Y suspension tower. It has blue lights illuminating the tower at night, I discovered as I topped the hill just before it. Quite a sight, I wish I’d taken my camera, but i haven’t been able to download the photos its still got on it (a software glitch I still haven’t been able to sort). I paid my €5 toll on the toll plaza about 5km past the bridge and carried on down the M1 and round Dublin on the M50. There is another toll bridge on the M50, just before the road I wanted, this ones €5.20. Through that and on to Tommy Toughers, just past Naas, to park up for the night. I made it just in time for a pint at the bar and a wash before bed. A 12 hour shift.
Monday, a late lie in for me. I didn’t start till 0800, which was a 9 hr break. My first drop was in Limerick, so headed off in that direction (now theres a surprise ) on the M7. This doesn’t last for long, its soon down to single carriageway N road. These are quite unique, at least I’ve never seen roads set out quite like this anywhere else. You have a two lane road with a hard shoulder. It appears that slower vehicles usually pull onto the hard shoulder to allow faster vehicles to overtake easily. You have to pay attention to what is ahead of you though, because it is also the usual breakdown lane, as you would expect, and it can suddenly disappear where the road narrows. Also the stop line for side roads is at the edge of the road, not the edge of the hard shoulder. This means that vehicles emerging from a side road stop across the hard shoulder. On to Limerick, I had been given directions by one of the regular drivers, on the boat. Straight into Limerick, look out for the roundabout with a peculiar sign on it and turn left. So I did and even got the right one . Half way along there were roadworks and the road was closed. Back out again, onto the brand new by-pass, half way round there is a junction which has the appropriate sign on it so I turned into Limerick again. Blow me, there was the supermarket I had just turned round at, perfect, turn left at - that - roundabout - with - roadworks - on - it -. OH NO I don’t, no left turn due to the roadworks. This time I can’t turn round either and have to go right into the centre of town and follow the one way system round the block until I am heading out again. Back onto the by-pass I go and travel on round it till the next junction, at the end of the by-pass. Turn into town again up to a T-junction. I decide to turn right and there is a sign for the road I want, warning that its closed. As I need access, I carry on down it and there it is again. The supermarket where I turned round the first time and the other side of the barriers blocking the road, but still no sign of the place I want to deliver to. I have covered, as far as I know, the whole of the road from end to end. This time I see someone and so ask for directions. Up to the roundabout, turn left, straight on at the lights (the T-junction) and its about half a mile on the right. A main road, which turns right at a roundabout and keeps the same name all the way, weird. Maybe its an Irish thing or maybe its just me, (probably me) 
. After Limerick I have 3 deliveries in Tralee, so I carry on south. By this time I am starting to get a bit low on diesel myself, I’ve had my eye on it for a while but haven’t seen any places where I could get my wagon into to fill up in. I am only 4m tall but all the places which accept my first choice card (BP card, Statoil petrol stations) are even lower than that. Then I see a Shell, with a diesel pump which is right beside the road. The petrol station itself, with low canopy, is set back a bit from the road, but there is a pump on the hard shoulder half hidden behind a sign. I pull up and sort out the right card from my collection (UK and European fuel cards, loyalty cards, various toll cards, etc). Just as I climb down, the attendant arrives, she tells me hat I will need to twist my unit further around the sign, because their hose isn’t long enough to reach my other tank. I end up with my trailer up against the sign, along the hard shoulder and the back of my unit sticking out into the road, hazard lights going obviously. After filling up, I am invited in for a complimentary coffee, I have just spent over €500 of company money after all, I am also a Coffeeholic , so didn’t turn down the offer, leaving my wagon abandoned at the side of the road .
Tralee was in the middle of the “Rose of Tralee” celebrations. Its a type of beauty pageant with entrants from all over the world, presumably of Irish descent. Apparently its more than that, the Rose from Texas didn’t win because she treated it as such and wasn’t prepared enough for anything else. Not that she would have won it anyway, but she did even worse that she might have done, had she been prepared. Anyway, Tralee was very busy with the celebrations and there were roadworks as well. I crawled into Tralee at about 2:30pm and drove straight to my first drop. From the roundabout on the outskirts to my drop was 1.5km. It took 45 mins . The tip took about 30 mins and the other one was on the same estate which took about an hour to tip. As the places I deliver to all close at 5pm ish, my last drop was closed. My next tip was about 70km away, down an A road. I had also been warned not to go onto any roads smaller than A’s, so the only way out was back to Tralee. As it was still early, I decided to go to Cahirciveen (I saw it spelt several different ways, two ways in the bank), ready to make my drop first thing in the morning.
The drive down was ‘interesting’ to say the least. It took one and a half hours, on a road which 40mph felt a bit quick on, for most of the way. Narrow enough that two waggons meeting had to slow right down and squeeze past each other. The views where great though and the banks on each side of the road had huge fuchsia bushes growing on then, also a plant, which I have growing in my back garden, which was in huge clumps everywhere. It grows from a bulb, has the usual long narrow leaves and a stalk which grows up out of the middle with small bright orange flowers which droop. Its a bit like a bluebell, in the way the flowers are on the stalk. I have got no idea what its called.
I stopped in front of the Market House and petrol station, in Cahirciveen at about 6:30 and nipped in to ask for directions for parking and food. Iwas told I could park in the car park round the back and there was a restaurant, just up the road called the Red Rose. I parked up and had a wash (Ireland doesn’t seem to have many places where truck-drivers can get a shower). At the Red Rose I washed my hands again and got a seat. I thought the price of a roast dinner was a bit steep, at €12.50, but this is a tourist area so prices will be a bit high, it’ll be worth it though, I thought. NO IT WASN’T. It could easily have been one of those frozen dinners you can get from any supermarket, to nuke if you get home too late to do a proper cooked meal, with some extra fresh veg and a pile of bright orange mush which might have been carrot. A couple of pints of Guinness to wash the taste out of my mouth saw me off to bed. The last pub I tried had menus propped up at the end of the bar, €8 for a roast pork dinner 
, I wish I had looked around instead of accepting a recommendation. Oh well, these things happen.
Tuesday. A late start again, well my drop isn’t far and they start at about 8. Right next door is a small supermarket, with a hot deli counter. This is par for the course in Ireland, as far as I can tell. A lot of the larger petrol stations have these deli counters as well, so breakfast and lunch are very easy. Just spot a parking space, pull up and nip in , very good and cheap so thats a result. Tipping takes quite a while, about 1:30, because they have a big order and only the windows are on pallets, the flashings and window surrounds have to be handballed off. They are light enough but the boxes are all similar and its easy to pick up the wrong box, so I have to double check each pallet after it has been stacked, before it is taken away. They are getting about 150 of these boxes so there is plenty of scope for mistakes. Their delivery is also out of sequence. The delivery route was, pass Tralee to Cahirciveen, do that one then go back to Tralee and do the three there. So I have a large space in the middle of my load where the two Tralee deliveries I have already done used to be. The flashings which had been stacked, up to the roof, on top of the palleted windows are now well spread out all over the floor 
.
Then I start back to Tralee, to make the last delivery there. It takes 1:30 to drive back over the 70km, but I know exactly where I am going, because I got directions from my last delivery there and went past to ‘spot’ it, before leaving Tralee last night. They also have a big delivery and there is even more space for things to fall down into and spread out, but it all comes off, no problem. I am on my way to Killarney by 12, just in time for there lunch break. When I arrive at my drop in Killarney, its a different company and guess what? They stop for their lunch break from 1 till 2 and I have arrived at 1:05 , typical. Then it starts to rain, then to pour. I am told to wait till after the rain, (to deliver 3 light boxes ). The attitude in here just gets to me, Everywhere else I have been to in Ireland have been helpful. This jumped-up lower management type seems to think I should hang around all day, for his convenience. If I had been asked, I might have thought about it, being told, after already waiting for over an hour just finishes it. I blow, march out to my wagon, pick up the three boxes, 1 in one hand and the other 2 tucked under my other arm and march back in again. I drop them at his feet,dripping water, thrust the paperwork under his nose (literally, he almost got a nasty paper cut on his top lip ) and snarl at him that I would like a signature on two of the three copies, on the line where it says signature, please. A little taken aback that a lower form of life had the gall to answer back, he did so and proffered my paperwork back. Thank you very much, turned my back and marched out again.
I left Killarney at about 2:30pm, heading for my last delivery of the day in Kenmare. I headed out on the road for Cork, the N22 and turn off onto the R569 a half hour later. This is a lower grade road than the N70 to Cahirciveen, but its quite a bit wider, which is a little surprising. It still takes the best part of an hour to reach Kenmare. Then I stop and ask for directions. I have The Marina, Kenmare, as an address. I had expected to see a big clump of boats, or even a small thicket of masts sticking up somewhere, but there was nothing. Oh, its down that road, I was told, so onwards I go. Now the road has become a lot narrower, I am doing about 30mph, on the short straights, when I can see far enough for going that fast to be safe. It turns out that they are still building The Marina, and its a house. There is a sort of harbour/bay off the sea shore, in front of the house and across the road, but it doesn’t look anything like a marina to me. Maybe that is another part of a much larger project. This is another small delivery, only one pallet and a handful of flashings, so I get turned round eventually and head back to the main road, South East to Cork.
I’ve got two deliveries left. The nearest is in Bandon, the other is Skibereen, which is further on down the same road, the N71, South West from Cork. After my experience of the last two days, I decide to use the short cut from Cookstown to Bandon, despite advice not to take short cuts. Spotting the sign for Cookstown, I turn off the main road into the village and through it onto the R590. This is a touch on the narrow side, but I am now following a logger, so I carry on. If its OK for him it’ll be OK for me. Luckily it turns out that it is, though it did get a bit tight in one or two places.
I stop at the petrol station on the edge of Bandon to ask for directions. They tell me that I will probably be able to deliver tonight, if I’m quick. The place I’m delivering to shuts at 6, (they think) and its only a quarter too. I find the place, but they shut at half past 5, so at least its spotted for tomorrow. On to the more major roads again, the N71, for Skibereen. The scenery has been pretty spectacular all day and I have been enjoying the days driving, lots of fuchsia bushes and that orange flowered plant as well. I get to Skibereen at about 7 and stop to ask directions for my drop, to spot it for the morning and also for directions for parking and eating. The petrol station attendant tells me that I should head further on south. I would come to a bridge over the river to my left. Cross the bridge, turn left and the place I want will be on my right. I can park in the entrance overnight, its well off the road and its not to far to walk into the main street. I see the bridge coming up and there are cars parked all the way across it, all the approaches have cars parked down both sides of the road. There is an old abbey opposite the bridge, on our side of the river and they are holding an evening mass. There is no way I can turn onto this bridge without taking out at least one car, so I carry straight on. About 15km, yes that is 15km further on is a big layby. I pull in but still won’t be able to get spun around. I ask a group of locals who are parked in the layby, they tell me to carry on, past the next village, off the main road at Ballydehob, to Schull. I’ll be able to park up there and there’s a nice place to eat. When I eventually get there, there is no chance. No possibility of parking anything bigger than a transit in Schull. I get turned round and head back, eventually parking up in Skibereen in a small car park beside the river at about 8:30pm.
I walked back into town and find a place advertising evening meals. As I walked down the alley I said something to a couple of guys having a smoke. They tell me that I’m too late for this place but there is another couple of places further down the road. I opt for the Tzar and go in. I have another roast dinner, this time lamb and it is fantastic, it is priced at €8.95 but this one I wouldn’t have minded paying €12.50 for it. I follow that with home made bakewell tart. It was glorious. At least an inch and a half thick of real, stick to the ribs stuff, with whipped cream, raspberry sauce and almond sauce. That, along with a couple of pints of Guinness to wash it down with came to €20. A really good price as well, RESULT.
Wednesday I start a bit earlier this morning 7:30. I am parked on over half of a public car park so I want to get out of it before the more usual users start to turn up and block me in. I move on, to the road in front of my drop. They start at 8:30. So the coffee pot comes out and the coffee goes on. The tip comes off pretty quickly and I head off for Cork and my last drop at Bandon. That is another shoe in and I’m on my way for my reload. Through Cork and onto the N8 for Dublin. I find Mother Hubbard’s Truckstop, in Cashel on the way up. They even have a shower here . Unfortunately I don’t have enough time for that. I have a 45 min break here and carry on to Freshford. They have their lunch break from 1 till 2. I arrived at 1:45. They didn’t start loading me till 3:30. I eventually left at 5. I wish I’d had that shower after all . With the early start and then the long wait to reload I have spent to much time waiting around. I am going to run out of day before I reach Larne for the return ferry crossing. Right enough, after hitting rush hour traffic on the M50 round Dublin and filling up in Dundalk I reach The Sportsman’s bar and park up for the night. I spend much to much money on an evening meal there, but its a nice enough place to park. Well off the road with all the usual facilities for Ireland.
Thursday, I set off early again, an hour and a half gets me onto the dock at Larne, arriving at 8. The boat sailed at 7:30 and the next one is at 10:30. I don’t have a timetable and had worked out that it sailed at 8:30. I get over to the UK and make my delivery in Paisley. I phone the boss to tell him I am empty. I have to go back to the yard, do a trailer change and be up in Inverurie for 7am. I have to get going now. Its 4pm and I’m on the wrong side of Glasgow. Luckily, with the wait and the ferry crossing I’ve had over 4 hours off, so I can do a 16 hr spread. I parked up at Stracathro for the night. Still no shower , cause I thought I would be home tonight and would be able to have a long soak in the bath instead, so I didn’t bother when I was on the ferry.