Matthew wrote: >p.s. When Ireland has *their* get-together, now THAT >would be fun to go to.

Don't count on it, pal. Neither the Great Galvo nor the Bushrat has succumbed to the heady temptations of the pint glass. Our get-togethers are sober and *very* foody. Now, if you like pizza...

Anyway, it looks like the great Irish Vanagon-list get-together is set for next Friday evening.

Place : Numero Uno Pizza take-away, Barrack Street, Ennis, Co. Clare. (beside the Clare Champion office)

Time : 9.00pm GMT.

Bring : Money for pizza and coca-cola (Transporters must be driven)

How to get there (esp. for North Americans) ----------------

First, go to your nearest airport. Catch flight to JFK. Go to Aer Lingus or Delta terminal and book flight to Shannon. (Don't go to Dublin. You'll get mugged.) Spend seven hours in 'plane. Watch a movie or something. Visit the charming 'indoor outhouse'. Land at Shannon. (Another indoor outhouse.) Go to the public telephone in the arrival hall. Ring 29691 and pray that I choose to answer the 'phone. If I do, state who you are and what you are doing in a foreign country. Wait 20 minutes while I drive to the airport to getcha.

To get to Numero Uno from beautiful Shannon Airport (celebrating 50 years), take the only road from Shannon until you come to a sign which says ' <-- ENNIS' and go left (hence the arrow). Drive through the beautiful green, wet, cow-filled rural landscape. Marvel at the numerous beautiful hacienda-style ranchhouse bungalows, sporting 'accomodation' signs. Drive straight through Newmarket-on-Fergus, a rotten little hole of a town :O and continue north. About 16 miles later, you'll reach the glittering metropolis of Ennis, the vibrant and entertaining capital of County Clare, where you can play the local sport of dodging the manic drivers of stupid little Japanese tin-cans. Wonderful! Turn right at the third set of traffic lights and immediately take the next right, then stop! Numero Uno is the tiny place on the right, beside the double gates. Please be pleasant to the staff, as they are doing their best and some of 'em are Scottish. We'll be waiting in the car park across the road in the back of my Transporter (the blue one with the bent bullbar and huge grey scratch on the sliding door (unless I collected you at the airport. Then you;ll already be in the van. (you see?))) We'll then travel in convoy to Galvo's house where Shelly (his lovely missus) (hi, Shelly) will ask Galvo to make delicious freshly ground coffee for the guests. I'll bring a pack of choccy bikkies and a videotape of Tazmania.

CAN YOU AFFORD TO MISS THE VANAGONDOLIERS' BEST ADVENTURE OF 1995? BOOK *N*O*W* TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT! TRANSPORTERS WILL BE ALLOCATED PLACES ON A STRICTLY FIRST COME - FIRST SCRATCHED BASIS.

PRIZE TO BEST-DRESSED TRANSPORTER : Galvo's scotty-dog Mac in the loading deck of your just-vacuumed van for ten minutes so he can leave a large 'log' for good-luck. I can heartily recommend this (right, John????)

So ... who's comin'? :)

SCHPONFIRKLE!!! PJ - the ever inventive Bushrat.

"Someday I'll actually post something USEFUL."

- gremlin@iol.ie - patrick j. kenny the oneth - - aka the bushrat - ennis, co. clare, ireland - - vw transporters - tazmania - subaqua - cows - - centaurs - dale e#3 - and other cool stuff -

"... but until then ..."