Friday, March 21, 2008

Good Friday

Nearly a year ago I wrote this post. Yesterday I had 70 visitors to my blog from searches such as:

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Is it that time again already? Where the only places you can buy a pint in this fine country is on the trains and in hotels (only you're a resident mind you)? Not sure why the State is still doing the Catholic Church's dirty work by imposing the traditional day's fasting and abstinence on the whole population, but hey ho.

Last night The Ours and I took part in another Irish tradition - The Buying Of Ridiculously Huge Amounts Of Alcohol The Day Before Good Friday. It was past six o'clock when we arrived at the off licence so it was already well plundered. After reaching the top of a very long queue, we paused for a split second behind the yellow line to avoid breathing down someone's neck while they counted their change at the till. The man behind us, who looked like he was sweating last night's twenty pints, blew his top and started shoving us towards the check out girl. I, being Irish, welcome public confrontation and told him (amongst other things) to get a life. He didn't care of course; the reality of an entirely dry Ireland for 24 hours had triggered a panic that threatened the sanity of the entire nation.

Of course this day isn't just about alcohol or the lack of it. It's also about chocolate. After the off licence fiasco I woolfed down half a chocolate egg and a Yorkie Bar. Ever noticed how chocolate makes your body hum and your head floaty white? Needless to say I was bouncing off the walls like one of those Fanta-filled feckers in shopping centres whose parents look two seconds away from joining the Witness Protection Program.

I'm still utterly hyper...and utterly unable to sit still for more than ten minutes at a time.

Happy Easter everyone!

15 comments:

Jen said...

Does being hyper mean you can type faster?!

A dry Ireland. Crikey, that takes some imagining.

Happy Easter XXX

Karen said...

I've just wolfed down an Easter egg for lunch. Tut. I need to buy another one now because it wasn't mine. (blush)

Beats sitting in a traffic jam all day, anyway :o)

Anonymous said...

Happy Easter to you too (oh, and the law only says you can't sell beer, so Urban Outfitters are giving it away at a party in the shop between 6 and 9!)

Yvonne said...

Jen, it's strange out there...

Karen, I can't live under the same roof with chocolate without scoffing it immediately.

Caroline, didn't know about Urban Outfitters, brilliant!

Anonymous said...

This 'tradition' is new to me too. In Edinburgh, you can pretty much drink round the clock and the offy never closes... All very strange.

Happy Easter! :-)

Yvonne said...

Jen, it's just not fair. It's the beginning of a long weekend! The people who were working today can't get a pint after work, and the people who had today off can't have a sup. BOOO.

Alix said...

Ah Easter a great excuse to eat as much chocolate as you can :)
Have a good weekend.

Yvonne said...

Alix, it really is! Have a happy Easter and a great weekend!

HelenMWalters said...

In England we're exactly the same about food! People panic because they realise the supermarkets will be closed for a day and buy enough food to last a month! Weird! Of course, if I didn't already have alcohol in the house - I would be panicking!

Yvonne said...

Helen, are the supermarkets still closed in England on Sunday? If I remember correctly they didn't open when I lived in London all those years ago...it's so funny how the survivalist instinct kicks in when we're denied something for even a day!

Lane Mathias said...

Dry Ireland??? No, that's not possible is it:-)

I've just eaten a creme egg (note the spelling:-) Right nice it was too.

Have a good weekend:-)

Yvonne said...

Lane our posts crossed! I know, it doesn't bear thinking about does it? Apparently a few shops are giving away free drinks tonight in order to lure in the customers...captive audience! Have a great weekend too.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Ireland sounds like a fun place to live especially at this time of year.

Enjoy the chocolate and hope you have a great Easter.

Jenny Beattie said...

We get dry days in Thailand too, mostly for elections but also for Buddhist holidays. Some bars will not serve beer or wine but will continue to serve cocktails (because they look like soft drinks, maybe?) or they'll serve in a mug! Ha.

Angie said...

I need to pick up some Easter chocolates. Can't believe I forgot!
I visited Dublin five years ago when I was studying abroad, and I just happened to go during Easter weekend. I had quite the shock when everything shut down for Good Friday. I didn't expect it in Ireland!