To feel so sad I can't go to iteland?

[chateaudoodoo]

We are so lucky to have a family house on the wild Atlantic way. My mum grew up there before coming to London to train as a Nurse.
We haven't been this year fir obvious reasons .
My mum is now 83 and a widow she is a very pragmatic tough woman but today she was crying and said she doesn't think she will ever be able to go to iteland again.
We all feel terrible and are very tempted to take her but would it be terrible?

How are things in Glocca Morra?

Is that little brook still leaping there?

Does it still run down to Donny cove?

Through Killybegs, Kilkerry and Kildare?

How are things in Glocca Mora?

Is that willow tree still weeping there?

Does that lassie with the twinklin' eye

Come smilin' by ................

The above is hollywood Ireland....

She needs to get over the WAW while I ever see Ireland again shite....

As per my Mother, in a smart arsed sort of way, I mused at the beginning of all of this regarding her and her ill health, Jesus, Mother I hope that wasn't your last time in my house.

Her immediate reply, if it was, it was a cracking weekend.

Your mother needs to start looking beyond her navel and look backwards to what she has had.

I think you’d need to be prepared to stay for at least three weeks (five days quarantine and then if you test positive 14 days isolation I think?).

This information isn't correct. If you want to understand what's required go to www.gov.ie.

I understand why your mother is upset, but countless Irish people in Ireland aren't getting to go back to their homeplaces either. It's hard, but it's what needed. With the work everyone has put in so far, we've moved form being a 'red' country to being an 'orange' one. This isn't only because of the work Irish people have done here, but also the fact that so many people from other countries are staying away.

Right now the requirements for anyone entering Ireland are:

Passengers arriving from an “orange” or “red” or “grey” region are to restrict their movements for 14 days (other than the categories outlined above).

This period of restricted movement can end if you receive a negative/’not detected’ result of a PCR test that has been taken a minimum of five days after your arrival in Ireland. You should wait for your negative test result to be returned before ending the period of restricted movements.

With your reasons for travelling, you meet none of the requirements for not having to restrict your movements for 14 days, unless you get a PCR test which will cost 160-200 Euro per person, and is only available in a limited number of places around the country.

How Covid is impacting people is shitty, but so is travelling to Ireland under these circumstances.

I am sorry I have ranted, however it is not as though she is living in a cottage on the edge of the Atlantic, utterly bereft of company and support, she just needs/wants to see it again.

There are people living in houses of multiple occupancy all over the UK, quite possibly spreading Covid amongst each other, so moaning about not being able to see her second home on the WAW screams entitled

Also, and this may be from how I'm reading your posts, and my apologies if this isn't the fact, but it seems as if your Mum wants to come back to a place, a home she hasn't lived in for what must be over 60 years? It also sounds as if she has 3 children in the UK.

She has family where she is. Coming back to Ireland, whilst emotional, is about a connection with a place and bricks and mortar. Do you have any idea how many Irish men and women, the same age as your Mum, haven't seen their children or grandchildren in so long, and they're doing it because it's what they were asked to do, in the best interests of everyone here. I'm quite confident most of them wouldn't give a shit where they were if they could see their kids and grandkids again.

To travel from the UK to Ireland for these reasons is a real kick in the teeth to all those who have put in such effort, and made such sacrifices, to get us to where we are right now. A real case of 'Shit you Jack, I'm alright.'

Ok I've said this before and I'll say it again I will persuade her to wait for the vaccine.

And again Thankyou for all your replies

My similarly aged grandmother has decided she’s never going to see any of us again and has at times refused to take our calls. I’m sure she was just having a bad day and things will seem brighter once we get some more news of a vaccine roll out. Be prepared for more responses that have only read your first post and tell you how unreasonable you are though ;)

Even if you don't want to wait for a vaccine at least wait until we're out of level 5 restrictions. Come after Christmas and get a supermarket delivery if possible. The locals will be raging if you rock up now (rightly so IMO) but if you wait until restrictions ease then no one will bat an eye.

@chateaudoodoo

Ok I've said this before and I'll say it again I will persuade her to wait for the vaccine.

I get that you are probably feeling a bit got at , but a second home on the WAW, is not exactly a mercy dash.

Ah I am glad to hear it.
It's hard on your mother, but it's hard on all our mothers, and ourselves at the moment.
My MIL is 'down the country ' , she is over 80 and alone as everyone is scattered about.
We have had a bad diagnosis in the family, and we have not had the chance to get together and cry, and barely able to help out - SIL is 39 with an aggressive cancer and 2 kids under 8. She couldnt shake off the covid, if she got it it would set back her treatment plan etc.
So none of us can go home to our home place really, and all our elderly mothers are wondering will they live to see their families together again.

God it is so fucking awful

According to the rules you can go as long as you restrict your movements for 14 days after you arrive. This does allow for essential food shopping. Definitely keep checking the gov.ie website as the Irish rules are different to the U.K. ones. I would expect the bigger issue would be the local community’s reaction to you and the damage it might cause to your relationships in the area. Does your mother have siblings or close friends in the area she could talk to about it?

To the posters mentioning funerals I am very sorry for your losses. I didn’t think travelling back to attend a funeral was within the exemptions but I hope that people would be understanding in the circumstances.

Please do not listen to these clowns “just bring her”. We are in a severe lockdown.

Our Govt however cackhandly are trying to get us out of this shit and a British reg car parked up will be noticed, and not much thought of the driver/occupants. We all know about the UK.
Please just wait a little longer

The guidance says

“This general request to restrict movement for 14 days does not apply to certain defined categories, including

II. Passengers arriving for imperative family reasons, only while pursuing that imperative reason”

That could apply to funerals perhaps but I don’t know who decides what is an “imperative reason”

Please don't. We are really trying to keep it under control and in some parts of the country struggling to do so. Our own sons and daughters living abroad are being asked not to travel home for Christmas, we are in lockdown at the moment with all nonessential retail closed, pubs, cafes, restaurants etc only allowed take away business, businesses shut that will probably not reopen and hospitals on standby for a surge if restrictions are lifted early dec which personally I can't see happening. I live 120 miles from my father, this is our first Christmas without my mother, at the moment I cannot visit him because we are asked to stay within 5km of our residence unless for essential shopping, medical or essential work reasons. Fortunately my adult son lives with my father and today they told me they are prepared to have Christmas dinner alone, we would normally have 15 to 20 gathered, this is because of the risk of people travelling/contracting/spreading within the country nevermind coming from a country struggling even more than Ireland. You can say you will quarantine but that won't really be possible, you'll meet people at the airport or ferry, you'll have to get a car and then fuel, shopping etc. What if your mother gets ill here, take my word for it, you do not want a person of her age in hospital at the moment. 74 people on trolleys waiting on beds in my local hospital last Thursday, almost 200 staff out because of covid, remember these numbers may seem low but our population is a fraction of the UK. The Irish welcome is well and truly retired right now, you will upset the locals, they will remember. Earlier this year holiday makers were driving across the border to Donegal and there was uproar because the Garda couldn't stop them. Hopefully that loophole someone advised you to use will be closed soon. Please don't take this personally, I fully understand your Mam is Irish and I understand the draw to come home, I left Ireland three times to live abroad and still ended up back to raise my son here but if I was in your position I'd wait until spring when at the very least the weather will be better, the flu season over and please god better treatments/vaccine available. Maybe find some other way to celebrate Ireland/Irishness until things improve, if there is anything I can do to help in that please message me, if is any favourite irish food she likes or maybe put together a memory book/box with an assurance for her that as soon as its safer you'll bring her straight over. The national radio station had a section earlier this week where a caller described travelling out of Dublin airport, he witnessed a large group drinking in the airport at 8am, no masks,no social distancing, unfortunately this group were then on his flight where they continued to consume alcohol which they had brought on board, they refused to sit down, they stole from the trolley service, they blocked the aisle for the entire flight and none were masks, the caller said they were heading for a wedding judging by the elaborate dresses and hairstyles, whilst this behaviour is embarrassing and mortifying thankfully it is rare and the flight should have been returned for them to be arrested but it showed what can happen and the slim but possibly deadly risk present. The guy who witnessed this was feeling so bad that this group were going to a hotel to obviously behave in a similar manner and then travel back putting everyone they meet in danger. If you do decide to travel please take care and like I said if theres anything I can do just message me.

Sorry, I missed your update. I live in Ireland (republic) and I will not see my beloved 81 year old Dad and 71 yo Mam this Christmas and worse they won’t see their grandchildren. We are all making this sacrifice though

I too would be delighted to post something to your Mam. A box of Irish tea of her choice, she’s probably not bothered with taytos, but I’d find something small and post-able. A little piece of posh artisan cake?

I live in the UK, we sadly we have had our decisions made, we are not going home, We cant we will spend the ferry fare and the arriving spending along the fact that we arrive with the the car loaded with twelfty million bits of different stuff that would bring fun to our Irish home,. We will in our instance buy more fizz and buy more nonsense ,but we won't break rules.

We will hang here and chanell Scarlett..................... after all to tomorrow is another day.

Thank you xxxx let’s hope St Patrick’s day this year will more than make up for all the blood misery

I’m in Dublin op, just come.

I’m not sure where all the checkpoints are that some of these posters are talking about!

There’s one on a dual carriageway on my way to work, they’re not stopping everyone, I’ve been stopped once, now I take the back roads and not one checkpoint. This is really the only checkpoint I’ve seen and I think it’s only because we are going from one county to another and Dublin had a different lockdown level. Many people are travelling outside of 5km!

Honestly, just bring her. If washing your hands, keeping your distance and wearing a mask works, then it works end of.

Have a lovely trip.

@SunscreenCentral You could get tested and if negative go and see them.

[quote Beentherefonethat]@SunscreenCentral You could get tested and if negative go and see them.[/quote]
Well no because it doesn't show you won't go on to develop covid and also it's a misuse of resources and means people with genuine symptoms are left waiting longer

@Beentherefonethat

I’m in Dublin op, just come.

I’m not sure where all the checkpoints are that some of these posters are talking about!

There’s one on a dual carriageway on my way to work, they’re not stopping everyone, I’ve been stopped once, now I take the back roads and not one checkpoint. This is really the only checkpoint I’ve seen and I think it’s only because we are going from one county to another and Dublin had a different lockdown level. Many people are travelling outside of 5km!

Honestly, just bring her. If washing your hands, keeping your distance and wearing a mask works, then it works end of.

Have a lovely trip.

And possibly this is the reason Dublin isn't getting a handle on reducing Covid numbers. If people aren't agreeing to the 5km rule and advocating just travel, numbers will never reduce.

I travel through usually 3 checkpoints on my work routes. 40km each way and out of boredom I often change my route few times a week. Check points always and on back roads or motorway/dual carriageways. Virtually no one I know is going outside their 5k limit.

I see OP isn't travelling now, thank you. For any one else - think about possible implications of getting ill here and extendedh hospital stay in foreign country, as well as maybe the cost implications post Brexit when medical care might be charged for.

I’m in Dublin op, just come

I’m in Dublin too. The OP and her family need to stay where s they are.

FFS, we had caravan-loads of Brits all summer long. Locals couldn’t see their parents in another county but half of NI could fill a caravan park for months at a time. Disgraceful carry-on.

I usually go to part of the UK for a holiday every year and didn’t even consider it this year because I don’t want to undertake leisure travel in a situation where I could potentially be adding increased pressure to local hospitals, shops, and other resources. I did this for the benefit of people like OP’s mum- the elderly who were more at risk and needed people like me to stay at home so that risk wouldn’t increase.

Hopefully the OP and her mother will extend the same courtesy to others.

I live in Ireland in the west too , just bring her on the ferry let her have a bit of joy in this miserable time

You're advocating for the end of lockdown so, member, because it can't be one rule for certain people and another for everyone else.