Thing 132 Care Package

I was once away from Ireland for three weeks. Thereabouts anyway - a lot of drink was had, specific dates and numbers are hard to recall. Myself, Tiny Fairy, The Frenchman, Spoon and a few others. It was awesome. In the three weeks I was away I missed the following: Irish radio, the River Shannon, Lyon's Gold Blend tea, Dairymilk chocolate, Guinness... Three weeks I was gone. You'd think I was gone for an eternity. I guess this is probably why I'll never travel.

God Boy and Bandman come back home every couple of years and they fall into the Irish comforts like you wouldn't believe. Bandman puts on about two stone with every visit. He's a fat guy anyway, so it's hard to tell, but my God does he love it.

Thorny Wire hit the road for Detroit a few months ago, and he's been sorely missed. Old men in bars around the town have no-one to talk to about rugby matches from the '70's without him! He's gas like that. I know my own little brother well enough to know that the home comfort he misses the most isn't a pint of Guinness or an amble into the bookies of a Saturday afternoon, it's a cup of tea. A nice hot mug of scald as he says himself.

Problem is that Temper has my head confused so I can't remember if Thorny Wire falls into the Lyon's Tea or Barry's Tea camp... So I sent both. I guess I've ruined the surprise (unless he gives the blog a miss tonight), but there's a parcel full of goodness on it's way.
I'd to stop and think about the iconic things Irish people go mad for, and you can't get abroad. We've got our own little inventory of stuff. Taytos (we call all crisps Taytos we're so mad for them around here) are a big one. Tea is another. Nobody does chocolate like the Dairymilk. Rashers. Good lord do we love a nice rasher. Anything to do with breakfast really. We do love our breakfasts.
Then there's a Limerick Leader. I know you can get it online, but it won't be the same as sitting down for a beer or a cup of tea and reading the local stories. It's a funny thing about Irish people, we must be the only nationality that travels around the world to find other Irish people. First thing we do is hit up the Irish bar and laugh with some fella from Cork, because it's hilarious that we're both far away. And we do pine for the Irish things... I hope Thorny Wire likes it.
I got the piss taken out or me in work over it. You had to undertake a year long project as an excuse to be nice to your brother. Which sounds terrible. Poor Thorny Wire - I hope he likes it.