Gosh,
It's been a while since I've been on here. I guess I better decide whether to continue on properly or just knock it on the head.
Do I just dive right in or try and summarize what's happened since my last posting? Jaysus.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Galway, Irelands secret craft beer mecca
Oslo, The Cottage, The Salt House, The Scholars Rest, Tig Neachtan, Bierhaus - these bars within (almost) walking distance of each other all serving top notch craft beers.
Granted, four of them are sister pubs but my-oh-my the beer scene in Galway these days is tremendous. From Oslo, the brewing powerhouse of the cottage group, to Tig Neachtan, the home of actors and artistic types, this town has got it all.
Perhaps my favourite Galway pub is 'The Salt House', a stones throw from Galway's legendary pubs such as The Rosin Dubh and Monroes, a tiny, spit on the floor venue offering nothing but craft beer and bar nuts. The staff are tremendous, laid back (almost bohemian) and super knowledgeable (or if not completely immersed in craft beer knowledge, they're certainly eager to learn) there is also from time to time a cask ale on too. On my last visit there were two Thornbridge ales on tap.
Tig Neachtan is well worth a visit for their Galway Hooker beers that do not appear anywhere else, most notably the Bonaparte's Stout - most likely my favourite Irish stout ever (rating can be found here) plus they do a great chowder (with a dash of pernod)
It seems craft beer has infiltrated almost all of Galway, barely a bar doesn't have SOMETHING that will pass as acceptable besides the usual tipples. Galway Hooker seem to be doing a good job at marketing their flagship product (and, sure why wouldn't they?)
Couple all of this with the amazing atmosphere that only Galway can offer and you're onto an amazing city.
Sure, didn't I marry a Galway girl??
For a list of Galway bars worth visiting, click here
Photos to follow.
Granted, four of them are sister pubs but my-oh-my the beer scene in Galway these days is tremendous. From Oslo, the brewing powerhouse of the cottage group, to Tig Neachtan, the home of actors and artistic types, this town has got it all.
Perhaps my favourite Galway pub is 'The Salt House', a stones throw from Galway's legendary pubs such as The Rosin Dubh and Monroes, a tiny, spit on the floor venue offering nothing but craft beer and bar nuts. The staff are tremendous, laid back (almost bohemian) and super knowledgeable (or if not completely immersed in craft beer knowledge, they're certainly eager to learn) there is also from time to time a cask ale on too. On my last visit there were two Thornbridge ales on tap.
Tig Neachtan is well worth a visit for their Galway Hooker beers that do not appear anywhere else, most notably the Bonaparte's Stout - most likely my favourite Irish stout ever (rating can be found here) plus they do a great chowder (with a dash of pernod)
It seems craft beer has infiltrated almost all of Galway, barely a bar doesn't have SOMETHING that will pass as acceptable besides the usual tipples. Galway Hooker seem to be doing a good job at marketing their flagship product (and, sure why wouldn't they?)
Couple all of this with the amazing atmosphere that only Galway can offer and you're onto an amazing city.
Sure, didn't I marry a Galway girl??
For a list of Galway bars worth visiting, click here
Photos to follow.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The wanderer returns to a nice surprise!
After almost five years in Toronto, the family and I have decided to return to Ireland. It was a tough decision but the right one for us. So it's farewell to Canada and hello to Ireland.
Now - onto the beer scene. Upon leaving Ireland in 2007 it was a pretty dismal scene, there were but a few (yet dedicated) pubs flying the craft beer flag, The Bull and Castle, The Porterhouse, The Abbot's Ale House and Messrs Maguire off the top of my head are the only pubs doing anything noteworthy (apologies if I'm leaving anyone out) and there were a handful of really good off licenses in Dublin. I struggled to get to 200 ratings on Ratebeer.
All the time I was away I kept involved in Beoir so I was aware of some of the changes happening. Upon my return I am astounded at the sheer volume of changes that have happened, it's just gone from strength to strength! I'm splitting my time at the moment between Dublin and Galway and will be working in Dublin as of next week returning to Galway at weekends. Here in Galway we have great pubs such as The Oslo, The Salthouse, The Cottage and The Scholars Rest leading the charge (all sister pubs which have other sister pubs in Dublin which I'll mention later) with amazingly 'Tig Neachtain's' having their own stout and wheat beer being made for them by Galway Hooker (warning, horrible flash site) and my-oh-my the Bonaparte's Stout is phenomenal.
Dublin is now becoming a craft beer haven with old pubs but new comers to the craft beer scene really raising the bar, Farringtons in Temple Bar being an absolute craft beer must visit in Dublin ( I had bourbon barrel aged Leann Follain on cask there and it was sublime). Sister to the Galway pubs mentioned earlier is Against the grain, The black sheep and The brew dock making that chain a practical monopoly in Ireland on craft beer pubs. All offer a huge range of Irish brews on tap as well as international and local bottles and cask when available.
It's great to see these places staffed with people who are genuinely interested and passionate about craft beer and who are all making a conscious effort to change the face of the Irish pub and beer scene.
Needless to say, I'm happy to be back.
Now for the gratuitous Ireland pics..
Now - onto the beer scene. Upon leaving Ireland in 2007 it was a pretty dismal scene, there were but a few (yet dedicated) pubs flying the craft beer flag, The Bull and Castle, The Porterhouse, The Abbot's Ale House and Messrs Maguire off the top of my head are the only pubs doing anything noteworthy (apologies if I'm leaving anyone out) and there were a handful of really good off licenses in Dublin. I struggled to get to 200 ratings on Ratebeer.
All the time I was away I kept involved in Beoir so I was aware of some of the changes happening. Upon my return I am astounded at the sheer volume of changes that have happened, it's just gone from strength to strength! I'm splitting my time at the moment between Dublin and Galway and will be working in Dublin as of next week returning to Galway at weekends. Here in Galway we have great pubs such as The Oslo, The Salthouse, The Cottage and The Scholars Rest leading the charge (all sister pubs which have other sister pubs in Dublin which I'll mention later) with amazingly 'Tig Neachtain's' having their own stout and wheat beer being made for them by Galway Hooker (warning, horrible flash site) and my-oh-my the Bonaparte's Stout is phenomenal.
Dublin is now becoming a craft beer haven with old pubs but new comers to the craft beer scene really raising the bar, Farringtons in Temple Bar being an absolute craft beer must visit in Dublin ( I had bourbon barrel aged Leann Follain on cask there and it was sublime). Sister to the Galway pubs mentioned earlier is Against the grain, The black sheep and The brew dock making that chain a practical monopoly in Ireland on craft beer pubs. All offer a huge range of Irish brews on tap as well as international and local bottles and cask when available.
It's great to see these places staffed with people who are genuinely interested and passionate about craft beer and who are all making a conscious effort to change the face of the Irish pub and beer scene.
Needless to say, I'm happy to be back.
Now for the gratuitous Ireland pics..
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| Selection available at a little restaurant in Galway |
 |
| O'Connor's Famous pub - Salthill |
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| Cask at Bull & Castle |
Monday, October 3, 2011
Toronto Beer Week continued ...
In continuation to my last post, I was lucky enough to attend a few more events.
'The Indie Alehouse' brewery launch at 'The Burger Bar' (my new local bar!) where they showcased their Instigator Pale Ale: west coast style IPA and their Leadership Qualities: Breakfast Porter both which were a stellar start to this new brewery and a sign of great things to come.
Next up was the 'Toronto Beer Week Pub Crawl' where I joined the group of revellers at 'The Victory Cafe' for a quick pint of Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale before moving on the brand new premises of 'Smokeless Joes' - what a treat it was. The boys over at Joes opened their doors a few days early specifically to accommodate us. With a great tap line up and a great new space, things are looking very bright.
Finally it was over to Bar Volo for the 3rd annual Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Tap take over where there was no less than 12 taps and 7 Dieu Du Ciel! products available. Volo was packed to the rafters and had a special licence to open to 0400hrs and although I was in slumberland by midnight, I heard it was packed until closing.
Although this year I didn't attend as many events as last year I still had an absolute blast. The Toronto beer scene has exploded in my 3.5 years in Canada, I can't wait to see what the future holds.
'The Indie Alehouse' brewery launch at 'The Burger Bar' (my new local bar!) where they showcased their Instigator Pale Ale: west coast style IPA and their Leadership Qualities: Breakfast Porter both which were a stellar start to this new brewery and a sign of great things to come.
Next up was the 'Toronto Beer Week Pub Crawl' where I joined the group of revellers at 'The Victory Cafe' for a quick pint of Spearhead Hawaiian Pale Ale before moving on the brand new premises of 'Smokeless Joes' - what a treat it was. The boys over at Joes opened their doors a few days early specifically to accommodate us. With a great tap line up and a great new space, things are looking very bright.
 |
| The new Smokeless Joes |
Finally it was over to Bar Volo for the 3rd annual Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Tap take over where there was no less than 12 taps and 7 Dieu Du Ciel! products available. Volo was packed to the rafters and had a special licence to open to 0400hrs and although I was in slumberland by midnight, I heard it was packed until closing.
Although this year I didn't attend as many events as last year I still had an absolute blast. The Toronto beer scene has exploded in my 3.5 years in Canada, I can't wait to see what the future holds.
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| Some of my choices during the DDC tap take over |
Monday, September 19, 2011
Toronto Beer Week 2011
Spurned by my good pal Greg Clow's post over on his popular blog beerboozebites.com regarding this years Toronto Beer Week I decided to put my own two cents in.
My first event in this huge itinerary of madness was the 'Barrel Bragging Rights' event over at 'The Monks Table' where a group of Toronto beer writers and bloggers teamed with local breweries to make some barrel aged/cask brews to be judged blindly by the thirsty public. Entrance fee was $25 and included unlimited samples and finger food. The kegs involved were somewhat small so some of the more popular beers disappeared quickly however there was plenty to go around. The winner was Chris Grimley from 'Beer with me TO' who partnered with Great Lakes to make a delicious Saison. My personal favourite was Toronto Star's columnist Josh Rubin who paired with Black Creek brewery they made a milk stout aged in a bourbon barrel and infused with vanilla pods (I think)
As Greg mentions in his review of the event; Greg, Josh (Rubin) and I headed to The Rebel House for a pint and a bite to eat. The two old farts timers went home and I carried on and kept it lit with some Dieu du Ciel - Peche Mortel at Bar Volo with a few of the remaining people still standing from the event.
All in all it was an enjoyable event and hopefully if I keep my blogging up I might be considered for next years event. I shall update the blog as I attend various sessions.
Here's a jumpy video I took of the event.
My first event in this huge itinerary of madness was the 'Barrel Bragging Rights' event over at 'The Monks Table' where a group of Toronto beer writers and bloggers teamed with local breweries to make some barrel aged/cask brews to be judged blindly by the thirsty public. Entrance fee was $25 and included unlimited samples and finger food. The kegs involved were somewhat small so some of the more popular beers disappeared quickly however there was plenty to go around. The winner was Chris Grimley from 'Beer with me TO' who partnered with Great Lakes to make a delicious Saison. My personal favourite was Toronto Star's columnist Josh Rubin who paired with Black Creek brewery they made a milk stout aged in a bourbon barrel and infused with vanilla pods (I think)
As Greg mentions in his review of the event; Greg, Josh (Rubin) and I headed to The Rebel House for a pint and a bite to eat. The two old
All in all it was an enjoyable event and hopefully if I keep my blogging up I might be considered for next years event. I shall update the blog as I attend various sessions.
Here's a jumpy video I took of the event.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Is Féidir linn
Honestly, I didn't really give President Obama's visit to Ireland a second thought... living in Canada we're used to having the gentleman on our doorstep. I'm not sure why but something prompted me to turn on the Irish news coverage this morning (rte.ie) and to say I was overwhelmed is a serious understatement.
The public showing of joy and excitement was something the Irish public were long overdue. Seeing the President and Michelle in the tiny village of Moneygall, getting out of their car and openly embracing the public (much to the horror of the secret service it seems) was a tremendous sight. Their entrance to Ollies bar and the enjoyment of a pint of Guinness was just a pinnacle moment in the Presidents visit.. there was nothing rehearsed, nothing condescending , just a genuine chap enjoying a genuine moment in an Irish pub. His jokes and congeniality were infectious.
Fast forward to the Dublin appointment, my opinion of An Taoiseach Enda Kenny smashed through the roof with his animated and passionate speech... yes, the grumps said he was OTT and 'annoying' but damnit, I thought he was genuine and uplifting, just what the country needs now. Obama himself was a joy to listen to, I wept with emotion at home in Toronto and would have given anything to be there for this historic Irish moment.
Ireland truly put itself back on the world map today. We did ourselves proud. Bravo. Bravo...
The public showing of joy and excitement was something the Irish public were long overdue. Seeing the President and Michelle in the tiny village of Moneygall, getting out of their car and openly embracing the public (much to the horror of the secret service it seems) was a tremendous sight. Their entrance to Ollies bar and the enjoyment of a pint of Guinness was just a pinnacle moment in the Presidents visit.. there was nothing rehearsed, nothing condescending , just a genuine chap enjoying a genuine moment in an Irish pub. His jokes and congeniality were infectious.
Fast forward to the Dublin appointment, my opinion of An Taoiseach Enda Kenny smashed through the roof with his animated and passionate speech... yes, the grumps said he was OTT and 'annoying' but damnit, I thought he was genuine and uplifting, just what the country needs now. Obama himself was a joy to listen to, I wept with emotion at home in Toronto and would have given anything to be there for this historic Irish moment.
Ireland truly put itself back on the world map today. We did ourselves proud. Bravo. Bravo...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Goodbye to Michael Scott
Wow,
What a poignant and fitting end to Michael Scott's reign at Dunder Mifflin - I was an absolute mess watching it. I can't imagine the series continuing much longer without him. We've seen Michael grow immensely over the past few years and to see him move to Colorado to be with Holly seemed to mark his arrival to maturity.
Michael (Steve) you'll be sorely missed.
What a poignant and fitting end to Michael Scott's reign at Dunder Mifflin - I was an absolute mess watching it. I can't imagine the series continuing much longer without him. We've seen Michael grow immensely over the past few years and to see him move to Colorado to be with Holly seemed to mark his arrival to maturity.
Michael (Steve) you'll be sorely missed.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Points update
Well,
Week two of Weight Watchers, I didn't hit it out of the ballpark like last week but I did manage to lose 2lbs. So that's just about 10lbs in two weeks...... 30 more to go!
Week two of Weight Watchers, I didn't hit it out of the ballpark like last week but I did manage to lose 2lbs. So that's just about 10lbs in two weeks...... 30 more to go!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Points Points Points...
Well folks, after the birth of our baby boy last June our schedule has been upside-down, therefore there's been a LOT of take-out food and a lot of beer ;-) add that to Christmas and a three week trip to Ireland in Jan and you've got one BFF (big fat fcuker) so I'm back on the Weight Watchers wagon. The last time I did it I lost 54lbs. So after week one of it here in Canada (WITHOUT cutting out beer mind you) I have lost 7.8lbs, my second weigh in is tomorrow morning. Watch this space..
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The 12 pubs of Christmas - Toronto
Okay - the hard work is done, the pubs have been decided; it's just down to getting the drinking done now!!
Saturday the 4th of December @ 1700hrs Sharp!
Kick off is FIVE PM sharp and we will be moving from pub to pub at a steady pace. All destinations are walkable.
There's plenty of opportunities to grab food in between venues or indeed in a venue, just send us a text or call us to see where we are if you decide to stay somewhere to eat.
...
The list of pubs in order from start to finish is:
C'est What? (67 Front street at Church)
McVeighs (124 Church St. )
Duggans (75 Victoria Street)
PJ O'Briens ( 39 Colborne Street , behind King Edward hotel)
Beer Bistro (18 King Street East)
Duke of Richmond (20 Queen St. W.- basically the south west entrance of the eaton centre)
The Imperial Pub (54 Dundas St. E. - just behind Dundas Sq)
Queen & Beaver (35 Elm Street)
Duke of Somerset (655 Bay Street, south of Gerrard)
Village Idiot (126 Mc Caul Street opposite the AGO)
Sin & Redemption (Next door to Village Idiot)
Smokeless Joes (125 John Street)
Okay - so let me know via email garthicus AT hotmail DOT com or twitter @garthicus if you'd like to come along and I'll message you my phone number.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The waiting game
Today is the due date of our first baby......
S/he doesn't seem to want to visit us today! We'll sit tight........
Hurry up, we're excited to meet you!
S/he doesn't seem to want to visit us today! We'll sit tight........
Hurry up, we're excited to meet you!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Homeward bound
It's been a wonderful 2.5 years so far in Canada, I really love it here. We have great friends, great family (the few members that are in Canada) and generally a great life here. However; I haven't been home since we moved here. I'm delighted to report that I'm off home on the 14th of July for 5 days for my best friends wedding (I'm his best man). Whilst I'm delighted to be going home for a visit, I'm sure it'll be a little bitter sweet as I'm leaving behind my wife and our (soon to be born) child.. she's due in a few days and all going well the baby will be only a few weeks old when I head back to Ireland for the few days.
That aside, I'm seriously looking forward to quite a few things that I've been missing! Obviously I'm looking forward to seeing my family and of course my friends but other things I miss are; in no particular order:
Breakfast rolls/full Irish breakfast:
(Minus the blackcurrants!)
A nice bit of batch loaf:
A dozen pints in my local pub - 'The Pound' in Swords:
And of course, news, tv, newspapers etc from home:
But most of all I am really excited about seeing and tasting all the new craft beers that have hit the Irish market in my absence, particularly the cask offerings. I'll be hitting up 'The Bull and Castle' and 'The Porterhouse' as soon as I arrive to imbibe some craft beer goodness.
Hopefully I'll get to finally meet some of the Irish Craft Brewer members, in particular The Beer Nut and Barry Masterson (although Barry is in Germany!) as I've been a member of that site for a few years now and am yet to meet any of them.
So, hopefully this trip will go well, it's my first time flying with Air Transat and I'm on a pretty tight schedule. The Canadian dollar is pretty strong against the Euro too so that's a bonus.
Fingers crossed :-)
That aside, I'm seriously looking forward to quite a few things that I've been missing! Obviously I'm looking forward to seeing my family and of course my friends but other things I miss are; in no particular order:
Breakfast rolls/full Irish breakfast:
(Minus the blackcurrants!)
A nice bit of batch loaf:
A dozen pints in my local pub - 'The Pound' in Swords:
And of course, news, tv, newspapers etc from home:
But most of all I am really excited about seeing and tasting all the new craft beers that have hit the Irish market in my absence, particularly the cask offerings. I'll be hitting up 'The Bull and Castle' and 'The Porterhouse' as soon as I arrive to imbibe some craft beer goodness.
Hopefully I'll get to finally meet some of the Irish Craft Brewer members, in particular The Beer Nut and Barry Masterson (although Barry is in Germany!) as I've been a member of that site for a few years now and am yet to meet any of them.
So, hopefully this trip will go well, it's my first time flying with Air Transat and I'm on a pretty tight schedule. The Canadian dollar is pretty strong against the Euro too so that's a bonus.
Fingers crossed :-)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A month on the dry.....
In response to the thumping I gave my liver and my bank account over St. Patrick's week. I've decided to give myself a break from Craft Beer imbibing for roughly a month (well, actually a day or two more than a month). The carrot on the end of the stick is a trip to Montreal with my buddies Harry and Paul (and hopefully Greg if he can get the time off work) for a weekend of Craft Beer madness.
Whilst a month will hardly repair 12 years of damage, it will give me time to lose a bit of weight and prepare for our first baby which is due on June 6th :-) The weekend in Montreal is in theory 'a last hurrah' before the arrival of the little one. So, right now I'm 12 days into my challenge and I thought it would be relatively easy until I saw the weather forecast for this weekend (in and around 25 degrees). Seeing as I live slap bang in the middle of Toronto's entertainment district and therefore patio central, it's going to be a bit of a killer.
Watch this space!
Whilst a month will hardly repair 12 years of damage, it will give me time to lose a bit of weight and prepare for our first baby which is due on June 6th :-) The weekend in Montreal is in theory 'a last hurrah' before the arrival of the little one. So, right now I'm 12 days into my challenge and I thought it would be relatively easy until I saw the weather forecast for this weekend (in and around 25 degrees). Seeing as I live slap bang in the middle of Toronto's entertainment district and therefore patio central, it's going to be a bit of a killer.
Watch this space!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Brew round up
It's been a while since I've done a round up of what I've been imbibing lately, laziness coupled with procrastination is not a good trait of mine. Anyhow; some highlights of the past few weeks have been...
Catching up on my Mill Street Brewing ratings... have you ever assumed that you've tried all/most of a breweries offerings only to realize that you're missing out on quite a few? That happened to me the other day whilst at Mill Street when I realized I'd never tried their fabulous Pilsner - admittedly, I'm not the greatest fans of pils in general but this one just spoke to me, tasty and refreshing and with nice mango and fruit flavours that I can't get enough of. That evening there were also four or five other Mill St. brews tried including their one off 'Mocha Java Loco' on cask which was sublime.
A cheeky trip to Montreal with the lovely wife made for a good opportunity to try a few Dieu Du Ciel and Benelux brews that were new to me. Not too many mind you as I wasn't there for beer reasons... but here's a couple of pics..
We rented a car and drove to Old Quebec and man were we impressed, what an absolute gem of a city. Check out out pics over on our flickr site. My better half suggested that whilst we were there I might as well pick up some brews so we headed to Le Monde des Bières - a really neat Quebec beer store, whilst beer is on the expensive side in Quebec (especially the bottle deposit) it's well worth picking some up as most of it is not available outside the province. In this particular store the brewery La Barberie brew some beers especially for them. Here's what I picked up:
So all in all it was a successful non beer trip yet beer trip. A few days later myself and the Toronto Ratebeer gang had our monthly tasting at my place and it ended up being a pretty messy and enjoyable affair. Good friends, good beer and good craic. What else can a man want?
Catching up on my Mill Street Brewing ratings... have you ever assumed that you've tried all/most of a breweries offerings only to realize that you're missing out on quite a few? That happened to me the other day whilst at Mill Street when I realized I'd never tried their fabulous Pilsner - admittedly, I'm not the greatest fans of pils in general but this one just spoke to me, tasty and refreshing and with nice mango and fruit flavours that I can't get enough of. That evening there were also four or five other Mill St. brews tried including their one off 'Mocha Java Loco' on cask which was sublime.
A cheeky trip to Montreal with the lovely wife made for a good opportunity to try a few Dieu Du Ciel and Benelux brews that were new to me. Not too many mind you as I wasn't there for beer reasons... but here's a couple of pics..
We rented a car and drove to Old Quebec and man were we impressed, what an absolute gem of a city. Check out out pics over on our flickr site. My better half suggested that whilst we were there I might as well pick up some brews so we headed to Le Monde des Bières - a really neat Quebec beer store, whilst beer is on the expensive side in Quebec (especially the bottle deposit) it's well worth picking some up as most of it is not available outside the province. In this particular store the brewery La Barberie brew some beers especially for them. Here's what I picked up:
So all in all it was a successful non beer trip yet beer trip. A few days later myself and the Toronto Ratebeer gang had our monthly tasting at my place and it ended up being a pretty messy and enjoyable affair. Good friends, good beer and good craic. What else can a man want?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Alexandra Johanna
A friend of mine has just had an incredible thing happen to her, it's almost like fiction. I'll explain it via an e-mail that I sent to George Hook today...
The unfortunate part is that she’s now stuck in JNB for the next five months. There is a facebook group called ‘Alexandra Johanna’ where there are details of an account that any donations can be made to help Liz and baby out. Her family and friends have managed to raise a good amount of the medical fees but we’re still many thousands of dollars/euros away from what the hospital are asking.
Bank: Nedbank
Branch Code: 13280500
Account Name: Mrs Louise Mickel
Account Number: 1328040364
Swift Code: nedszajj
Hi George,
Greetings from a cold and snowy Toronto. Regarding my tweet about an Irish citizen in a spot of bother in South Africa, here’s the story:
My wife and I used to live in Dubai, my wife used to fly for Emirates, we still have quite a few friends there who are flying for them, one being an Irish girl (her name is Liz). Liz has had a history of stomach problems, ulcers etc... before Christmas she went to the Emirates clinic in Dubai (they are so large that they have their own hospitals and clinics for their staff) complaining of stomach pains and general tiredness etc. She went back to them for test results a couple of weeks ago but the clinic had lost her results, so in the interim the Doctor decided to up her ulcer medication.
On the 21st of Jan, Liz was on an overnight Johannesburg stop, she had severe stomach aches during the night - it turns out that they weren't cramps, they were labour contractions. She self delivered a premature baby girl in the hotel room and with the assistance of the staff was able to get the baby breathing and get to a private hospital. Liz did not know she was pregnant. I believe that staff in Emirates welfare department back in Dubai were initially being very good to Liz & baby but as of a few days ago (George – here’s the real kicker) her contract has been terminated and her health insurance revoked, She's now alone in JNB stuck with USD$86k medical bill (the hospital need payments up front for the next three months worth of care for baby Alexandra) along with accommodation costs, food etc... why, you ask did they terminate her employment and revoke her insurance? Because she is unmarried. She has worked for them for seven years and they have left her stranded in JNB.
Emirates have also told her to vacate the hotel she is staying in and she now has to find alternative accommodation for the next 5 months (baby Alexandra will be in hospital for three and it will be another two months afterwards that she can travel back to Ireland)
Liz has told me that the staff in the hotel she’s in (and soon has to leave) have been superb and even had a baby shower for her in her hotel room. I have written to one of the Vice Presidents of HR in Emirates who I know and explained the situation to him as I suspect it wasn’t escalated that high up the ranks. He has said they will investigate it.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Liz is lucky that she didn’t give birth whilst in Dubai as she would have been jailed as it’s against the law to have a baby out of wedlock.
The unfortunate part is that she’s now stuck in JNB for the next five months. There is a facebook group called ‘Alexandra Johanna’ where there are details of an account that any donations can be made to help Liz and baby out. Her family and friends have managed to raise a good amount of the medical fees but we’re still many thousands of dollars/euros away from what the hospital are asking.
Anyhow George, that’s the story. I hope it’s of interest to you. If you need more info including mine or Liz (in SA's) tel number, please let me know.
______________________________________________________________________________________
So, there you go. An incredible story. If you'd like to help; here are the account details:
Bank: Nedbank
Branch Code: 13280500
Account Name: Mrs Louise Mickel
Account Number: 1328040364
Swift Code: nedszajj
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Hoppy New Year
Ya like the title? See what I did there. Clever eh? I've had a spectacular beer year, I hit 1000 ratings on ratebeer.com, managed to finally track down a Westy 12 and numerous other rare and awesome beers. Instead of a blurb, I'll post some highlights of the year pics instead.
I can't wait for 2010
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Himself
- Garthicus
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Beer lover, Loving Husband and Dad :-) - oh and I'm an expert recruiter