St Pancras = St Patricks

[Bromley boy]

Love to know what part of Ireland your mate goes to. I've lived in Dublin for 20 years, and Paddy's Day is a day me and the other half don't go out. The aftermath of the day, with 'Pavement Pizza's', and the smell of freshly passed urine flowing down the cobblestones of Temple Bar, is a 'delight' to be missed. Perhaps he heads up North. They are not as mad on the drink in Antrim.

To be fair the majority of revellers in Temple Bar will not urinate on the streets, nor leave pavement pizzas behind.

Most just go for a good time.

 

[McDontrains]

Love to know what part of Ireland your mate goes to. I've lived in Dublin for 20 years, and Paddy's Day is a day me and the other half don't go out. The aftermath of the day, with 'Pavement Pizza's', and the smell of freshly passed urine flowing down the cobblestones of Temple Bar, is a 'delight' to be missed. Perhaps he heads up North. They are not as mad on the drink in Antrim.

Flies in to Dublin but travels across to Galway, I imagine Dublin would be fairly hectic on the 17th!

 

[6Gman]

Why do we celebrate the Saint's Day of another country?

(Unless you're in N.I.)


Oh yes, commerce.

 

[nottsnurse]

Why do we celebrate the Saint's Day of another country?

(Unless you're in N.I.)


Oh yes, commerce.

And of course this too.

 

[berneyarms]

Love to know what part of Ireland your mate goes to. I've lived in Dublin for 20 years, and Paddy's Day is a day me and the other half don't go out. The aftermath of the day, with 'Pavement Pizza's', and the smell of freshly passed urine flowing down the cobblestones of Temple Bar, is a 'delight' to be missed. Perhaps he heads up North. They are not as mad on the drink in Antrim.

Well that's a very negative way of looking at it. What about all the families out at parades across the country? The charity events that were on? Bloody hell you make it sound like the whole Irish nation were out getting hammered.

And I would hardly call Temple Bar representative for most Irish people. There are plenty of other parts of Dublin one can go to - it's just a tourist trap. Walk around there any Sunday morning and it won't be much different, with the aftermath of stag and hen parties (many from the UK), but again they aren't representative of Irish people in general.

I've lived in Dublin all my life, and while there certainly was a problem particularly with under-age drinking in the city centre some years back on St Patrick's Day, the Gardaí have clamped down heavily on it. Most Irish people can go out and have a few pints and come home without causing problems. Let's not exaggerate things.

 

[berneyarms]

Why do we celebrate the Saint's Day of another country?

(Unless you're in N.I.)


Oh yes, commerce.

Or possibly because of the large number of people living in the UK who are Irish or have Irish roots and it is a link back to home?

 

[AlterEgo]

True, but what I think exercises some English people in particular is (a) the Guinness marketing machine convincing everyone that their product is absolutely essential to any celebration and (b) St Patrick's Day being celebrated to the exclusion of St George's Day in England, because nobody really knows what to do.

There are two types of people in this world. The Irish and the wannabe Irish.

 

[AlterEgo]

I appreciate that they try. It takes all of 5 minutes to arrange something like this, relatively speaking and helps to remind us that we're all human at the end of the day.

People that complain "that they should be running trains rather than being funny" have no sense of humour and probably wouldn't be pleased even if the railway refunded their season ticket, ran 100% of the trains on-time, guaranteed a seat and got a complimentary pastry every journey - they'd still find something to fault and play the victim.

The PIS isn’t for jokes like this - it’s a fundamental part of providing passenger information. Station names shouldn’t be changed. A small number of people using the trains won’t know that St Patrick’s isn’t a place or a station.

 

[70014IronDuke]

It’s just a bit of fun, and I’d hazard a guess absolutely nobody will have been confused by st Patrick’s rather than st Pancras being displayed.

No doubt the usual suspects will use this as their latest excuse to take umbrage and have a moan - people should lighten up a bit.

Yeah, sure. Like if you were planning to go to, say Muenich Hbf and they put up Muenich Fhb for some joke .... and you were in a rush for a late train, you'd be ok with that?

St Pancras is a major international destination. If you are a foreigner, travelling for the first time, especially a non-European from Japan or Kazakhstan, or an African country with no British heritage - or even with some - this could be most unsettling.
No need. I'm pretty sure I have a sense of humour, but this is not the way humour should be spread about, because it is not humorous for someone who doesn't understand and who is already stressed by travel.

 

[Bromley boy]

Yeah, sure. Like if you were planning to go to, say Muenich Hbf and they put up Muenich Fhb for some joke .... and you were in a rush for a late train, you'd be ok with that?

St Pancras is a major international destination. If you are a foreigner, travelling for the first time, especially a non-European from Japan or Kazakhstan, or an African country with no British heritage - or even with some - this could be most unsettling.
No need. I'm pretty sure I have a sense of humour, but this is not the way humour should be spread about, because it is not humorous for someone who doesn't understand and who is already stressed by travel.

Oh bore off.

I’d be fine with it, when I visit a foreign country I expect their signage will be in the local language.

I can only speak English, i’ve successfully navigated myself around many European and international cities where English is barely spoken (Budapest, Meridä, São Paulo).

You simply suck it up and crack on.

 

[Darandio]

There are two types of people in this world. The Irish and the wannabe Irish.

Who are of course 'Oirish'

 

[E_Reeves]

To be honest, I didn't even know it was St Patricks day so I would've been a bit confused, but with a little common sense I would've got around it.

 

[theironroad]

There may well be, but it's the many thousands across the country who can't that bother me.

Idiots drinking so heavily that it causes them to go into respiratory arrest because, you know, it's St Patrick's Day and that's what it's all about in the UK version of events.

Whether the 'true spirit' of St Patrick's Day is nestling down with granny for a nice meal or not, the version that is most apparent these days is idiots chucking on some green clothes and getting extremely drunk.

Why are you picking on one day of the year. Across the UK people regularly drink to excess and end up at a&e for one reason or another, hence all these 'booze buses' and street pastors being deployed in towns across the UK on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year.

 

[theironroad]

Well that's a very negative way of looking at it. What about all the families out at parades across the country? The charity events that were on? Bloody hell you make it sound like the whole Irish nation were out getting hammered.

And I would hardly call Temple Bar representative for most Irish people. There are plenty of other parts of Dublin one can go to - it's just a tourist trap. Walk around there any Sunday morning and it won't be much different, with the aftermath of stag and hen parties (many from the UK), but again they aren't representative of Irish people in general.

I've lived in Dublin all my life, and while there certainly was a problem particularly with under-age drinking in the city centre some years back on St Patrick's Day, the Gardaí have clamped down heavily on it. Most Irish people can go out and have a few pints and come home without causing problems. Let's not exaggerate things.

Certainly last night's RTE Six One news covered what seems like hundreds of local parades all around the country all of which seemed very peaceful.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Oh bore off.

I’d be fine with it, when I visit a foreign country I expect their signage will be in the local language.

I can only speak English, i’ve successfully navigated myself around many European and international cities where English is barely spoken (Budapest, Meridä, São Paulo).

You simply suck it up and crack on.

But you are avoiding the issue. Of course you expect signage in a foreign country to be in the local language. That was not the point.
Anyway, you are obviously the intrepid traveller prepared to take on all sorts of unexpecteds ..... and you'll suck it up and crack on .... jolly good.

 

[Ianigsy]

We English should make much more of St. George’s day! Why don’t we? Political correctness - if you’re a vaguely patriotic englander you’re damned as a racist in the eyes of many.

Also the Reformation, which did away with many of the traditional saint's day celebrations, and the Industrial Revolution, which broke up rural communities and enticed workers to the cities where they were thrust next to people from different parts of the country with different traditions.

 

[birchesgreen]

We English should make much more of St. George’s day! Why don’t we? Political correctness - if you’re a vaguely patriotic englander you’re damned as a racist in the eyes of many.

No body is stopping you, there are events all over the place even in the socialist PC hellhole that is Birmingham. The reason people don't is because basically they can't be bothered with anything cultural unless they can get drunk or pretend to be American.

Anyway returning on topic, i don't think it's a good idea changing the PiS in this case especially with a destination that has a lot of tourists.

 

[Bromley boy]

But you are avoiding the issue. Of course you expect signage in a foreign country to be in the local language. That was not the point.
Anyway, you are obviously the intrepid traveller prepared to take on all sorts of unexpecteds ..... and you'll suck it up and crack on .... jolly good.

What issue is that?! Are you asking me or telling me?! I expect signage in a foreign country to be in a foreign language.

I do indeed suck it up and crack on. Jolly good and tally-ho, old chap.

Also the Reformation, which did away with many of the traditional saint's day celebrations, and the Industrial Revolution, which broke up rural communities and enticed workers to the cities where they were thrust next to people from different parts of the country with different traditions.

The reformation also did away with the nastier aspects of certain other abrahamic religions, currently resident within these isles.

Or did it?!

 

[dorsetdesiro]

This reminds me of SWT's Christmas theme for their platform display boards, that Waterloo was "Winterloo" and "Snowbiton" for Surbiton etc!

 

[Bromley boy]

No body is stopping you, there are events all over the place even in the socialist PC hellhole that is Birmingham.

I’ve been to Birmingham a few times. What an absolutey horrendous sh*thole it is.

I will never go back if I can possibly avoid it.

 

[birchesgreen]

The reformation also did away with the nastier aspects of certain other abrahamic religions, currently resident within these isles.

Or did it?!

No idea what this means. Can you explain?

 

[birchesgreen]

I’ve been to Birmingham a few times. What an absolutey horrendous sh*thole it is.

I will never go back if I can possibly avoid it.

I don't blame you, i've been here for 44 years which is probably more than you get for double murder

 

[30907]

The reformation also did away with the nastier aspects of certain other abrahamic religions, currently resident within these isles.

I am not aware that the Reformation of the (western) Christian Church led to any changes in Judaism or Islam.

 

[Bromley boy]

No idea what this means. Can you explain?

It would be quicker to google it - seriously. The short TLDR version was that the reformation was a schism, according to Wikipedia. Which is a punchy, very good word. “Schism”. I like it!

I don't blame you, i've been here for 44 years which is probably more than you get for double murder

Certainly in the U.K. it is!

 

[birchesgreen]

I know a bit about the reformation, it was a major topic when i was doing my history degree but not sure what it has to do with "certain other abrahamic religions"

 

[Bromley boy]

I am not aware that the Reformation of the (western) Christian Church led to any changes in Judaism or Islam.

Now that you mention it, it appears you’re quite right.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...rmation-extremism-muslim-martin-luther-europe

The truth is that Islam has already had its own reformation of sorts, in the sense of a stripping of cultural accretions and a process of supposed “purification”. And it didn’t produce a tolerant, pluralistic, multifaith utopia, a Scandinavia-on-the-Euphrates. Instead, it produced … the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 

[Bromley boy]

I know a bit about the reformation, it was a major topic when i was doing my history degree but not sure what it has to do with "certain other abrahamic religions"

I was a lawyer rather than a historian. You’ll have to forgive me.

 

[Harbornite]

Reading this thread has made my blood boil, it really annoys me when I read about people having fun or attempting to be funny, especially when it's rail staff. Flogging's too good for them.

/s

Yeah, sure. Like if you were planning to go to, say Muenich Hbf and they put up Muenich Fhb for some joke .... and you were in a rush for a late train, you'd be ok with that?

St Pancras is a major international destination. If you are a foreigner, travelling for the first time, especially a non-European from Japan or Kazakhstan, or an African country with no British heritage - or even with some - this could be most unsettling.

Firstly, why would someone make a joke of switching Hbf (hauptbahnhof) to Fhb? And FYI it's Munich (or Munchen), not Muenich.

Secondly, I think that people in a rush for a particular train would know what they are doing and not be fooled by a joke name. You underestimate the intelligence of rail passengers.

 

[BucksBones]

I bet there were more than a few people not necessarily as au fait with rail travel as those on this forum who thought the trains were being diverted. St Patricks is not obviously St Pancras to many travellers, just as Wolverine is not obviously Wolverhampton.

(If it were even vaguely amusing it might be less objectionable...)

 

[AlterEgo]

Secondly, I think that people in a rush for a particular train would know what they are doing and not be fooled by a joke name. You underestimate the intelligence of rail passengers.

Do you not see how St Patrick’s is likely to be confusing for first-time users of the railway in this country? Don’t forget it’s not just any old station but one which connects us to Europe; it gets a *lot* of use by non-native speakers and by people who’ve no idea that St Patrick’s isn’t a place like St Erth or St Ives.

It wasn’t a good idea and there are better opportunities to have a bit of fun than that.