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AN ACCOMMODATION WEBSITE has said searches for hotels in Co Rosommon have almost tripled in the last year – thanks to the publicity from Chris O’Dowd’s TV series set in the county.
Hotels.com says the number searches for Roscommon in a six-week period from September to October was 185 per cent higher than they had been in the equivalent period of 2011.
Searches within Ireland, meanwhile, are up by 27 per cent during the same period.
The site has attributed the surge to the popularity of ‘Moone Boy’, O’Dowd’s semi-autobiographical series about life growing up in the county.
The Boyle native stars in the show as the imaginary friend of the 11-year-old protagonist Martin Moone, played by David Rawle, as well as co-writing the series.
The series has performed strongly on TV, winning almost 700,000 viewers for its debut episode.
“It’s not uncommon for TV programmes or films to help boost a destination’s popularity,” said Kate Hopcraft of Hotels.com.
“We have seen this happen before with films such as Sex and the City, Mamma Mia and even TV programmes such as The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea.
“Moone Boy has been really well received in the UK and Ireland so it’s great to see that this seems to be having a knock-on effect for tourism in the county.”
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Porridge (oats) is one of the very few cereals left that doesn’t have up to 30% sugar added to make it attractive for children. It is an ancient Irish recipe and is very healthy very easily digested, low G.I, high fibre, low gluten food. It was our native main carbohydrate, the Asians have their rice, the Italians have their pasta, the Chinese have their noodles, the native South Americans have their tubers (potatoes) before the English foisted them on us for their own profit, but us Irish had our oats.
Tristan,
Think you’ll find oats are ancient in most countries. Staple diet for Roman Armt, being eaten in Empngland long before Raleigh brought potatoes in.
Plant cereals were common amongst all the people’s of Europe, Germans took to rye, Celts to barley, Romans to wheat, the Irish to oats.
I must be the only person in Ireland that is hungry afain within an hour of eating porridge. For some reason I don’t seem to hold that full feeling for too long.
That is due to its high level of carbohydrates as opposed to protein and fat.
Add some milk to it and have some eggs
You need to add something to it. For example almond butter (healthier than pb and good source of protein – will fill you up) and some fruit of your choice
I had porridge cooked with raisins then added honey, a chopped banana and covered it all with yoghurt. Gorgeous.
Surely you can’t be cereal?
I’m exactly the same jane. I add bananas, seeds, nuts at times and now matter how much I burst myself eating the stuff I’m still hungry in an hour. And it also tastes like muck to he honest
Make it with milk most mornings before work and I have to say there’s nothing else I can have for breakfast that gives me the same full feeling right through the morning. Only add cinnamon and honey to it so I’m not bulking it with anything but I do eat Jumbo Oats which maybe are slower release carbs or something like that. Instant oats are probably just rubbish that will have you hungry again in an hour alright!
I like to add instant coffee granules to mine. It tastes gank but it saves me the hassle of having to make coffee as well. And I eat it in the shower so I save even more time in the morning. My breakfasts are very efficient
I am cereal, and don’t call me Shirley.
It’s made from oats. Lots of cereals are made using oats. So why is porridge different? I love porridge and I say it’s cereal so you can take that as the answer.
Oats is a cereal crop, so yes porridge is a cereal. It’s like saying black is white..
Porridge being a rolled and cooked oat 100% falls under the definition of a cereal and as it is largely consumed for breakfast it is 100% a breakfast cereal. If these chances don’t include it on their menu in their new café then they’re already the laughing stock of London.
Yes, Ronnie Barker was hilarious in it.
God awful attempt of a joke.
Great series. I would agree its a series.
Paddlin, it is so bad, I’m proud of it.
Well its made from cereal; so therefore its a cereal. Why is this so complicated?
Rice is a cereal grain so am i having cereal with my chicken curry?
Why can’t you people have Yes or No answers in your polls. It makes the poll pointless when you have stupid answers. What kind of an answer is “No, where’s it’s mascot” and “I know it’s a cereal, but it’s not a cereal, cereal”. I understand this is a lighthearted poll but you do it a lot on serious polls. I mean why f*(king bother?
Do you agree with John?
-Yes. He is right in a righty wrong way
-No. He is wrong, but he is grand
-Can’t we just get along? Except he seems very angry.
I pick C, or is it 3, you forget to mention. Why bother doing a poll if you don’t apply the selection letter/name rule.
I hear you John! Equally frustrating when you see ‘I don’t know/undecided’ option as well. If you don’t have an opinion…don’t vote! Have to admit though, I did choose the gimmicky vote in this case!
Love you!
I wonder if its actually the bother of making the porridge that they dont put it on there menu as apposed to a bowl of céréal and a jug of milk. A lot less hassle
Oats were the staple food of the Irish diet before the arrival of the potato. I remember reading it had the highest fat content of the cereals and so was preferred. Also easily baked into bannocks over an open fire so easily stored and transported. I’ve a load of slides to go with the lecture if anyone is interested….
Porridge with a bit of salt and pepper.
Workmates look at me like there is something seriously wrong with me.
My kids love it with a spoon of Nutella in the middle let it melt with the porridge it’s delicious
It is by definition a cereal. Oats are cereal crops.
Oat is a cereal grain
Porrige worrige ! Not again !
Can I have cereal instead ?
I classify it, as with the Duck Billed Platypus, a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal
Some people have to get their oats from somewhere ☺
Not a cereal in our house. We eat porridge 6 days a week with fruit and on Sunday’s kids can have cereal or French toast or pancakes. They don’t ever pick porridge for the cereal option!
Years ago teaching in an inner city primary school 5th class, I asked “What cereal grain grows in a paddy field…?’
I bust a gut laughing when the kids hollered back, “Cheerios miss, Wheetos, Cornflakes….”
Heretics! It is obviously not a “cereal” cereal . You can’t just pour it out of the box and pour some milk on it and go.
I despair for humanity.
If you put hot milk on your Weetabix its still a cerial.
I pretend I like it but really look forward to the empty bowl.ummmmm porridge its great!!
Agree
have your say