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MORE IRISH HOLIDAYMAKERS chose to spend their vacations at home last year, with results from a hotel search site showing ten Irish destinations were among the most popular in 2012.
According to the Hotels.com annual hot list, Yaiza in Lanzarote saw the largest increase in Irish searches on the site last year. However Barna in Connemara, Co Galway was second on the list with an increase of 473.7 per cent in searches by Irish users compared with 2011.
Abbeyleix in Laois was up 398 per cent year-on-year with other destinations like Woodenbridge in Wicklow, Ballina in Tipperary and Ballyvaughan in Clare all showing significant increases in popularity.
Cobh in Cork also saw an increase in popularity in 2012 with searches up 313 per cent compared with 2011 which could, in part, be attributed to the Titanic commemoration events which took place in April to mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic.
Kate Hopcraft at Hotels.com said it is an encouraging sign for domestic tourism to see so many home grown destinations on the list. “Event driven tourism has been a big trend for the last number of years with festivals, concerts and major sporting events all helping incentivise people to holiday at home,” she said.
“We would expect this trend to continue throughout 2013 with events such as The Gathering and Derry’s status as City of Culture encouraging people to holiday on the island of Ireland,” she added.
Highest increases in searches for destinations by Irish users in 2012
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Thanks Obama.
@Michael Knight: True and might I add Hillary and Peppermint Patty (Samantha Power).
@Joe Caulfield: We can now see why Russia tried to interfere in US election to help Clinton and stop Trump.
Oh good old Tom Clonan. The Paul Williams of international security in Ireland.
@TheHeathen: Agree. I find this type of article utterly depressing. This isn’t analsyis. This is just testosterone fuelled guesswork.
@andrew: S400 in syria now;
https://youtu.be/1VK9W_S9qHA
I suggest those wanting this war send themselves and their sons and daughters into the front line.
@@mdmak33: couldn’t agree with you more, Leo however is all for this European Army, this to me is being staged by the U.K. and it’s allies, always using the “look over there tactic”, I really believed that Trump was not a man of war, I didn’t think he was a man who wanted war with Russia, I never believed he would go along with this war agenda, they are blatantly pushing for all out war with Russia, anyways whatever way this goes we can rest assured and sleep
easy in our beds with the knowledge that Our Great leader Leo will be doing all he can to fully support Teresa May, Macron, Merkel and the rest of them in the “war effort”!, I can see him already talking about the great conscription for the European Army, they needn’t bother knocking for my sons!…
@Kate Flaherty: in fairness to merkel, she told the us and the brits to sling a hook on taking part in this crap.
@@mdmak33: Great idea, they could follow the examples set by John Bolton and Donald Trump when they volunteered for Vietnam.
@Cal Mooney: True.
@Cal Mooney: Sure the NSA listens to all Merkels mobile phone calls (Snowden revealed this and it is not a nice thing to do). The Germans are too smart to fall for this bs after Iraq2 Libya etc.
There is no reality to an alarmist threat of a Third World War.
Trump’s administration is in intensive discussions with Russia’s team in order to negotiate the extent to which the US can carry out a symbolic but militarily irrelevant missile strike as an impotent gesture.
@Michael Lang: i think once the US carry out a symbolic attack on Syria, the Russians must carry out a symboluc attack on the US ships that launch those missiles. As long as no one or no damage is done on either side, we will not be symbollically screwed.
@Cal Mooney: Trump will only act with Russia’s tacit non objection.
@Cal Mooney: hopefully there wont be a symbolical M.A.D with all these symbolical talk? It is just a symbolic mad world.
@Michael Lang: in other words, Putin must take it up the rear end to save US and UK blushes. I dont and you dont really think that is going to happen. Unless of course the US is willing to sacrifice a few French less up to date war planes and their pilots. Then both sides can say, we told you so. Could be a winner for both sides, what do you think? It is the reason i believe the brits will hold back. They couldnt care less for the french anyway.
@Michael Lang: exactly, “it would be a shame if you attacked here, here and here comrade”
@Dr Rex Butts: that could also be a red face saver. The russians point out where they believe all the rebel held NATO, Saudi and Israeli supplied chemical weapon dumps are and the US take them out. All sides could claim victory then. I like your way of thinking big man.
@Cal Mooney: if a war starts the the whole of NATO will get involved as by NATO article 5. But that won’t happen unless the United States is directly attacked by Russian forces in Syria.
@Michael Lang: Ru S400 installed in Syria:
https://youtu.be/1VK9W_S9qHA
@alan scott: not true. The nato article dictates that member states will only support fellow members if they are attacked first. If the us kill any russians after being warned off, then russia has a right of reply without NATO members being compelled to respond in Unison. Its why Merkel is refusing to commit any German military to the US and brit expedition forces.
@Cal Mooney: symbolic symbolisms!!!
@Cal Mooney: The Nato article may say that but in reality everyone might get involved which is not a good thing for anybody on any side.
Since 2014, the US has committed $14 billion to its military efforts to oust President Assad’s regime. This has included $13 million per day – every day – over four years in constant rolling airstrikes against Assad’s Syrian Arab National Army (SANA).
Good analysis nice to see Obama getting some blame for keeping the Syrian civil war going… All the mainstream media ever say if he drew line in sand against Assad and did nothing after than in Syria….US also with Saudi Arabia sent TOW anti tank weapons to the Sunni Jahadis under Obama administration….. An insane thing to do…Some went to Al Nusra the folks behind 911…
America is mad for more war,this time they are calling out one of the big boys,interesting to see what way Putin is going to react
@dick dastardly: Just double checking…Ireland is still neutral right? So we wont be getting any missiles flying over our heads right? If not and this madness starts I am buying a ticket to Switzerland or some nice country in Africa, Ghana perhaps.
@The Girl: Shannon airport and Obama Plaza would be best avoided imo.
@The Girl: we can use our broomsticks, ww2 aircraft, ww2 weapons. Yup we would be flattered even by Syria nevertheless Russia.
@alan scott: i am so glad we are not in this fight. Otherwise FG and probably FF would have our young men and women in the front line to a war that is totally unjustified.
@dick dastardly: Trump even said
during one of the debates that he loves war.
The Middle East, Americas new wild west.
@Dae Monicus: Always America’s fault with lefties like you.
Ask yourself this.
W T F are the Russians doing in Syria… At all…??
@Michael Fehily: Weren’t they invited? I think their only naval base in Med is located in Syria.
@Sheldon: Weren’t the Americans “invited” into Iraq in 2003..And all the lefties giving out about America illegally invading. Now all of sudden, Russia are right to be in Syria.. Hypocrites
@Michael Fehily: Not a leftie Michael but if you look at the bigger picture, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, all a major shit storm, now throw in Saudi and Iran is basically surrounded and if Iran falls that leaves a corridor if my memory severs me right, from Turkeys southeastren border right over to Pakistan’s North western border under American influence, so why wouldn’t the Russians be in Syria, not trying to be argumentative but that’s what the bigger picture looks like to me.
@Michael Fehily: They weren’t invited there in 2003 Michael they went in under false pretences, it’s pretty much regarded as such now albeit in hindsight.
@Dae Monicus: how many warm water ports do the US and Brits have. The Russians have one. How many times have the brits and the US destroyed countries, reduced them to rubnle in order to free their people from opprrssive regimes. How many times in the last 40 years did they stay behind ling enough to pick up the pieces afterwards?
@Cal Mooney:Cal I totally agree it’s out there that the yanks have been responsible for up to 30 million deaths since the end of ww2, I find them a despicable nation on the war mongering front, this is a country that made a sport of slaying native Americans, dropped two nuclear devices on a defeated nation sold Iran it’s first nuclear reactor, supported Saddam Hussain and have been involved in I believe 90 conflicts since ww2 all in the name of democracy, and the funny thing is what are they only a bunch of fat Europeans and we get branded lefties just because we happen to hold an opinion.
@Michael Fehily: Assad invited the Russians into Syria. I’m pretty sure Saddam Hussein did not invite the US into Iraq.
@Michael Fehily: No. The U.S. was not invited to Iraq. The U.S. and the UK invaded Iraq on lies about non existent wmd. Spent trillions, 1mln Iraqis died, the rest were impoverished, because Saddam Hussein planned to dump the dollar and trade oil in Euros. And after all this destruction U.D. Exxon Mobil took control of oil fields in Iraq.
@gregory: Team America democracy Gregory, hell yeah.
@Dae Monicus: Yup, bloody embarassing that people still believe this crap which is not even in the American interest f f s.
@Michael Fehily: Not all America’s fault .. but the so called Arab spring was sponcered by the West, America up to it’s neck in this farce. However bad these regimes may have been Morocco, Lybia had stable governments… Now look at the mess their in. The rise of ISIS in Iraq armed and funded by vested interests. Not defending Russia for a moment, but the amount of arms supplied by the West to rebel forces , and the threat to destabilise Syria led to Russian intervention, We can argue the toss concerning the rights or wrongs of these regimes, but the interests of the West and Russia have caused turmoil in the middle East.
Syrian democratic forces and so called moderate rebels. Syria is one of very few places in the muslim world were christians and jews are not persecuted. Where women do not have to wear hijab if they do not wish, girls are educated fully and have equal rights. The sdf and so called moderates armed by the usa and allies are affiliated with islamic terror groups. Lets be honest here the usa and britain have a history of invading/ destabilising and destroying arab countries i.e iraq and libya and look at the state of them now. Israel shoot and kill children throwing stones and the western world says and does nothing. I for one do not trust anything the us, britain or nato say. Thank goodness for russia for destroying islamic state and curbing the warmongering us imperialist machine.
@Keith mac suibhne: Shia Muslims are more modern – Iran, Lebanon, Syria. Sunni muslims are extremely dogmatic/old fashioned even extreme. Sunnis: KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc.). The largest oil company in the world is the Arabian American Oil Company – Aramco – based in KSA. Trump signed export deal for arms for 200Bln USD w/ KSA. Shia’s were getting into control in Yemen. KSA bomed ‘em back to the stone age f last 18 mths using U.S. weapons. No much news on that eh? Qatar wants to build gas pipeline into EU thru Syria. Syria Govt. said no.
Unless Russia is planning a suicidal Nuclear First Strike, they simply don’t have the Conventional Military capabilities to go to war with the West. So all the huffing and puffing from Russia is nothing more than chest beating.
@Mick Jordan: China, Iran and North Korea might have something to say about that…?
Yes Russia has the GNP of Spain and millitary spending 30% higher than the UK around $75 billion…….In contrast NATO millitary together spend $920 billion….
@Mick Jordan: “It’ll be over by Christmas”
@Mick Jordan: i am pretty sure that if Syria is attacked by NATO on the false pretext of being worried about civilians, Russia will have no choice to attack the brits, americans and french bases in the region in response. Otherwise, they will continue to poke the bear for the forseeable future knowing it is weak. The russians have the capability to inflict serious damage to those bases. The only way to win tgis game for both sides is not to play.
@Kenny Wolf: Is China prepared to go to war on Russia’s behalf? The Chinese don’t like the Russians that much or hate the West that much either. And North Korea will do what China tells them.
And Iran is in no position to take on the Isrealies let alone the combined might of the West.
So they will say nothing.
@pc_comments: and what costs the money? Wages the Russian military is only surpassed by the US. Which has it’s weaknesses. France and UK are aren’t up to scratch.
@Cal Mooney: Russia would lose any conventional conflict and lose badly. Even the Russian Military acknowledge that. So they would only have the nuclear option. And that would be suicidal. So unless Vlad is planning on starting a war he cannot win and firing his nukes which in turn would get the equal response from the West, all he would be President of is a radioactive hole in the ground.
@Kenny Wolf: considering china owns about 6% of the USA debt I can’t see them going to war to protect Russia’s influence and North Korea will do as it’s told by china, as for Iran what could they do even if they wanted
@Mick Jordan: so you think its right to yank the chain of a nuclear superpower on a hunch after they have made it clear that they will attack any platforms that launch attacks against Syria. They drew a ckear redline in the sand. They have to have a full retaliation in response to any attack on them or Syria. Otherwise they will come across as week.
@Mick Jordan: USA feck yeah. Mick, you badly need to badly get back to your airsoft team badly.
@Cal Mooney: Russia can draw all the lines it wants. But the fact remains Russia is in no position to fight a conventional war with the combined might of the West. So as I said unless Vlad is willing to start a nuclear war which nobody can win, all Russia will do is stamp it’s foot and squeel. How much is Syria worth to Russia in reality. Is it willing to lose a war over It? Vlad isn’t that stupid.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Does the truth hurt?
@Mick Jordan: the US has officially focused its foreign policy on China and Russia. China’s defense minister Wei Fenghe has said during a visit to Moscow that China is ready to support Russia against the US and are currently mounting Navy drills in the Taiwan straits in a show of support for Russia.
The US and NATO are war mongering and the world can see it!
@Kenny Wolf: I wouldn’t get too excited about that. China pulls those live fire exercises around Taiwan on a regular basis. It’s done to flex its muscle to Taiwan.
@johnp: as I said above. China and Russia relations are at an all time high and they are aligned over the US.
And Iran… if you can’t see the danger here with this angle you’re living in a bubble. Iranian troops are already in Syria and they have pledged allegiance to Assad. Israel are now provoking Iran into a war, which will draw the Middle East further into turmoil if they attack each other. Syria is a flashpoint for a world war. The situation cannot be easily dismissed!
@Mick Jordan: Wishful thinking of a bully boy right winger, you have really swallowed the propaganda, brainwashing and hubris hook, line and sinker. You’re bully hero’s have made sure to never take on a power like Russia before.
Do really think England and France would survive an all out war with Russia. The English and French people deserve better than their Chickenhawk leaders.
@Kenny Wolf: So high that China abstained on the Russian UN resoulution. China needs to sell its products to the West. Without that market China goes broke. Added to that China has not been making too many friends in the South China sea region. It is currently in dispute with the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Indonesia over its claims on their territorial waters.
@Jointheclubtoo: But it wouldn’t just be the UK and France now would it. Check out NATO’s Article 5. An attack on one member is an attack on all members. So as I said time and time again Russia does not have the ability to fight a war with the combined might of the West. Now this may hurt your pride but it’s simple fact.
@Mick Jordan: Article 5 states that all NATO countrirs must unite if ine country is attacked first. If the brits or US kill anyone from here on in, article 5 is null and void. Turkey tried to invoke it recently after their soldiets were killed in Syria and all the NATO membets told them rightly, you attacked a sovereign nation. You are on your own. Same applies in this case.
@Mick Jordan: So you’re willing to see a nuclear war to test your theory, don’t like to hurt your pride but you or England or France wouldn’t be around to know one way or another.
@Jointheclubtoo: By the way as a force their is no NATO,just the US wearing different colours and to give the US international cover.
@Mick Jordan: Napoleon and Hitler made that calculation.. Didn’t turn out to well for them.
@Jointheclubtoo: Or us in Ireland, nuclear war would kill us too ya moron.
@Donal Desmond: The West wouldn’t be invading Russia. So the point is moot.
@Stephen O’Donoghue: Well I never !! There’s me thinking we were immune to to a nuclear holacost. Thanks genius.
More hype , either side wont want an all out war they are happy with proxy wars , that way they talk big and dont lose face ,if it did kick off they’d all lose simple as and they know it.
@Sean Beinead: well it seems all this is over the fact that the US lost the proxy war in Syria so had to find a ladder to get over that and justify attacking a sovereign nation by the alleged chemical attacks. The big problem now is they’ve dug themselves a hole by saying what they will do. The implications of now doing nothing might appear worse than doing something small. If they get the small option wrong and hit Russians who are embedded in the SAA then it all gets serious and complicated very quickly.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: cant see much happening other than a few crappy airstrikes to flex a muscle , this was a red line issue in obamas time and it passed with time and nothing more , both sides if anything will consult each other to avoid any indirect casualties , this conflict is far from over and there are no winners or losers yet other than the ordinary joe.
@Sean Beinead: sort of agree.. the us launch a gew missiles, kill a few hundred syrians and russians. The russians tespond by sinking the ship that launched said missiles and everyone bavks down and takes s timeout. No biggie!
Without the masses intervening with their own program the drive for war will not be stopped.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/04/12/pers-a12.html
US, Britain and France prepare onslaught against Syria.
@PV Nevin: France and the UK are EU war mongers who destroyed Libya once a prosperous nation and spun it as a good thing thru bbc and F24. Go talk to a normal Libya. Shame on France and the UK. ISIS and Al Qaeda filled the void and now its just chaos and poverty or take life in ur own hands amd try to cross the meditteranean in a rubber dingy only to be saved if you are lucky by grumpy Italians who are over-run and fed up with all this crap.
@gregory: yeah Libya was a fine peaceful and fair nation under that madman Gadafi, go take your head out of your ar$e
@Marlon Brando: By the standards of the Middle East it was certainly one of the best and most prosperous.
It isn’t now.
The Russians learned their lesson in WW2. They were unprepared and lost 20mln lives in that war. Russia has learned a hard lesson since and keeps its military arsenal up to scratch. Once you have nuclear power it matters not who has the most bombs because 1 is enough. Although those who under estimate conventional military capacity in Russia are seriously mis-informed. Do some research. For example the FOAB.
https://youtu.be/8wvtRbCV-6w
@gregory: You Russian by any chance ?
Pity they can’t cover the increase of HIV positive infections running in Russia
Where are all the people who said Trump is just a puppet of Putins . I watched Pinnocchio as a kid , I don’t think he tried to destroy Gipatto .
This is an interesting, albeit long, listen https://theintercept.com/2018/04/11/a-nation-addicted-to-war-syria-trump/
No. We are not.
People forget tragedy of war…history repeats its self until a wise king rules selflessly… which is a contradiction. so… maybe it is our turn to tell our offspring what war brings… if we survive of course.
@Ryo Nakamura: Yes, despite all the revolutionary technology of the last 30 years, it seems people get dumber and dumber. People need to read a few history books.
Those two meglomaniacs are itching for a confrontation but as neither of them wants war to hit their own country they will be quite happy to fight a proxy war in the Middle East to devastating effect on the civilian population. The us economy is dependent on oil (which can only be traded in us dollars)and arms manufacturing,hence the power of the nra.
@Thomas Devlin: the russians have one single warm water port. Its in Syria. NATO have dozens. The US and the brits want to attack Russias single warm water port. But according to your analysis, Russia is trying American and Brit patience.
@Thomas Devlin: Not true. China and Russia already set up a currency exchange programme and trade oil and gas in Yuan/Roubles. China signed a deal in 2016 w/ Russia for the import of gas and the deal was around 400bln dollars.
@Cal Mooney: You’ve hit the nail on the head, Russia’s interest in Syria is purely about extending its defences and sphere of influence as strategically Russia is very very weak on its western front.. as demonstrated by any European army that has invaded throughout history (the outcome of those invasions not withstanding).
I will pay each and every Journal commenter €5m if WWIII breaks out. Except Tony Daly.
Lots of fake news here the last few days. The facts are Russia spends nearly double that of Spain in military spending. Even more when you factor in the lower cost base in Russia.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Economy/GDP
Posts here state gnp of spain is the same as Russia. Utter nonsense. Let’s look at gdp. Ru 2TLN. Spain 1.35TLN. National debt Spain ginormous. Russia nil.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Economy/GDP
Franz Ferdinand playing a gig in Damascus?
Clickbait title is contradicted by last paragraph.
Trump deflecting from Stormy happenings at home.
Russia won’t need to go to war because the US Generals won’t even listen to the Trumper.
@Gerry Ryan: I hope you are right. I am not so sure after Iraq2.
Ah we’ve been here a few times before, just a few mother duckers throwing their dummies out of the pram! I would like to think someone told the orange lad to calm to fe^k down
Just send a few rockets, fire a few guns, whatever. Just stop pussyfootin about and let’s make this a bit interesting!
@Psyarron: what a stupid comment to make, your probably also pro birth!
@Colette Kearns: Being pro birth is good for the oul species, Colette.
@Colette Kearns: He’s definitely pro death, no thought for the people under the rockets. The anti-choicers are capable of this kind of cognitive dissonance.
“To teach ignorant men most violent ways” WB Yeats
Endless wretched little conflicts going on all the time. We might as well have had a Third World War and got it over with, with less bloodshed and misery. The E.U. hasn’t stopped the carnage in Syria and the U.S. and the U.K. continue to either sell arms to whoever will buy them and/or spend a huge percentage of g.d.p. on defence. Seeing as we’ve made such a b******s of things generally, a war could be very cathartic and (re) focus our minds.
@Paul Jennings: A nuclear war to (re) focus our minds?! Yeah, that doesn’t sound in any way totally insane.
@Paul Jennings: Hi Paul, not fair on the civilians in Syria. But the U.S. should have stayed out of this one. Their black ops the last few years have cost many lives with their so called regime change programme that didnt work in Iraq or Libya. Just created a vacuum for ISIS and affiliated organizations wbo share a common goal – hatred of the West for destroying their society. That is why France is targeted so often.
@Sheldon: who said it would be nuclear? That would be too easy and too quick, an option most favoured by humanity for overcoming most problems but, curiously enough, as evidenced by recent conflicts it has to be the slow, long and drawn out option. Seen any nuclear war activity recently?
Trump must sack his adviser Generals.
@Mj Osu: Why…?? Should Putin not do the same…?
If there is so be it, there will be no one more proud that Trump believing that God made the world and Trump destroyed it.
Good man Russian bot
My Username: Nicole27 https://goo.gl/q2McjV
A “third world” war or World War III?
Clonan was telling us last week that Putin had nothing to do with the Salisbury chemical attacks, he has zero credibility, Clonan the clown sounds about right.
@Patrick James Walsh: Walsh the Britbot, doesn’t rhyme as well but is more accurate.
Russia is just a bluffer that needs a trimming.. The West should cut all ties with these murdering land grabbers. Crimea says enough.. imagine if England decided to take over the Republic. NATO have no balls.
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