A TERRIBLE PERIOD FOR DUBLIN- Valentina Michelon

A TERRIBLE PERIOD FOR DUBLIN


by Valentina Michelon

From a week to now Dublin has been in a difficult situation because of freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls. People can't stand this situation for much longer because all public transport services are experiencing delays.

Dublin airport won't be opened again until tomorrow morning and it will be opened only if the weather conditions will allow this. All Aer Lingus flights due to depart today have been cancelled. Passengers booked to travel on affected Aer Lingus flights are advised not to come to the airport. Also a lot of Ryanairs flights have been cancelled.




All of the outskirts streets are frozen so a lot of bus routes are stopped before the last stop. For example no buses will go into Lucan village, they will stick to the main roads only.

So in conclusion people can't move from their homes using public transport. They also can't use their own cars because it's too dangerous to drive.

Only the big streets are accessible to cars and trucks, but there is a lot of traffic and endless queues. They are forced to go slowly because of the bad condition of the weather.

Snow in Dublin and neighbourhood stop the city - Jacopo Ferraresso

Jacopo Ferraresso

All Dublin stops his activity because of a heavy snowfall. Icy conditions have severely affected roads in many parts of the country, with temperatures due to fall to -5C overnight.

Dublin Bus is warning that all services are experiencing delays, the worst are in the southside of the city, especially in Lucan, Tallaght, Rathfarnham and Enniskerry. South Dublin county council says all main roads are open, but following heavy showers of snow, traffic disruption is likely.

Motorists have to drive with extra care on secondary roads, the roads 239, 25, 25A, 26 66, 66A, 66D, 66N, 67 and 67A are close because of the bad condition of the weather, it is also recommended to the drivers to be extremely careful on the roads as the cold snap continues to make driving extremely dangerous. Schools are closed and all the children are at home, many local events have been cancelled as the freeze continues, for Dublin pedestrians it is very dangerous walk on the footpath, there are may cases of broken arms and legs in particular for old people.

Snow in Dublin on Friday

Dublin council continues to clean the streets. They have 120 tons of salt and sand to treat the streets.

In Irish airports the situation is as critical as on the roads, many flights are cancelled because of the bad visibility conditions & the ice has made the landing strip dangerous. Passengers are advised to check the airline's website.

Disruption is likely to continue tomorrow, as hail, sleet or snow showers are expected in Connacht and Ulster, and parts of west Munster, the weather will be better in a couple of weeks.

SNOW EVERYWHERE- by Matilde Rosini

Since Monday we are having a long cold period, with Dublin covered by the snow and the public transport blocked in all the town.

Almost half of flights have been cancelled, which amounts to over 200 flights. All Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled, so passengers who booked to travel with this company are advised not to come to the airport. Ryanair cancelled flights for tonight, and Aer Arann also had to cancel six flights and divert two others.

Snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures bring the closure of dozens of schools, dangerous streets for pedestrians and many late trains. Also frustrated commuters have problem with the heavy traffic and long queues.

This month is the coldest since 2001, so we hope the weather will be better next month.





Matilde Rosini


                                                                                                              

The coldest winter in Ireland - Erika

Erika

In recent days the snow is creating a lot of problems in our city. This is the coldest winter for 28 years for the most of the country. The roads are icy and the Dublin's transport system is having a lot of inconveniences.               


Yesterday some trains were delayed for up to three and a half hours, with hundreds of travellers left stranded. Railway services are being reduced in frequency, but they will be reintroduced over the coming days, weather permitting.

snow on the luas line

Many rural and urban bus services are suspended, the roads are too dangerous and some of them are being closed to traffic. Moreover the snowploughs are not enough for the all country, the authorities are working to find solutions.                                                                                                                
On Monday the heavy snowfall closed DAA, leading to the cancellation of almost 200 flights. Flights were diverted to other airports. 
Dublin's Luas tram line service, is badly affected, most drivers and bus users are too afraid to travel on the ice-covered roads.


Forecasters said temperatures will rise next week.

Snow in Ireland caused many matters with Airports - Davide Scalabrin

Davide Scalabrin

This article talks about the matters caused by the bad weather, especially the snow, which has resulted in the cancellation of some flights at Irish airports.

After snowing in the afternoon the airports reopened but a lot of flights have been cancelled. DAA, the Irish airport authority, says that there are no bad weather forecasts for tonight and flights might restart without problems so passengers are invited to call there airlines to find out if there flight is operating. The snow caused the cancellation of many flights for the main Irish airlines such as Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Aer Arann.

Dublin's airport

Passengers are invited to contact their companies for their baggage in both airports if they can't find them. Airlines say that passengers will be re-booked if they have lost their flight.

Also in the north of Ireland such as in Belfast's airports some flights have been cancelled but the situation is better than in the south.

Also drivers are warned because of the snow and ice that are problems in the north and east of Ireland. The condition of the roads are not good and AA Roadwatch says that this situation won't get better and there is widespread disruption of traffic in roads across Ireland.

SNOW: DUBLIN AIRPORT BLOCKED - Rossi Alberto

In recent weeks Dublin has been covered by snow that has caused a lot of problems for Dublin airport. In fact the airport has reopened only this morning at 7:45, and over the last few days half of the flights have been cancelled; more than 200 flights.

All the arlines have had problems: Aer Lingus for example have had to cancel all of today's flights and Aer Arann have cancelled 6 flights and diverted two other more.

Moreover all flights from Galway and Waterford and some flights from Dublin to Cardiff and Cork have been cancelled. The passeggers have been advised to contact their airlines for further information about the flights in the next few hours

Also some flights to England have been cancelled; in fact also there, the airlines had some problems because of the bad weather. Gatwick Airport was forced to the close yesterday and also some flights from London were cancelled in the last few days. The airlines said passengers on cancelled flights to or from the UK would be re-booked on to later flights.

Luckily the weather is improving and the authority say there is no snow forecast tonight and that normal flight operations should resume in the morning.

Dublin Airport closes because of snow - Filippo Carnovalini

by Filippo Carnovalini

DAA blocked

Over the last couple of days Ireland has been experiencing heavy snowfalls, resulting in terrible consequences. The latest issue caused by the snow is the closure of Dublin's Airport.

Yesterday, DAA claimed that the runways were too slippery to allow any plane land or take off, so the airport was closed from 1.00 to 19.45. This led to the cancellation of about 200 flights. Some of the flights were diverted to other airports.

Even though the airport opened again, all the Aer Lingus flights were cancelled. The company plans to operate a full schedule today. Aer Arann had to cancel six flights and to divert two others, but the company promised that the cancelled flights have been re-scheduled for today.

Today some delays have already been experienced, particulary in Belfast, where the George Best Belfast City Airport is affected by adverse weather conditions.

Today's weather forecast is not positive, so there is a strong possibility that more flights are going to be cancelled. Passengers are advise to contact their carriers before going to the airport.

IRELAND HIT BY HEAVY SNOWFALLS, MANY PROBLEMS FOR TRANSPORT - Filippo Zamparo

By Filippo Zamparo

Western Europe has been hit by a heavy snowfall and ice storms. This morning Dublin, London and many other cities woke up to a white snowy blanket, which is causing a lot of problems for the transport system. Ireland, Great Britain and France are experiencing the worst snow storm of the last twenty years.

Met Éireann has issued a severe weather warning and it said it is going to snow harder the next days, with temperature falling down to a low of -5C. The metheorogical office has said the storm originates from a high pressure over Scandinavia and a strong low pressure area over Spain. The two systems created the actual snow storm over the British Isles.

Dublin airport trapped by heavy snowfalls

Snow has brought many problems to Dublin and all across Ireland. Dublin airport is trapped by snow and ice. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have delayed the majority of flights to Gatwick, Heathrow and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airports, waiting for the runways to be cleared up by DAA operators. The other great airports in Western Europe are experiencing the same situation.

In Leinster and East Munster the roads are dangerous. Gardaí warned motorists to travel only if strictly necessary and avoid using heavy vehicles. The most seroius accidents have involved mostly heavy vehicles on the N7, N4 and M50. Bus Éireann and transport services on the east coast have also been hit.

The situation is dramatic everywhere. Besides Met Éireann reported that the bad weather will continue in the coming weeks - with improvements expected only after 8^th February.

Dublin blanketed because of the snow - Caterina Sonato

Caterina

This articles is about the road conditions in Ireland after it has been snowing.

It is very dangerous go out onto the streets, because of the freezing temperatures at night. But day by day the situation is improving. However, AA Roadwatch says to be careful on secondary roads, because they are not as clear as the main roads. Especially motorists have been urged to be careful on the roads, because of the ice.

In different parts of the island, like in Co Kildare & Co. Tyrone, there are reports of heavy fog which is making driving conditions more difficult for all means of transport. Weather forecasts have predict that temperatures are due to fall to -5C, they also predict more snow in Britain, that will result in further problems for Dublin Airport.

Irish roads blanketed by the snow.

Even in other countries of Europe the airport situations is not so good, in fact, for example, in France air traffic has been halted at all Paris airports because a storm is arriving in all parts of the State. In addiction, the north part of France is battered by winds.

Snowfalls stop Dublin - Benedetta

Dublin under the snow

The snow has finally arrived and as it was thought, it has stopped Ireland's capital as well as the rest of country.

It is causing lots of problems to travellers because Aer Lingus is cancelling almost a half of its flights, that means 200 flights per day!

Also commuters who usually travel by public transport are finding problems because buses are not running due to the inaccessible streets.

But the problem that interests the families the most is absolutely the closing or not-closing of schools. Lots of schools have already closed but the majority of them do not know yet what to do. The problem is that there are too many students that are taking exams at the moment. Blogs are collecting different opinions about this: there are students who want schools to be closed and others who, after studying hard, absolutely want them to keep open.

The situation is not improving, tonight we expect further snowfall.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Benedetta

Transport systems are blocked- Marta

We are having a long period of snowfall that began on the 1st February. Schools have been closed, public transport is not running, railways are covered by snow so trains cannot leave. Everything is blocked!

Dublin under the snowflakes

On the 5th February Dublin Airport was closed to allow snow to be cleared from the runways, delaying flights. Later flights were cancelled.

People are still waiting to leave, but no flights can take off yet.

In the city there is enough salt so buses cannot run. This causes unease for people who use always them to go to work or to school. Moreover because there are no buses people have to walk so a lot of pedestrians have to walk on the streets and they could break their bones.

Besides the rail system cannot run because of the snow on the rails.

Marta

Now we are looking for good news from weather forecast hoping that it will not snow again.

SNOWSTORMS ARE FINALLY OVER-Pinato Carlo

After a long period of terrible snowstorms, the situation in Ireland seems to be improving.

Pinato Carlo

On the 2^nd of February Ireland was in a situation of complete chaos, but also in other parts of Europe the situation was not much better. In France and in other northerly countries snow blanketed cities and surrounding countryside and brought major air, rail and road systems to stop.London business leaders said the estimated cost to the British capital alone could be as much as 48 million pounds ($69 million) in lost productivity. All flights in and out of Heathrow were cancelled. London's three other commercial airports reported severe delays and flight cancellations. Motorway authorities warned of hazardous driving conditions in southern and central Ireland.

Dublin airport stopped by snow

Dublin, Cork and Belfast airports were also forced to cancel some flights and Gatwick, Stansted , Luton, and London City Airport were badly hit.

During the following days the situtions got worse, airports were closed, and people were requested to stay at home.

Luckily yesterday on the 5^th of Febraury the Dublin Airport Authority says the airport has reopened and flights have resumed, but the situation is still really difficult, and passengers who booked to travel with Aer Lingus flights are advised not to come to the airport because only domestic flights from Dublin to Galway and Donegal were resumed.

The disastrous snowstorms that have striken Europe are finally over - but we will need a few weeks to return to normal.

The cruel warrior from Munster

Many many years ago when the Celts ruled over Ireland, there was a strongful warrior called Conor. He was one of the most powerful boys in Munster and he wanted to become the most famous and wealthy warrior in the whole of Ireland. However, he was too greedy for fame. When he played hurling with his friends, he always wanted to win and be the first in any way. So, the others started to hate him.

Conor left the village, and went wandering all across Ireland with his sword, killing and sacking everywhere. The years passed, and the fame of the terrible boy from Munster spread.

One day he arrived in a village in Ulster. He wanted to steal all the cattle and show his fierce strength. He entered a hut and he saw an old woman asking for pity. Conor put his sword in her chest. Before dying, she said: “You think you are the best warrior of the world, but you are wrong. I tell you when you get more wealth and power, you will be more alone day by day up to your death.” After she said that to him she died. He did not mind those words and he continued to kill and sack.

When Conor became old, he was the most powerful person in Ireland. All the Irish kings had to submit to him. He ordered them to build a great castle on a hill where he lived among huge amounts of gold. However, he was sad and alone. Nobody loved him, everyone was afraid of him.

 One night, while he was sleeping, he felt a hard pain at the heart. He saw a soul in front of him: it was the old woman's spirit, who said that Conor was dying because of his greediness. Conor understood he had to give up his cruel life. He did, and he died happy.

The Vain Princess

Once upon a time a pretty princess lived in a castle with her parents. She was so beautiful that her parents didn't want people to see her, so she wasn't allowed to go out from the castle.

Because of her beauty she was really vain.

One day, an old servant died, so the king and the queen found a new governess.

The new one was as vain as the princess, but uglier, so she was jealous of her. One night the servant told the princess of a lake that was near her castle, its' water was magic and made people more beautiful than they are.

The following evening the vain princess escaped from the castle and found the lake. She drank the magic water and fell asleep. When she got up and looked at herself in the water - she had magically become a deer: the servant had lied to her.

Unluckily that morning her parents were hunting in the garden and when his father saw her he killed her with his bow.

 The moral of the story is not to be vain.

The Poor yet Lucky

Once upon a time, in a country far far away, lived a poor young man called McZamps. He was so poor that he wore an old sack of potatoes as trousers.

One day he was starving, wandering around the market and staring at the food, but he had no money, so he could not buy anything.

Then, he looked at the greengrocer's, and he saw that the peddler was talking with a woman. McZamps decided to steal a big red apple. He tried to run away, but the sheriff who was walking around the market square saw the poor man and caught him.

At that time, because there was a famine, food thieves were punished severely. So McZamps was sent into exile on an island far far away.

After two weeks scouting the island he discovered a mysterious underground cave. It was a forgotten base of pirates, containing their secret treasure.

After few weeks a boat arrived at the island searching for food. McZamps prayed the capitain to take him back to the mainland, in exchange for gold.

The captain was very happy with the dial, so McZamps went back to the continent, and lived a wonderful life with the gold he had found, thanking the sheriff who had caught him that day.

Activity 5: Report Making.

Take a look at the map of Ireland.

Yellow counties are considered Gaelic Football counties.

Blue counties are considered Hurling counties. 

Green counties are considered Hurling & Gaelic Football counties.

On a separate page answer the following questions.

1. Which sport is the most popular sport in Ulster?

2. Which province is most associated with hurling?

3. How many counties play hurling?

4. How many counties play hurling & gaelic football?

Activity 4: Reading & Gap-Fill

a) Add the following words to the text below.

mouth 

dentist

winter

wet

wood

ball 

grass

youth

b) Using the dictionary find the meaning of the ten underlined words/phrases in the text.

HEAD PROTECTION

a helmet

Head protection is worn for hurling.


It is important because of the speed that the ball travels and the fact that hurleys can be swung at head height.


Not all players at the top level will use it but in women's games and at ______ level head protection is compulsory.


The lightweight headgear is capable of withstanding high impact, and is used to prevent blows to the head and damage to their ears.

GUM SHIELD

a gum shield

An increasing number of top  hurlers are wearing gum shields these days.

The gum shield not only protects your teeth and gums during physical contact, it can reduce damage around the jaw and the possibility of concussion.

As everybody's ______ is different, so every gum shield should fit perfectly around the top half of a player's mouth.

The best way of doing this is to go and see your ______, who will ensure the shield is right for your mouth.

GLOVES

gloves

As every player on the pitch has to touch the ball, many players wear gloves to give themselves a better grip of the ball, especially in ______.

There are two types. Some wear goalkeeping type gloves with latex rubber on the palms which gives good grip on the ball especially if it is ______.

The other kind which are common are a woollen/acrylic type material with rubber dimples on the palm and fingers which give grip on the ball.

THE HURLEY

a hurley

The hurley is made of ______ and they come in different sizes.

It must comply with the rules of the game and it is best to get one that is a good size and weight for you.

Don't worry about it being too light to get power when striking the ball because if it was too heavy then you won't be able to swing it at the ______.

FOOTBALL & HURLING BALLS

a sliotar

The hurling ball - known as the sliotar - is much smaller than a football, around the size of a cricket or hockey ball and equally as hard.

The ball should be played with on ______ where possible as bouncing it on hard surfaces like concrete will impair the quality of the ball.