AUTUMN……Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness……………….

Farewell to the summer that almost was and welcome to the FTRA Autumn Newsletter 2024. As we reflect on the Association’s Outings in 2024 to date; on behalf of your Committee, I hope you have enjoyed the gatherings either as a participant or hearing about them afterwards, (embellishments always encouraged) with photographic evidence capturing the magic to view on the FTRA website under Past Events: https://#

There is something very special about visiting a heritage site or visitor attraction in the company of like-minded people, especially when we have a shared experience and history. I always learn nearly as much from a fellow member as from the Guide, with the more interesting and colourful facts not always found in a guide book. Collectively, you are a library of knowledge and anecdotes.

Meanwhile, looking forward to the rest of the year, here are a few dates to note in your social calendar:

Upcoming FTRA Day Trips/ Events

14 October 2024 – Guided Tour of Kilmainham Gaol, with lunch at the Patriot Inn

14 November 2024 – Early afternoon Wine Tasting and General Knowledge Quiz with cheese, charcuterie etc., at La Cave, 28 South Anne Street, off Grafton Street – with Liam Campbell

5 December 2024 – FTRA AGM and Christmas Lunch at The Herbert Park Hotel

11 March 2025 – A special lunch for members to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of FTRA, founded on 9 March 2000.

We are currently doing preliminary work planning Day Trips / Outings / Events for 2025. Here is just a sample of what we are looking at: 3-night trip in 2025

Would any members like to come with FTRA on a three-night trip to Northern Ireland in Spring or Autumn 2025, visiting some places we did not visit on our last trip in 2014, principally the Armagh area? If so, please let us know by email to failtetourismretired@gmail.com

We are also considering Cork City and surrounds; Waterford City and surrounds; the Mid-West, from a base in Limerick; and also North Kerry, for possible 3-night trips – so, if you have a preference just let us know at failtetourismretired@gmail.com

Trip to UK or Europe by coach and ship on 2025?

We are hearing, anecdotally, that many of the FTRA members don’t relish the experience of travelling abroad anymore via airports, especially walking marathons and moving with glacial speed through yet another queue, interspersed by lengthy periods waiting around in crowds and the possibility of catching something ‘exotic’ on the way.

Would you prefer to travel by an easier method – coach and ship? McGinley’s Coaches, Kavanagh Coaches and other coach companies offer organised trips to the UK and Europe e.g., Devon & Cornwall; Cotswolds, Oxford & Bath; the Lake District; Scotland’s Castles & Lochs; Harrogate & Yorkshire; Italy, France and Spain etc. Please let us know if you are interested in such a holiday and name your preferred destinations.

Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions / preferences for a Day Trip etc., that you’d like the Committee to check-out, please be generous and share this with us at failtetourismretired@gmail.com

Preview of a milestone celebration: 2025 is a very special year for FTRA.

The association will be 25 years old on 9 March 2025 – the very first committee meeting of FTRA was held on 9 March 2000. The inaugural Committee consisted of Michael Gorman (RIP), Chairman; John Carney, Hon. Treasurer; Carmel O’Flaherty (RIP), Hon. Secretary; John Ronayne, Functions Organiser; Mary Neville, Mary O’Farrell (RIP). Bill Morrison and Marie O’Donnell joined the committee after the first AGM in November 2001.

To celebrate our Silver Anniversary, the committee has squirrelled away some money to host a special lunch for members on Tuesday, 11 March 2025 to mark this very special milestone, a silver lining in our golden years. We hope that as many members as possible will attend. The venue will be The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, which is easily accessible by public transport – full details later.

Special Note

We recently sent you a notice about the following important information – Please note that, for technical reasons, FTRA has had to change the association’s email address with immediate effect. The email address which must now be used when communicating with your FTRA committee (until further notice) is as follows:
failtetourismretired@gmail.com

Please note this very important change and cease using the older email address (info@ftra.ie) when contacting FTRA – emails to this address will NOT reach us. All the necessary changes that have had to be made have been done, taking into account GDPR and the security /protection of any personal information stored in the old and new FTRA systems. Thank you for your cooperation.

Some practical tips for your information:

• Personal Public Services Card / Free Travel Card – Some colleagues have asked us to remind you to check the expiry date at the bottom of your PPS Card. These cards need to be renewed every few years. You cannot travel on public transport without a valid PPS card. You can renew your PPS Card at your local INTREO office. If you have an up-to-date PPS Card you can apply for a SMART Card to enable you to travel on public transport in Northern Ireland. We sent you details about how to apply for a SMART Card recently.
• EHIC – European Health Insurance Card – Check Expiry Date. Can be renewed on-line in 30 seconds at www.hse.ie (scroll down to find the place where you can renew). You will need your PPS Number – on your Pubic Services Card – as well as the number of the EHIC Card. Very speedy response time. It is FREE to apply for the EHIC and FREE to renew it. NB – Be alert to websites that try to charge you for this FREE service.
• Renewing a Driving Licence You can apply to renew your driving licence within three months of its expiry date. Renewing online is easy, speedy and convenient, removing the need to complete paper forms, make appointments or visit an NDLS centre in person. Just follow the instructions at www.ndls.ie to renew your Driving Licence.
• COVID 19 – UPDATE We hope that all our members will avoid the latest outbreak of Covid, but just in case – Symptoms of the latest FLiRT covid variant include: a high temperature; a new, continuous cough; changes to your sense of smell or taste; shortness of breath; fatigue; aching body; headache; runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhoea.
• VHI termination of some policies that may affect older members:VHI have announced that they plan to cease a number of the policies they offer to members from their next renewal date. These policies are mainly related to the old Plan B and many older VHI members would have some variation on Plan B. For your information, VHI are obliged by law to help you to choose the best possible replacement policy for your existing policy. They should go through it with you and explain clearly what you would be entitled to with any replacement policy they suggest to you. You can ask them to provide you with the information in writing or by email. All phone-calls to VHI are recorded. You can also do a comparison of various policies on www.hia.ie (The Health Insurance Authority). The VHI website is quite user-friendly and they now have a VHI Plan Comparison section on-line. Exceptionally, we are providing this information to our members because we have been made aware of it and because some members have mentioned it to us. Please note – We cannot become involved in any queries with regard to this matter because we do not have the knowledge/ expertise to do so. If you have any queries about the matter, please contact VHI directly at 056 444 4444.

Autumn Wines to warm the heart

Some highlights from a wine press tasting of ALDI’s Autumn/Winter Collection I attended recently. All are available in store from 9 September.

White Wines:

Grenache de Grenache Blanc, Chasseaux et Fils, Pays d’Oc, France @ €9.99; 13%
Very eye-catching bottle in clear glass and etched to reflect the light. Ripe peach fruity flavours with gentle acidity. Made with the green-skinned and pink-skinned Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. (Gris when describing the colour of a grape’s skin means pink not grey.) Rich and fruity enough to accompany roast pork and baked ham dishes.

Mâcon Villages 2023, Bourgogne (Burgundy), France @ €12.99; 12.5%
Ripe yellow-skinned apples and melon fruit character in both aromas and flavours. Match with roast or fried chicken with a liberal use of your favourite herbs.

Rosé Wine:

Mimo Moutinho Rosé 2023, Alentejo, Portugal @ €8.99; 12.5%
Pale pink in colour with mouth-watering tart raspberry and cranberry fruity flavours. Made with a blend of local varieties, Aragonêz and Castelão and with France’s Syrah. Colour coordinate with pink food: prawns, poached salmon or chicken liver pâté.
(Vegan and vegetarian-friendly)

Red Wines:

Carmenère 2023, Central Valley, Chile @ €7.99; 12.5%
Chile’s signature grape, Carmenère, originated in Bordeaux and is almost extinct there now. Made by the innovative Viña Luis Felipe Edwards whose winemakers I had the pleasure of interviewing last May when I visited their 900m vineyards in Colchagua Valley. Pale ruby colour with bright red berry flavours. A light-bodied lunchtime wine with excellent balance between the refreshing acidity and ripe tannins. Because the tannins are low, versatile with vegetarian dishes, poultry, ham as well as dark meats.
(Vegan and vegetarian-friendly)

Nemea 2019, Athlon, Greece @ €9.99; 13%
An exotic Grecian red from the aromatic Agiorgitiko grape, popular in the Nemea region. Pale ruby in colour from several years maturing. Exotic bouquet of incense. Concentrated flavours of fruity red cherries and a very long finish on the aftertaste. Lovely with aromatic dishes e.g., a lamb tagine or curries with dried fruits.
(Vegetarian-friendly)

Cairanne 2023, Specially Selected, Rhône, France @ €10.99; 14.5%
A full-bodied rich and velvety red. Aromas of jammy dark berries. Soff tannins and fruits-of-the-forest flavours with white pepper spice. A classic Southern Rhône blend: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan. A winter warmer for a hearty casserole.

Fleurie 2023, Specially Selected, Beaujolais, France @ €12.99; 13%
Classic strawberry and raspberry fruit flavours and low in tannins, so can be served fridge cold. A red to pair with red fish, tuna or salmon.
(Vegan and vegetarian-friendly)

Fortified:

Ruby Reserve Port, Fletchers, Douro Valley, Portugal @ €14.99; 19%
Up to 60 black grape varieties are permitted under the DO rules to make red Port. Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca are regarded as amongst the best in the blend. A classic fruity bouquet of blackberry jam. The ‘spirity’ heat of the alcohol lifts the very ripe black berry fruity palate giving a warming finish from the spirit added during fermentation.
Tip: Ruby Reserve is a disproportionate jump in quality from the standard Ruby style, but with only a small increase in price. End a meal with a small glass and pair with blue cheese or chocolate pudding.

Star Buy:

Crémant de Loire Specially Selected, France @ €12.99; 12%
An absolute bargain of a Sparkling wine. Pale lemon in colour and very effervescent with tiny bubbles. Citrus and pear fruit aromas and flavours dance on the tastebuds, underpinned by a delicate brioche character from the wine aging on the yeast’s lees after the second fermentation in that bottle. Very classy and made in the same complex and expensive Traditional Method as wines from the Champagne region. Using local grape varieties Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. Pair with shellfish, smoked salmon and creamy cheeses, or just pop a cork to celebrate life.

Vegan refers to how the wine is clarified in the barrel before bottling by using non-animal products (traditionally, eggs’ whites are used), e.g. alternatives bentonite, a fine clay (imparts no flavour, simply a neutral medium).
Vegetarian means eggs’ whites may be used to clarify the wine before bottling.

Best regards

Liam Campbell
Chairman – FTRA