Motorbikes
Kawasaki LTD 454
Honda Shadow VT500
The last bike we had was 1986 Honda Shadow. She's a U.S. import, and an absolute beaut. Anto got his first bike, a Kawasaki LTD 454 at DG Motors in Brittas, Co. Dublin, and went back and bought the Shadow there too. Dermot, the proprietor, has a huge shed full of touring bikes, as well as racers. He imports quite a lot, so there is always a very good selection, and it's certainly worth going up to have
a look.
Isle of Man Trip
We were lucky enough to win a trip to the Isle of Man last year. Guess which month we picked? Yep, you're right - JUNE. So after much hassle and organisation (none of it done by us), the four of us set off to Dublin Port, hopped on the ferry, and went to our first TT Races. A big WHASSUP has to go out to Robin Fearon
of Scouting Ireland, who put the whole trip into place for us. It must have been a nightmare for him. Thanks again, Robin!!! (By the way, we did send him a postcard!). For those of you who live in, or have ever been to Ireland, the weather in the Isle of Man is, basically, just the same. Damp, sunny, wet, miserable, sunny, showery, dull, cloudy, cloudier, wet, sunny ad nauseum! There are a lot of things to see and do, and you'll find our little guidebook if you click here.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty. The reason we were here, and that includes the two youngun's (despite IzzyB only
being six months old) was BIKES. And what bikes we saw. Squillions of 'em - every shape, colour, size you could imagine. And a lot that we saw were Irish. Anyhoo, we were out driving around on the Saturday, just before the Formula One race was to
start. Not knowing where we were - and due to the restrictions on the road - we ended up on a building site at a dead end. Yikes!!! Suddenly, we heard a rumble - one of THOSE rumbles. So, out of the car en masse, and down this hill. Lo and behold, we're in Crosby at the side of the main road, with no-one in front of us and a brilliant view of the race!!! Luck of the Irish - I think not. Fluke, more like. There we had the pleasure of witnessing the one-and-only, the late and great Mr. William Joseph Dunlop, R.I.P., looking resplendent in red, riding for all he was worth. He won that one, and took another two thereafter.
Another thing of note that happened as we were perched at Crosby, was poor Johnny Barton having to retire from the race and pull into where we were standing. I took a couple of piccys when he wasn't looking, 
and we decided it would be in poor taste to ask for his autograph at the time, so we let him be to watch the race and down a can of Carlsberg. Poor lamb, he must have been sickened. Believe it or not, IzzyB slept all the way through the race, only stirring when no bikes went past. Anyone who has been to a road race will know exactly what the vibrations and the noise is like, especially when they're going past you at 120+ m.p.h. How she slept though it, we don't know. But we reckon she's definitely a real biker babe.
At this point, we have to say a big "Storrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee" to the wonderful Cameron family, who put us up for the week, God love 'em. So, hi Dave, Audra, Michael and Michelle. And no, we're not going to give you their address, 'cos we wanna stay there again, and good 'homestay' accommodation is very hard to find. Actually, unless you're very lucky, the TT's can be booked out anything up to a year and a half in advance.
Skerries
Every year, we make our annual pilgrimage to Skerries for the Skerries 100 road races. Last year, we only went up on the Sunday, and it was marred by the announcement that Joey Dunlop had lost his life in Estonia, R.I.P. How and ever, this
event is held usually the first weekend of July, and a lot of bikers make it over from Europe and even the States and Canada. The "Devils Disciples", a local biker club, take over the field beside the Man O'War pub (hi Frank!), and you can set up camp there for the weekend. Festivities usually start on the Thursday night, with Friday and Saturday nights being the major sessions. A marquee is erected at the back of the pub for the duration, and they host bike shows during the day, with prizes for the best bike in a variety of categories. There are always a few stalls there, with merchandise ranging from bike accessories, leathers, to clothing and jewellery. One mainstay is Valerie - she always has a wonderful array of clothes, jewellery, tobacco boxes, incense - you name it, she has it. The 'site' also has portaloos and the odd 'chuck wagon' if you get peckish. The Man O'War pub is quite isolated, but it's well signposted, and is a lovely spot. It has a rustic décor, the beer is always good, and they do a mean sandwich. However, if you need something a tad more substantial in the food line, a good place for grub is the Balrothery Inn, which is just down the road. The dinners there are gorgeous - generous portions, and very reasonable.
