Frank Coughlan: Those of us who have to pay crazy Irish prices every day know exactly what's keeping tourists away
It was a showery day on Dublin's Nassau Street and a gaggle of American tourists in windbreakers, fresh from a visit to the Book of Kells, were bunched at the door of their tour bus, eager to hop on board.
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Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations and deal with ‘location spoofing' after US strikes in Iran
The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean has been largely empty of commercial air traffic for 10 days since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13, as airlines divert, cancel and delay flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns. New cancellations of some flights by international carriers in recent days to usually resilient aviation hubs like Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, and Qatar's Doha, show how aviation industry concerns about the region have escalated. However, some international airlines were resuming services on Monday. Leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as "fluid", was set to resume flying to Dubai on Monday after cancelling its Sunday flight from Singapore. Similarly, Flightradar24 departure boards show British Airways was set to resume Dubai and Doha flights on Monday after cancelling routes to and from those airports on Sunday. Air France KLM cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East had become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Added to increased fuel and crew costs from these long detours and cancellations, carriers also face a potential hike in jet fuel costs as oil prices rise following the US attacks. Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines, as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic. Location spoofing and GPS interference around political hotspots, where ground-based GPS systems broadcast incorrect positions which can send commercial airliners off course, are also a growing issue for commercial aviation. Flightradar24 told Reuters it had seen a "dramatic increase" in jamming and spoofing in recent days over the Persian Gulf. SkAI, a Swiss company that runs a GPS disruption map, late on Sunday said it had observed more than 150 aircraft spoofed in 24 hours there. Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, noted on Sunday that US attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region. This could raise additional airspace risks in Gulf states like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said. In the days before the US strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines and Air Canada did the same with flights to Dubai. They have yet to resume. While international airlines are shying away from the region, local carriers in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are tentatively resuming some flights after widespread cancellations. Israel is ramping up flights to help people return home, and leave. The country's Airports Authority says that so-called rescue flights to the country would expand on Monday with 24 a day, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. From Monday, Israeli airlines will start to operate outbound flights from Israel, the authority said. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
How does Dublin's new AI city guide compare to a real walking tour? We tried them both out
But if that odd and slightly concerning thought did cross your mind, then Dublin City Council has an answer. Introducing Brendan, the Dublin-flavoured, snood-donning twenty-something made of pure pixels and infused with pride in his beloved fair city. 'It's grand to see ya. Brendan here, and I'm absolutely buzzing to take you on a journey through my hometown,' he says, carp-eyed, when you select Dublin in the CityMe smartphone app. 'From lively Temple Bar and the old city, to buzzing Stoneybatter and cool Portobello, we'll discover a wide range of historical, cultural and iconic spots.' Besides calling Oscar Wilde 'the Goat himself' (greatest of all time), there isn't much of the promised Dublin wit on show. Brendan is what your granny might refer to as a 'lovely young fella' (if she doesn't mind the bovine stare), but I'd rather someone a bit more engaging to guide me around the madhouse that is Dublin. In fact, you might even go so far as to call him a bit of a dry shite. The city that spawned business names such as 'Knobs and Knockers' and 'Angela's Rashers' deserves a far more engaging voice to bring it to life. So, I decided to pit Brendan against the ultimate foe: a Dublin walking tour with the renowned Pat Liddy's tour company. After brief introductions, myself and two American tourists, Deirdre Pleasure and Rebecca Nolan, set off with our guide Harry Pender, another twenty-something Dubliner, albeit a non-electronic one. We started out at Barnardo Square on Dame Street, and immediately I was drawn in by Mr Pender's personality as he answered questions, and even managed to summarise Irish history in a lively 15-minute back and forth – not an easy task. We then made our way down to Dublin Castle, where we learnt the origin of the word boycott, chatted about the lies embedded in Irish history (St Patrick was neither a saint or named Patrick) and joked about suncream. We were having such a raucous time, one of the other tours asked us to move along. On we went through Ship Street (which should apparently be called Sheep Street, but was mistranslated) to Christ Church Cathedral, where we heard of the robbery and return of patron saint Laurence O'Toole's heart. Crossing Grattan Bridge, we gazed over at the Ha'penny, officially known as Liffey Bridge (who knew?), where Mr Pender pointed out the spot that the River Poddle, now a mere stream, enters the Liffey through a syphon at Wellington Quay. It went on much like this for the rest of the tour through to the GPO and Trinity College, questions, banter and stories aplenty. An experience of more than three hours mentally shrunk down to what felt like an hour. I want somebody I can ask questions of, and I want somebody to interact with It was engaging, informative and great to get to know our charming tour guide, who also teaches drama to children and partakes in pro wrestling. As the walk went on, it became increasingly difficult to see how any AI character, no matter how swooshy his hair, could live up to the interactivity and humanity of a real human tour guide, and my companions agreed. 'I want somebody I can ask questions of, and I want somebody to interact with,' Ms Pleasure said. 'If I'm like, I've got a few hours and I just, spur of the moment, roam around, then the AI would suffice, but it just gives me an overview. 'But to actually learn, and to be able to have my questions answered and all that kind of stuff, I would rather people,' she added. As for Mr Pender, he was doubtful AI was currently capable of providing the same kind of tour experience as a human. 'I'm not opposed to innovation and stuff, and you know, going forward with different new ideas, but at the same time I would be very surprised if [AI] could do the same thing that a person can do,' he said. 'I'm interested in the idea of it, and you know, no one ever thought Deep Blue, for example, was ever going to beat Garry Kasparov with AI chess bots or something, but now we know AI is very, very strong, so in that sense it's good. 'In another sense, I think people want something that is an experience. It's always about making an experience for someone, and if the AI can do that, great. 'But I think there's a lot more to tour guiding than just giving people the facts of what you're talking about, because it's how you put the facts together and how you tell the story'. So much for Dublin slang. He keeps calling things awesome. Why not deadly? Heading around Dublin with Bland Brendan as company, it's hard not to agree. The AI guide definitely leans more on the artificial side of things than the intelligence. For instance, he correctly says that the old name for O'Connell Street is Drogheda Street but then pronounces it 'Dro-geeda'. And so much for Dublin slang. He keeps calling things awesome. Why not deadly? The more you scratch, the more paper-thin Brendan's persona appears. He will simply repeat the same information verbatim each time you click on an individual city landmark. One of the defining traits of AI is that it comes up with slightly different phrasings and sentences each time you speak to it – that's what makes it appear intelligent. Otherwise, it's a glorified Fisher-Price telephone that says a phrase when you press a button. So, is this simply a toy, crafted by tech bros that want to inject AI into your toaster? In fairness, it's not. Brendan definitely does a convincing Dublin accent and sounds like a local for much of his dialogue, which I'm not sure has been done before using AI. Also, the app is free of charge, so maybe I'm being too harsh. It offers a unique experience, like getting your dinner from a vending machine would. But vending machines have their place – sometimes all you want is a Kinder Bueno or a Fulfil bar. I can imagine a scenario where Brendan is all you need to get a quick overview of the city, if you're tight on time or just curious about one specific spot (and you haven't heard of Google). If you can get past the stilted Dublin dialogue and misaligned teeth, there's a reasonably interesting proposition here. For no money at all, you can see Dublin in a way quite unlike any other, so try it out and see what you think. After all, sometimes even adults enjoy Fisher-Price toys.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Retro US-style roadside diners become tourist attraction in the UK – it's like going back to the 1970s
THE US is so far away, but luckily, there are diners right here in the UK that are strikingly similar to the diners we have all seen in classic American movies. With comfy seating booths, juicy burgers, pancake stacks and sundaes, visitors have confessed the diner makes them feel like they're in the 1970s. Advertisement 5 Brightside diners serve up American-style food like pancakes and milkshakes Credit: Instagram 5 The Brightside decor takes people back to the 1970s Credit: Brightside The American-style diners are known for being nostalgic, as well as hearty food. The inspiration behind the chain sparked from the owners' childhood trips to roadside restaurants - in particular, Little Chef which ceased operations in 2017. All of the Brightside diners are open from Monday to Sunday, 8am to 9pm to accommodate those on long journeys and travelling. In the mornings, Brightside has American dishes like Early Rider which is a mix of smoked streaky bacon, The Jolly Hog 'Proper Porker' sausage, egg, baked beans and sourdough toast. Advertisement Read More on Diners There's also pancake stacks with either fruit or bacon toppings and veggie options. Certain breakfast dishes are served as part of the all day breakfast, but other tasty meals include pizza, burgers, fish and chips, and curry. Also served are sides of chunky chips, cheesy garlic dough balls and macaroni chips. Other classic American items include the big selection of milkshakes with chocolate flavours, strawberry, banana, salted caramel and Biscoff. Advertisement Most read in News Travel There's also an option to pick from the 'Speedy Menu' for those needing to get back on the road in a hurry. There's also a children's menu as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. Inside Popeye's first UK restaurant as we try the menu – and the fried chicken is better than KFC 5 There are four restaurants across the UK Credit: Brightside 5 The diner even has a 'Speedy Menu' for anyone wanting to get back on the road Credit: Instagram Advertisement The very first restaurant opened back in February 2023 opposite the Exeter racecourse. Across the UK, there are four restaurants, in One visitor to the diner in Saltash wrote: "Thought I'd give this place a try as it's on my way home. Glad I did, the restaurant has cracking retro decor and feel and food was great! Seen somewhere saying it's like Stranger Things, I definitely agree." Another, who had a meal at the Exeter site, added: "Some nice outdoor seating and really cute 1970s style diner done really well." Advertisement A third visited Honiton and said: "What a great find a fantastic American style roadside diner open all day for breakfast lunch and dinner." These impressive restaurants are ones you will find inside redesigned planes - and there's one in the UK. And Plus Advertisement 5 Brightside is a popular American-style diner in the UK Credit: Brightside
