No quitten we're whelan on to chitchat 11

It's still a big practice here in the South East with a lot of kids going off to fairly prominent rugby playing school in a major hurling centre. Can't do much more to tell you the school.

A friends kid went to it and within 3 weeks in first year was losing weight, despite not having any to spare, wasn't sleeping and was really miserable. It came out at Christmas that he was being badly bullied in there. The kid has braces and his speech is affected by them and is very slight and also a lovely quiet chap so a rugby boarding school probably in hindsight wasn't the best decision for him. The parents took him out at Christmas and in the circumstances, despite the local secondary school being full to quota, the principal there moved a lot of things around to accommodate him. It is the best thing ever happened to the chap. He is a different man now and as happy as the day is long. I know that is only one experience but I wouldn't send my two away to a boarding school even though some times the thought is appealing.

We can often be harsh on parents that make decisions like this. Historically it was common for some sections in society to send children to boarding schools. This was especially true of children from the Protestant faiths if the parents could afford it. They probably taught it was the best at the time.

We have a similar situation at the moment where parents will opt to send children to ''better'' schools in larger urban area's. I even see it locally where a few parents send there children to schools in the city. Girls are send to girl only schools and boys are sent to so called higher achieving schools. The peculiar thing is the local school gets great results where the parents are interactive in there children education

These children then find it harder to maintain friendships locally. They find it harder to achieve friendships in the new school as it's harder to take part in after school activities. There only saviour can be sport locally and in the new school

Another education taught are grind schools. Children move to these at the leaving cert stage. For some it's works but I see more and more middle of the road academic children who it makes no difference to.

It's not just boarding school that bullying happens though

Can they not block the offenders, I dont remember bullying being a problem apart from teachers. they had to be tough i suppose with maybe 60 0r 70 to look after.

No. They'll just create new accounts. The thing with online bullying is you'll read and reread the messages. Last thing at night first thing in the morning. A bully hiding behind a keyboard thinking they're great.

I remember in secondary school, there was one bad case of bullying against one particular guy. So bad in fact that all the pupils from the year were brought into one room and given a talk about it. He was a bit of a computer nerd at a time when computers were only starting.

He ended up getting the top student award in University afterwards and is now a Professor and has worked extensively for NASA. Somehow I get a great kick out of that. I google him from time to time.

Sounds great, I’d advise doing the coastline, glenveagh and Malin. When coming away from Malin come the Derry side. Like the rest of Ireland, Donegal is beautiful but sadly you need a good weather

Said to my Mrs we should book a few days away and, unlike her, said I must be demented with the price of anywhere.

Big variation in car hire prices across the board sone quotes of €15k down to €1k for some people i priced a car to hire dor rwo weeks in NZ it came in at €250 fair enough its winter there but its still a busy time for tourism a big difference there. I renewed my car insurance last week and for pig iron asked what it would cost to put a visiting relative on the policy and they said no extra charge just let us know the dates abd it will be fine, id much rather see myself inconvenienced for a week or two by letting him have the car than to see money wasted on something like that.

Brexit has an impact, but not to the extent your thinking. Look up our trade flows and ya'll see we still send a lot to the UK but have drastically cut down what's coming back in favour of the continent. France and other EU countries are every bit as rigorous, if not more so due to the Withdrawal Agreement (look up the queues and issues at the ports in UK going to the continent).

There's rampant gouging going on now. Things just going up 20/30% with little justification. Cement is supposed to go up 30% on July 1st (overheard that on the stag bus Sunday from a QS on board)

To be honest I'm amazed that people claim to be surprised by the current inflation. After the last 3 years it was inevitable.

Brexit plus governments paying half the world to sit at home for almost two years, plus the Chinese playing puck with supply chains are the biggest factors.

Obviously if goods which previously came from England to here now come from Germany or further afield, they are bound to be significantly more expensive. And thats without including the 70% jump in fuel costs.

Sharp rises in interest rates are coming fast down the road too

I heard too that a local builders providers has put it's staff on protective notice. Are we heading into a deep recession?