@Ireland Curator: Luke McManus

Sorry! If you want to follow me in person you can find me at @lukemcmanus

Ok time to say goodbye. I hope my tweets were at least occasionally interesting. @colmoregan is taking over @ireland from 8am tomorrow

. @colmoregan is very funny. He's also Ireland's biggest mammy's boy. But more of that tomorrow. Good luck Colm. Thanks for listening folks!

if you fancy spending Paddys Day in one of Ireland's best towns 2 of my films Homemade & Bás Arto Leary will be at the Dingle Film Festival

Apologies for upcoming plugs! My documentary about jockeys, Jump Boys will be repeated on TG4 on Jan 3rd also on tg4.ie

Just got very excited spotting a TG4 promo that featured shots from my film Bás Arto Leary - will be on in the New Year

. @nelsonpants @this1littlebird come and visit! I'd recommend May or June

. @auntyamo go for it!

Journeys end pic.twitter.com/dEeRE6eO

Great to hear from @Walsher2011 of Ballylynch, part of an exceptional group of lads who were finalists at the Youth Citizenship Awards 2010.

Great walk but gales and rain made it miserable at times. But after all the indulgence misery seems right. #penitence #culturalcatholic

@BriKi above Glendalough in Wicklow

Summit of Mullacor - windy as hell... pic.twitter.com/rs1gVD6Z

Land of ice and snow pic.twitter.com/4fq6j3Ln

The path to Mullacor is a stream in winter time it seems... pic.twitter.com/yqyfjL5S

Glendalough panorama pic.twitter.com/X2I0fi8m

Glenealo pic.twitter.com/AT2uFPuz

Top of the stair pic.twitter.com/i6YWqUsy

The reward pic.twitter.com/rviCdjpz

The endless stair pic.twitter.com/UnP3WpLE

The waterfall pic.twitter.com/HvJZ3XNx

Remember finding both The Bray People and The Wicklow People on the newsstand at Archway in north London

Crib arson shocker pic.twitter.com/tMrCrXEg

I really hope local newspapers survive the Internet driven media apocalypse

I love Christmas. But it's not exactly good for me.

Off to Glendalough in the morning. It's been a while

Good result but an indifferent game. Also - freezing!

Every Connaught tackle on Fionn Carr seems have extra venom

7-0

Madigan redeems himself.

Leinster sorely lacking flair. Madigan is a bit aimless

View from the south stand. pic.twitter.com/hS6VDqah

Friend looking for tickets for the match tonight - any leads

@mariadkennedy I think it was the director David Tynan

Regretting leaving the hip flask at home @collumbo @mionloch @connachtrugby

"But it's Christmas"..that one size fits all excuse for anything :) now time for a pint

My wife has pointed out that my time on @ireland shows me to be a dissolute drunk and degenerate gambler. Oh and a glutton too. #halftruths

Leinster need a win. Young team - should be an intriguing match @mionloch @connachtrugby

Looking forward to 2013 - a couple of interesting projects happening already and hopefully more to come.

Good doc on Connaught rugby tonight at 945pm on TG4 - The Wests Awake. Worth a look for rugby fans.

. @OnBeingSean tweeted it earlier - v good work

. @am_flynn @michaelpolsci I know, it's gas. I remember getting a preview of that system - 6 years ago!

about to hit the pubs of Ballsbridge. Come on Leinster.

Shoe shop hell. The most inefficient way of buying something ever

@DonnchaKnow though the real time info is available at a lot of bus stops too

@DonnchaKnow Leap Card fares are cheaper than cash. Fair point about the phone

On a Dublin Bus. They get a lot of stick but the Leap Card and the realtime information app have massively improved the experience.

Finally. Leaving. House. #christmastorpor

Amusing. particularly like running into a pub in Temple Bar and emerging on Nassau St via @robinb: Bollywood in Dublin fb.me/2coRlj9Lw”

. @sjyoung1967 the mans voice was like an orchestra playing

@dave_tynan just for this week - it's good fun. Brilliant work on the film. I think @emmetkirwan is magic in it, perfect casting.

RTE Two is showing Where Eagles Dare - the ultimate Saturday afternoon war film. Clint Eastwood mowing down 100s of Nazis. #christmassy

Just saw Hurricane Fly win at Leopardstown, good horse and in @Ruby_Walsh a great jockey

A cracking day in Dublin. Today will be January sales followed by Leinster vs Connaught

Hey @sherosays. There is a @bigsherrosays on Twitter. What do you say to that?

4 Jacks beats 2 x full houses - ow!

Do you remember that poster of dogs playing poker? I am in that poster

Am losing my shirt here. Disaster. But to be fair the standard of opposition is tough pic.twitter.com/WF9oGa4D

Having a poker disaster. Tweeting and cards don't mix.

Poker mascot. #cute pic.twitter.com/QK2Qywfa

This game is pure adrenaline #checkfest #watchingpaintdry

Ireland has produced many quality pro poker players - Noel Furlong, Donnacha O'Dea, Andrew Black, Padraig Parkinson. #punchingaboveourweight

View from the poker venue. The lights of the Guinness Brewery pic.twitter.com/1yKwsCV1

Just been informed that Fiona tweets as @thefourleggeddog

First classic of the night: @jmason turned his cards too early - Fiona put in a big bet which @jmason called. She was bluffing...classic

. @vtjmurray they were a birthday present so no idea but they were from a few people so I'd say they weren't cheap. 3 pkts of cards inc.

The poker chips are getting their first ever outing. pic.twitter.com/G3QZ89tX

@dorothykelly it's grand his mrs is loadsd

So tonight...Texas Hold Em with old mates. Another Christmas tradition

@JayCoyle so you enjoyed the Hobbit then?

@dorothykelly he doesn't have much to do ole Bates does he?

Poker is on - hosted by @leoie let the losing of vast sums of money commence

. @philipreel never did. Would be curious to see it

Forgot about this daft "turning time back" sequence #superman

. @DJDermo @aldunne hope so. I saw the trailer before the Hobbit - looks good

@JoBW yep I'm on Upper Grangegorman

@JoBW ah now here that's a bit too handy to be believed...but I couldn't take a woman's Christmas biscuits - bad karma

@JoBW shortcake is my favourite! Address please? :)

@davidmcw I believe the nomenclature is "flegs"

@aldunne yes most def "kneel before Zod"

@Lionesskeeper oh the Reeves/Hackman one! I would watch Gene Hackman read a shopping list

Superman on RTE Two.

Grand stretch in the evenings mind #obligatoryunfunnyjoke

Disturbing lack of chocolate/biscuits/cake in this house. Might require remedying

Spoiler alert / End of #downtonabbey was a bolt from blue after a sluggish episode. Still a quality show but with flabby story structure

@form_architect got two over Christmas

@ms_awesomelife yes. Didn't have a spiced beef this year, just had some of my mother's - it was delicious.

Bates staring at Anna dancing. #downtonabbey #drippy #boring

Not normally a huge fan of white sliced but it seems to be the perfect accompaniment to slices of cold ham #christmastreats

@form_architect yes, it is very dodgy.

. @cuigcead plot is a bit slow and the Dowager isn't up to her usual standards

. @TomTDowling maybe, but they remain outstanding. This story certainly seems slow and a little dull.

. @karendromroe @outofordr know what you mean - not much has happened yet

Loving the randy grocer. #downtonabbey

Ha just as I tweeted that there was a poorly lit shot! #downtonabbey #nobodysperfect

. @outofordr agree. It is note perfect

Mr Carson must bristle with disapproval in his sleep at this stage. #downtonabbey

This really is a beautifully lit show. #downtonabbey

Jaysus this Scottish one is a right boot. #downtonabbey

Perfect winters day pic.twitter.com/Luxmvol2

@alsoharryshine you will be the first to know

@Tumedel I'm enjoying so far #sexualtension #cheekygrocer #sapphicservants

#downtonabbey is a new Christmas fixture. I'm catching up on the Christmas special today. Wonderful photography, costumes, locations, music

@Earwickr is great because Finnegans Wake is utterly intimidating in book length but playful and entertaining in short form. Have a look...

Here is a special #ff - @Earwickr, which is a feed of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake in selected 140 character chunks.

@unakavanagh try this c25k.com friends swear by it

@technopolitics but that is what I love about it - it captures the racing babble of intoxicated youthful thought so well

@erdeebee thanks for the #ff

I love this film. brilliantly written and performed. Like Mike Leigh's Naked meets Original Pirate Material vimeo.com/56336219 #justsaying

#ff for sport fans: @kenearlys @gergilroy @bglenndenning @BrianODriscoll @dionfanning @_Davy_Russel_

Today is one of the gaps in the social calendar. I'm hoping to get out walking again and maybe have a poker game later.

.@davidmg7 2nd: a dry humour and high standard of general conversation. 3rd: a quiet authority and lack of tolerance for "messing"

@davidmg7 interesting question. Here are 3 proposals: 1st: a devotion to slaking the customers thirst.

@Mick_Gavin true. But their quality defined the whole bar. Would be sorely missed #dublinbarmen

@mollie5555 not too far. But via a friends in Monkstown and my inlaws in Mt Merrion. So it feels like further than it is...

Very enjoyable end to a long day. Christmas is the best...

I was just in a pub I was never in before - but had passed many times. The Galloping Green. It was class, proper oldschool Dublin barmen...

They are raising money for St Francis Hospice at sfh.ie if you want to donate #ImmaturityforCharity

Now featuring @amyhuberman as well.

Immaturity for Charity now on RTE. highly amusing

@eoinparker haters gonna hate. Still on for poker tomorrow?

@DaraghQuinn don't do it!

@colmtobin believe it or not they are your peers on Twitter.

Would like to hear your New Years Eve plans

@BiddyEarly it's such a bummer but the upside is...lovely new bike

@daraobriain it's too late, I've already made my horse a senator and erected a 120 foot statue of myself. #powercrazed

@daraobriain the loneliness of command Dazzer...it's tough going

It's not Friday but still here are some people to follow. First the superstars: @daraobriain @colmtobin @glinner @RealSharHorgan

@chrisjhorn nice to meet you too Chris

@AndytheFlash it was always crack when I were a lad. But for the avoidance of doubt you might have a point...

Full of Christmas cheer today. Great crack at Leopardstown.

Damn. I was doing so well - back to zero now

@RegNom everyone did! He looks great in an outrageous pink shirt and yellow waistcoat combination.

He was also part of the Game For A Laugh galaxy of stars that included Jeremy Beadle and Matthew Kelly - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kel…

Lots of famous faces in the Pavilion - John Bruton, Eamon Gilmore, Marian Finucane. But the best so far? Henry Kelly of Going For Gold fame!

@swench am hearing good things about Glam Gerry and By The Hour in the 310 though as a Davy Russell loyalist Tharawaat appeals

Number 6 finishes 4th but I think my place bet pays out - get in!

The great AP McCoy on Carrigmartin. Not so great in the last race. pic.twitter.com/nateFsmu

I fancy number 6 here - but it's a big race with a lot of runners

The parade ring at Leopardstown pic.twitter.com/oU5ci3Zj

Mobile phone mast disguised as a tree on the M50 motorway en route to Leopardstown pic.twitter.com/vTcC0RqQ

Another big thing this time of year - inappropriate breakfasting. I just had cereal followed by a chocolate tea cake (yum)

Going to Leopardstown today. It originally means The Town Of The Lepers - now it is a very attractive racecourse. Cracking morning too!

An old photo of wrenboys on Lá An Dreolín in Kerry - tinyurl.com/cf44sr9. Anyone got photos of this years wrenboys?

@ainelynog it was called Jump Boys, it was a documentary for TG4 - it will be repeated on Jan 3rd

Off to the races tomorrow - the Paddy Power Chase day at Leopardstown, I was a racing ignoramus until I made a film about it this year.

I have heard the odd person say Boxing Day. And also "Stephenses Day" The rain also tallies with my childhood memories...

@soundmigration I heard they were on his Facebook page which has been taken down.

Met a couple on the seafront today who had a 17 pound turkey for Christmas dinner - between just the two of them. #leftoversuntilPaddysDay

Turkey and ham pie made by my sister - top notch, a Christmas institution.

What did you all do for Stephens Day?

Bray from above : part 2 pic.twitter.com/DPyUkxbx

More what the Victorians did for us: Brunel & Dargan's railway from Bray to Wicklow pic.twitter.com/GR4bLr5b

@TrishDunlop yes. We are going tomorrow. #leopardstown

The Bray Head Hotel, home of many a film shoot pic.twitter.com/CLPV4NAp

It has cleared up. Going to be hard to justify sitting inside now.

@LiamPort Sky 1

Fire on. School Of Rock on the telly. Can see a turkey and ham sandwich happening soon. Delightful.

Love this “@garymcginty: alexsapienza's shot of Capel St Bridge instagram.com/p/TYBZ0lPIEz/”

Decision made: too miserable for me out there. My family have braved it in waterproofs but I don't have the gear or the love of icy rain.

Stephens Day discussion: go out walking in the rain now or wait to see if it clears.

A really Happy Christmas to all of you - today has been great. Tomorrow should be great too... #christmas #positivity

I have just failed to communicate the concept "windsurfer" using a small piece of old modelling clay. #christmasgames

@CheliniMaria Fifty Shades Of Fat

Game turns out to be genius and siblings very amusing.

Have postponed Downton Abbey in favour of playing a stupid board game with my argumentative siblings

The row about dinner was about bishops interfering with politics. Of course this is the stuff of history books, right?

@jockserross the house is in Bray, it was the setting for the Christmas Dinner in A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man

There was a row about religion and politics.literaturecollection.com/a/james-joyce/… Scroll down to "A great fire, banked high and red, flamed in the grate"

So this room is a perfect place to have Christmas dinner. When James Joyce was a boy he had his first ever Christmas dinner in this room.

I keep emitting low groans of fullness.

Trifle, Christmas pudding, brandy butter, whipped cream, truffles, white macaroons, dessert wine. Christ make it stop.

@scarie @sarsbradley it's very good it's a creamy oniony sauce thickened up with breadcrumbs

The average Irishman consumes 6000 calories on Christmas Day.

@sarsbradley it's absolutely delicious - much better in practice than in theory

Turkey, ham, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts w cream, pancetta & Parmesan, squash w pecans & Roquefort, red cabbage, gravy, bread sauce

Had a Slovakian soup to start. Sauerkraut, sausage, ham, mushroom, paprika. Yum yum

@conorparsons went for a walk and everything. Those blue cheese and black pudding pancakes I had for brunch are taking some digesting

When I used to defend Twitter I used to say "it's not people blathering on about what they are having for dinner." It is now...

Bread sauce just saved from burning - my sister is a legend

Dinner is fifteen minutes away and I'm not feeling hungry #christmascrisis2

@gavreilly @christinebohan your mother hates bearded dudes?

Bray from above pic.twitter.com/ru4BInMU

Bray from above pic.twitter.com/VV2WBgRp

Strolling the promenade. What the Victorians did for us. pic.twitter.com/knhtLYSo

Strolling the promenade. What the Victorians did for us. pic.twitter.com/dpY8gXYn

Potatoes peeled. Aperol gespritz drunk. Dinner minus 1 hr 45 mins

This is far from the first Christmas dinner to happen in this house. More on a famous literary one later... pic.twitter.com/ShhimMiR

View from my mothers house. pic.twitter.com/ZPTFVmjs

This car smells of sprouts

@sick_of_dreams where are you?

Have transferred driving duties to @L_Cog. Avoid the N11 people - she takes no prisoners.

Oh the weather outside is ...pretty delightful actually. My memory of Christmas Days past is of bright sunshine. Yours? pic.twitter.com/TM7TqF3b

@ronanmcmanus ill be there once I've dropped the phone to John Orr.

About to hit the road to Bray, my hometown, for Christmas dinner. Bray's town motto is Féile Agus Fáilte (Hospitality and Welcome)

My wife was brought up in Brussels. Not much talk of sprouts there apparently. More into foie gras, champagne and chocolate. Sensible folk.

Prepping them is quite zen. Best thing about them if you ask me. #sprouts

Lots of love for sprouts out there. Truly the world is a mysterious and diverse place. #weirdoes

@oceanclub yes. I think our plan involves cream and Parmesan. Anything to disguise the dread taste of sprouts

Am prepping sprouts. Trimming away the unappetising bits to reveal the slightly less unappetising bits. #pointless Do any of you like them?

Hope Santa was good to you and that Krampus was kept at bay. We are having a lazy morning - just getting round to opening the presents now

Ah here leave it out pic.twitter.com/vVE5t5VC

My lovely wife @l_cog has bravely taken this photo of the antlers. Chubby man tweeting in the background is me. pic.twitter.com/mks3XUOt

In my house you wouldn't get your presents until Christmas morning. My dad would make his breakfast last as long as possible as a wind-up...

Five minutes to presents time. Anyone else do the gifts at midnight thing?

@wholesomeIE I don't want to anger her. It's a dangerous game this mother-in-law chicken...

Now my mother-in-law is wearing fluffy reindeer antlers. #thisismadness

Brother-in-law (holding up a box of chocolates) "These are great because they are prewrapped." Points at ribbon in delight.

See there is the cylinder in the red paper. But who will be the lucky owner of the sleepy dog mug? #tension #buildup pic.twitter.com/c26axGb4

@Evas_Tweets that seems a dangerous overcomplication

The mystery gift was unwrapped. It's a novelty coffee mug adorned with snoozing dogs in a presentation box. Hope to Christ it's not for me.

My mother-in-law "it's gone exponential across the world!!!" #twitternewbie

@ellaboheme it's a stubby cylinder without corners

My mother-in-law: "I've wrapped this present. And now I don't know what it is or who it's for." #christmasscrisis

@WeAreFilipinos @sweden @peopleofuk @weareukraine @wearefrance @weareaustria @we_r_russia @i_amgermany Nollaig Shona Dhuit (Happy Christmas)

Alice: the guardian of our home. Slayer of field mice. pic.twitter.com/Szvru9iE

@luftbahuhn just realised you are right - though Sudtirol is quite Austrian in culture is it not?

Other countries have interesting Christmas traditions. My favourite is the Krampus of Austria - check out this video youtu.be/jmu6L2KzKXQ

@fhayesmccoy go raibh maith agat Felicity - Nollaig Shona

Christmas tomorrow will be in Bray, with a Joycean theme...

“@olearyconor: @ireland Christmas Eve drinks with family & friends in Duff's #Bray” Bray represent!

The importance of ritual. Reconnecting us with our childhood selves at Christmas. The power of nostalgia.

Into town for lunch with my father, then a friends drinks party, then dinner with my inlaws.

At Christmas we remember exiles abroad and in the case of @TrishDunlop her ice cream, ale and karaoke machine too. Happy Christmas

@sherosays I was mildly inebriated.

I'll be walking off the roast potatoes on Stephens Day - Wicklow mountains in winter can be amazing

@Conor_Horgan nice idea!

Christmas rituals: my mother lighting a candle in the window on Christmas Eve. Be curious to hear some of your Christmas rituals

@JillianvT cheers Jillian, well done and have a great Christmas

From my living room window - you wouldn't think this was central Dublin would you? pic.twitter.com/53bSptMS

@WiseMona thank you - I'll be around town this afternoon too. #atmosphere

It's Christmas Eve and my shopping is done. Excellent.