Paphos People

IRELAND - BACK IN THE DAY
Ireland, before it became part of EU, was a wonderful country - unspoiled and just as it had always been for the last couple of hundred years or so. Main roads were single carriageway and quite narrow. If you came upon a slower vehicle or more likely a horse and cart, they would pull up onto the more than ample grass verge to let you pass. There was no urgency about anything, life just happened in its own time.
The people were friendly and welcoming to foreign visitors such as us. When I first went there, I couldn’t wait to return as soon as possible.
I had a small removal company in those days and was involved with the local antique dealers in Cheltenham, carrying furniture to and from auction houses in Cheltenham and around the county. I learned a lot in those days about auctions, how they worked or could be ‘worked’ by the buyers. These groups of dealers would keep the prices down, buy the furniture cheap then meet up later and ‘knock’ the stuff out between themselves. This is known as ringing, the auction houses knew that it was going on but they were powerless to stop it.
The antique trade was booming and fresh stock was always being sought. Ireland was full of it and all at a good price. One of the dealers, Malcolm had his own Luton Transit van and set off on a buying trip to the emerald Isle. Irish dealers would occupy lay-byes in the country, unload their lorries and line the goods up. Malcolm arrived in Cork and set off, the first lay by that he came to was stacked with chests of drawers, tables and chairs, all at excellent prices. When he had finished buying, they started to load the van. Now a standard Transit Luton bodied van had a bed length of ten feet and had a gross weight of three and a half tons max. It soon became apparent that what he had bought was far more than what the van was capable of carrying. What to do? Get another van over there to carry the extra - but that would take two or three days to organize never mind the expense. The Irish guys laughed at his distraught state, but having taken his money, they felt obliged to come up with a solution rather than give him a refund - heaven forbid! A large number of fifteen foot long planks were laid on the floor of the van sticking out of the back by five feet and effectively increasing the capacity by fifty per cent. Stacking the furniture in as tightly as possible, filling wardrobes and cupboards with chairs and small tables the van was soon loaded. All the furniture on the ‘extension’ was firmly tied on to the main body of the vehicle. The weight was easily over five tons and the front wheels were only just making contact with the road. If he got a move on he would be able to catch the evening ferry back home. The steering was very light and the brakes were almost non - existent, but he made it back to Cork harbour. Nobody questioned the overloaded vehicle and on the weighbridge it was confirmed to be five and a half tons, without the driver!
The overnight crossing landed in Swansea the next morning and Malcolm drove off the boat into the customs area. The customs men came out to inspect this vehicle. The harbour police were called and pronounced that the vehicle was not to be taken out of the docks. That’s when I got the phone call to bring another van down to Swansea and reload the whole lot between the two. Job done and everybody was happy.
As my company got bigger we had seven and a half ton lorries that could easily carry the weight. Every time we were going to Ireland I would contact the dealers and one of them would go over a day or two before and buy as much as they could which gave us a return load - everybody was happy!
All of that was spoiled when Ireland joined the EU and new rules and regulations were introduced which the government was keen to implement. Gradually the whole country changed, vehicles had to be road legal, have MOT certificates, be taxed etc, etc, Motorways were built and the old way of life back in the day was gone forever with the ever increasing need for speed.
Mores’ the pity.