As Sile’s parents are now living in Termonfeckin we have now rather further to go to visit them than when they lived in Skerries.
Last Saturday week, only just back from France, we headed off to see them.
We left the house at 11.00 and reckoned that worst case scenario we would get to them by 3.00, that is giving us four hours (for what should be about three) for a journey just over 200 klms.(We have travelled on the M50 before)

For the last year there has been a running battle in the Dwyer household as to whether the coastal route, via Eniscorthy (my choice) or the inland route via Carlow (Sile’s) were the fastest to Dublin. This time Sile won the toss and we headed up via Carlow.
Disaster.
We finally chugged into Termonfeckin at 4.20, 5 ½ hours after we started, 1 ½ hours of which had been spent on the road between Naas and Dublin airport, and this on a quiet Saturday.

Last Friday I heard on the news that the Arklow and Gorey by-passes had been joined so the case for the coastal route was greatly strengthened and as we were Termonfeckin bound on Saturday my choice prevailed this time.

All went well until Enniscorthy, there we found ourselves in a convoy with a combined harvester in the lead and a large oil tanker neatly tucked in behind him.
We proceeded at a steady 50 kph for several kilometres.
Now I have to confess to a weakness here.
I refuse to pass out anything unless I can see my way clear on the other side.
I regard things like on-coming traffic and corners as indicators that I should stay in place.
That this is not a general policy was obvious from the amount of people who braved the convoy blindly from behind regardless.
Never mind, I said to myself, soon we will hit the Gorey by-pass and then I can pass these buggers in safety.
We did, and I did.
I was passing the lot of them out doing a heady 110 kph on the new wide and beautifully safe dual carriageway (100 kph speed limit) when out of a ditch, speed camera in hand sprang a Guard.
I reckon he got a very good picture of me.
I also reckon that the little envelope with my first penalty points will arrive shortly on the mat.

I suppose it would be ridiculous to suggest that the guard would have been better employed noting the people passing on corners, or into oncoming traffic.
I was nabbed, fairly or unfairly.

Mind you the only mitigating point was that due to the by-passes and the Dublin port tunnel, we arrived in Termonfeckin just 3 ½ hours after we left Waterford, a huge improvement on our previous effort.
It now looks like the coastal route might have won the battle of best route to Dublin.
Life has its compensations.