D4Hotels.ie and Cubic Telecom extend warm welcome to Dallas 3
I was dismayed over the weekend at Ireland’s non Cead Mile Failte to But Colin Zwirko, 21, Gavin Sides, 19, and Ben Whitehurst, 21 after they were refused entry to Ireland at Dublin Airport customs.
I had heard the story brewing over the week and as (hopefully) an ambassador for all things Irish decided to do something about it.
I again heard Mathew Hagg on Newstalk yesterday morning and then the plan came together, I decided that I was going to use my connections in Ireland to extend a welcome to the three young fella’s and show them some real Irish hospitality.
So first port of call was my favorite hoteliers D4hotels.ie , in fairness to Anthony Kelly executive PA to Sean Dunne he insisted that he wouldn’t allow them to stay anywhere else in Ireland and that D4 would cover the lads flights and accommodation.
Cubic would cover them with Euro unlocked top of the range phones, data sim cards, would pre-install QIK and get them video blogging their experience hopefully showing how we really welcome people plus unlimited credit for their trip.
I had a long chat with Colin Zwirko yesterday morning and they were obviously nervous about landing in Ireland and being turned away but I made contact with Minister Micheal Martin last night and his office is helping and working with us closely.
Now it got a bit murky after that with PR companies involved and I woke up this morning to the D4hotels.ie press release
Anyways I am looking forward to welcoming Colin, Gavin and Ben to Ireland and I hope they really enjoy themselves.
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Bloody good on ya! What a mess it was and the day has been saved.
I like turtles…but i love pat!..Have had bother myself with Irish Passport people at Dublin…youd swear they were paying for me to arrive back to Ireland..Instead of thinking about me spending money in the country etc!
Yay you guys! Nice to read some good news once in a while
Very nice of you Pat but the Texan lads are deluded and ignorant. They should apologise for their ignorance. They wouldn’t have been let into Scotland never mind the rest of Europe with no return tickets, proof of money or accomodation. I face these questions every time I return to Ireland (I am a South African living in Ireland.) It is insulting to think thousands of fellow travelers abide by the rules but these lads think they deserve an apology for being ignorant.
I have to agree with Paul, on both counts, fair play for doing a really nice thing but where were their heads at? I said as much over on Bernie’s blog http://bit.ly/KULH4
Colin Zwirko has even said “Obviously, we are going to bring what they required of us the first time,” – how hard would it have been to do this in the first place?
Does it strike anyone else as strange that the idea was Pat’s and yet in the press release no credit was given to him for conceiving the idea or at the very least a mention of Cubic telecom and what they will provide the lads with (it’s not just a couple of free phones). That’s typically Irish!!!
Can someone give me a link to a website which tells me just what I need to enter Ireland?
Since I read this story, I have been googling like mad.
The UK Border Agency website is easy to find, but I’m still searching for something about Ireland.
http://www.justlanded.com/english/Ireland/Ireland-Guide/Visas-Permits/Introduction
If you’re a non-EU national coming to Ireland to work, study or live, you may be asked to show documentary evidence. Immigration officials may also ask non-EU visitors to produce a return ticket, proof of accommodation, a health insurance certificate and evidence of sufficient financial resources, e.g. cash, travellers’ cheques and credit cards. The onus is on visitors to show that they’re genuine and that they don’t intend to breach Irish immigration laws. Immigration officials aren’t required to prove that you’ll break the law and can refuse you entry on the grounds of suspicion only.
James Cotter: D4′s behavior is not so much strange as it is egregiously duplicitous. It stinks.
I honestly don’t understand why anyone should be apologising for US tourists’ ignorance
If I travel to the US or Australia (or anywhere else outside the EU) I have to comply with the basic border controls.
Why should these people be any different?
Jackie Danicki: I couldnt agree with you more, I was being sarcastic when i used the word strange! Its disappointing and unnecessary,but you what not totally unexpected. Its typically irish!
In response to the people who have asked why we should have to apologise to those lads for their ignorance of our immigration laws,all i can say is this. When i student i went to San Francisco for the summer of 2000. Its a typical irish college student thing to do,to go to the states for the summer. This was back when the dollar was relatively strong and you might even have come back home with a few bob in your pocket. I didnt even have my J1 Visa, because i decided to go as a last minute thing. When i got to landed in America with an Irish passport i was not required to provide an proof of prearranged accomodation, nor was i asked for a bank statement proving i had enough money to fund my holiday. I told the truth that i didnt have accomodation arranged as yet and showed the immigration officers that i hadnt got off the plane penniless, the whole questioning process was rather informal. Im sure if they wanted to they could have sent me packing. For all they knew i could have been looking to illegally stay and work in the country indefinitely. But experience and a bit of cop on,on their part told them that like the rest of the students i was probably there for the short term and then headed home. Now in 2009,3 american lads of a similar age to what i was at the time, land in Ireland, the recession capital of europe and rather than been happy that they decided to come here and spend money, we blindly adhere to the rules and tell them fuck off home! Thats why we should apologise to them,for not returning the same courtesy that has been shown to irish students travelling to the states every summer for years. Its all the more incredulous that this happened at a time when the country could badly do with tourists coming here. It doesnt send out a very good message now does it!
All I’ll say to that James is try the same again as you did in 2000 and see how you get on. Big difference between 2000 and 2009 – a lot’s happened since and as Americans they should be more aware of security than anyone else. They’re trip is for a year, not a last minute thing, plenty of time to prepare. It is nice to be nice and all that but it would have been very simple to be organised for this – it would have taken 20 mins tops to get some documents in place. I’m glad it’s worked out well for them, I just don’t see any reason whatsoever to be apologetic. In the long run the official probably did them a favour – they’d have hit similar barriers thrying to get entry to other countries.
Good to see it getting sorted but in fairness they need to obey by the rules like everyone else. Need we make exceptions and bow to the US for fear of upsetting them???
Fair play Pat for extending the Irish welcome, but I feel that this whole thing is a joke. D4 Hotels got some very cheap advertising and national coverage for what? – A few americans got turned away at the airport and the whole country felt sorry for them? Would the whole country feel sorry for e.g. Mick in Wexford who may lose his corner shop dus to the recession?
mother teresa now -