From Denmark's 'Computer Weekly' magazine, yesterday (my translation):

Y2K FLIGHT FROM THE EURO: Investors are expected to offload their Euro holdings and buy dollars, to secure themselves against all eventualities due to the Y2K rollover. They would rather be sitting with the old, familiar Dollar rather than the new-fangled Euro, if the finance markets are hit by chaos ... analysts estimate that trading will be 'irregular' in the coming weeks because of insecurity about what lies on the other side of Y2k (sic).

Watch the Euro drop!

-- Risteard Mac Thomais (uachtaran@ireland.com), December 15, 1999

Answers

Then buy Euros. . . x x x x x x x

-- Magnolia (Magnooliaa@yahoo.com), December 15, 1999.

a cara Risteard! Good posts. Have a cousin in Swiss banking. Are you based in Eire? Can you give us a good ground report in situ for us emerald moggy exiles in US, UK and OZ who follow this thread? WWCR is no longer broadcasting RTE from World Radio Network via shortwave and I was really counting on that for my news after rollover. A letter to RTE online editor Frank Hand was a waste of time. Have read all about the wage demands, babysitter extortion fees, light the penny candle from D4, etc. But what about the REAL news? Shelves at Tesco, QUEENSworth? Is there herd movement yet? I am frantic about Chernobyl. Yeltsin. Medzamar. Ignalina. The pubs: how's the craic/discussion and what is Joe Punter saying there? Surfed to soc.culture.irish but little on millennium concerns to suit me. Thanks so much! Slan.

-- Sally na hEimmeagn (286yrsinUSA@slavery.com), December 15, 1999.

Sally, a chara - I live in Denmark. I have no direct knowledge of what the Plain People of Ireland are saying about Y2K, but my impression is that it's similar to Denmark: nothing (serious) will happen here, but some of those foreigners may be in for a rough time. The Irish Foreign Ministry issued a very strong warning (in December, which was a bit late) that Irish holidaymakers in foreign countries over the new year might find themselves in deep doo-doo. Any news I get about Ireland comes from the Irish Times and associated links (at www.ireland.com).

"Go mbeimid beo ag an am seo arms" (Gaelic greeting - "may we all still be alive at this time next year").

-- Risteard Mac Thomais (uachtaran@ireland.com), December 16, 1999.