Questions about the Chat Room

Q. Where is the chat room?

A. There are one main chat room and two minor chat rooms on this site. The main chat room is called "Clubhouse II" and can be reached by clicking on either the "Way In" sign, or on the front door of the shack. Follow the instructions you see on the page these links go to.

The second chat room is called "Original Clubhouse" and is reached by clicking on the outhouse, to the left of the "Way In" sign. You will need to apply for a username and a password to Beseen.com, the room's providers, to enter. The Original Clubhouse is not used much.

The third chat room is called "The Attic", and can be entered by clicking on the upper window on the shack. It is a Java-based chat, and takes a couple of minutes to launch a Java Applet when loading. We are never there. However, you may use it to link to other chats in the MultiCity network. We take no responsibility for the types of chat rooms you may encounter on that network.

Q. How do I log-in to Clubhouse II?

A. Clubhouse II is the main chat room of this site. Click on either the "Way In" sign, or on the front door of the shack. On the page which follows, choose any username you like (a nickname, or your own name if you wish) and press "Submit Name". You will be brought immediately to the chat room, and the word "Hello!" will appear next to your name to announce your arrival.

Q. How do I chat at Clubhouse II?

Conversation is recorded in text form in lines across the screen. The newest conversation is nearest the top of the screen. To add to the chat, click in the empty field near the head of the screen and type your comment. Press the button marked "Chat/Reload" and you will add to the chat.

Q. How do I refresh the chat shown on screen in Clubhouse II?

A. The chat room doesn't refresh automatically. This is important. You must click the "Post/Reload" button from time to time to call up the latest versions of the page. If you don't, you will not see the newest posts made by other people in the chat room. (Don't worry if you forget occasionally. We all do!) You cannot refresh the chat using your Brower's "refresh" button.

Q. Why does nobody speak to me in Clubhouse II?

A. Posts shown on the screen remain unless manually cleared by the Administrators. You may be seeing posts which are a few hours old, or even longer. Therefore, you may occasionally enter the chat room and discover yourself to be alone. People aren't ignoring you; there's simply no-one else there.

Remember, you must use the "Post/Reload" button to call up the latest version of the page. If you forget, a conversation may continue without you seeing what's been said. Click on "Post/Reload" often, even if you are not saying anything right now.

Q. Are there any special commands or features I can use in Clubhouse II?

A. No. IRC/mIRC commands don't work in Clubhouse II. What you type is what appears on screen when you press the "Post/Reload" button. The room doesn't use Avatars, icons, or smilies. You don't need to type any log-out command. Simply close the window, or go somewhere else on the Internet.

The room does allow users to type HTML code, but it must be written in its entirety, including all tags, and will only remain on screen temporarily.

The Administrators have the ability to clear chat from the screen, set font colour and background wallpaper, and to bar (ban) visitors from the chat room. Currently, visitors with Administration powers are: Angharod, Joaniebaby, Pinball Wizard, Pubdog, Rat and Willie.

Q. What do the other icons near the main picture stand for?

A. The other icons represent hyperlinks to other parts of the Website, display information, or allow you to contact the Administrators. You may click on certain icons to perform tasks. (See below).

Questions about the Rest of the Site

Q. Who designed this site and why?

A. The Website was created by Willie Walsh, an Irish writer who lives in Dublin, Ireland. Initially, it was created to showcase his writings, but it is now also a point of reference for things Irish, whether you're a native, an ex-pat, or simply curious about the country and its lifestyle.

Q. What's on the rest of the site?

A. Apart from the Clubhouse Chat area, the site also provides visitors with an opportunity to read about growing up in Ireland, in the form of published and previously-unpublished writings by the author. Willie's preferred writing style includes childhood memories, lyrical prose, atmospherics and an exploration of the natural world. Much of his work is written to be read aloud.

There is also a biography/links page which provides info about the author, and links to several Irish-interest, and general-interest Websites. If you're searching for information about Ireland or about Irish life, you may find these pages useful.

Use the animated button, below, to visit the Home Page if you would like to view any of those pages now.

Q. Can I buy anything here?

A. No. Everything on this site is free. You can print or download any material provided you don't try to resell it, and provided that you give credit to its original source. This means that if you print one of Willie's stories, you have to leave the Willie Walsh byline on the printout.

Q. Who typically comes here?

A. That's hard to say. Visitors have come from all parts of the world, for various reasons. Some are interested in Ireland. Others are interested in writers. More visit the Clubhouse chat rooms in search of friendship or entertainment. Occasionally some people confuse "Ireland" with "Iran" and come here hoping for information on that Middle-Eastern country. Hopefully, the map provided on the links page will help these people realise their mistake!

Q. Why does the Address line of my Browser display different URLs on different parts of this site?

A. The site is quite a large one, and parts of it are on two different servers. The bulk is on the eircom.net server, while newer sections are on a geocities.com server. As you go from page to page, you occasionally travel from one server to another. At no stage, however, are you deliberately brought to any site with Adult content or which breaches the "P.G." rating Willie has self-imposed on the site. (A possible exception exists at the Attic chat room. Read the information in the left-hand column about the MultiCity chat network to which this connects. This network is outside Willie's control and should be visited in the knowledge that some Adult-only content may possibly be encountered there).

A third server provides visitors with a shorter URL and a redirect to the Home Page or to the chat rooms. You should bookmark this URL if you wish to visit the main part of the site: http://irishwriter.cjb.net If you wish to bookmark the entry point to the chat rooms, use http://clubhousechat.cjb.net

Clubhouse II is on a Senac.com server; The Original Clubhouse is on a Beseen.com server, as is The Bulletin Board. The Attic is provided by MultiCity.com, and launches on their chat server. The Guestbook is provided by guestbook depot.

Regardless of on which servers the pages and component parts of the site are assembled, your visit here should not be troubled by worries about URLs. The hyperlinks should bring you smoothly from page to page. In the event of any server failure, please try again later.