Irish Time Warps

The N6 is the main thoroughfare that runs across Ireland from Galway to Dublin. We’ve put plenty of rubber on that strip of pavement, including a business trip this week. Between Dublin and Athlone in the sheep-laced midlands, the road is one of the few stretches of four-lane divided freeway in the country. Once west of Athlone, though, the road becomes two lanes again and passes through every little burgh along the way. The last leg of the trip is from Loughrea to Galway town.

The road sign on the east side of Loughrea (right) says “Galway 39" kilometers, and always gives the sense that the long journey’s end is near. The road slows for the three kilometers through Loughrea before it opens up again west of town. Strikingly, though, the next road sign informs the driver that although he’s continued westward, Galway is now suddenly 41 kilometers away (left).

A few months back, we reported this bizarre phenomenon to several of Paul’s academic colleagues at GMIT. We were scoffed at, and they thought us a bit mad . . . . . until this week, that is, when several of them took note of the situation themselves. Now, two physics professors at the college believe that the American family has stumbled across one of the most interesting cosmological anomalies seen in recent years, and have dubbed it the Melchiorian Space-Time Ripple of Loughrea. The group has engaged Oxford professor Stephen Hawking to collaborate on a paper regarding the discovery. The Irish Journal of Confounding Stuff plans to publish it in July. The 'Melchior STRip', as it will likely be known, may well be the next Knock, complete with grotto.