Thanks a lot for that BillieBob - I'll drop bose-x a line too, I was lucky enough to fly with him for several hours in preparation for my CRI and he had a great part in me passing.
My licence is in Qatar, so I'm just checking up on this 3rd country IR validity - hopefully it could save me a few thousand Euros - appreciate your input! If you're ever in Qatar I'll buy you a beer!