Hi guys,
the group is convenient. You get your mails and read them at your own pace. There are not that many technical questions but more links and stuff, so no much dialog needed.
Also some people sign up for the group just to keep informed. I work with ruby now, but only for the last few months, been in the group for much longer.
So the group is a repository of good info and it's always available and accessible from other places than Dublin city center, unlike the meetings.
cheers,
José