It’s a strange expression, isn’t it? Working class.
What does it mean?
I’ve always had a problem with it, even though I’ve always vaguely understood its thrust.
It’s very British. Here in Ireland, we don’t really have a well-defined class system, as they do in England or India. We all curse and swear. None of [...]
I went to a funeral tonight. Well, actually, I went to the removal.
It always surprises me how many people from outside Ireland visit here, so perhaps I should explain. We have a custom where a person who has died lies in state at the undertaker’s premises, and all his friends, and the friends [...]
Do you know something – I love Lidl. I’m a complete Lidl junkie. I even look up their web site a week in advance to see what the latest specials are going to be, which I suppose makes me a pikey.
Sometimes, the posh relatives might call in, and they’d look around the kitchen [...]
Would you like to hear the story of the great big bridge and the tiny little mouse? OK then. Settle in and pull up those cosy covers while I tell you the story.
You see, what happened was this. Once upon a time, the government built a road from one side of the [...]
I don’t know.
I have no idea what it means to be Irish. In spite of the fact that – as far as I’m aware- my people have lived here forever, I feel very reluctant to call myself Irish, because I don’t know what the term Irish means. I feel even more uncomfortable when [...]
Having said all that about Ryanair, the no-care airline, the low-standards airline, the no-brain airline, in fairness, I would have to say this about them: they’re shit.
However, here’s the question. Who isn’t shit?
That’s right. Scunthorpe United aren’t shit. Scunthorpe United won yet again, beating poor old Rotherham to streak to the top [...]
Did you see those reports during the week about a couple who sued a hospital because a sterilisation operation didn’t work? It seems the woman had a tubal ligation in the Coombe, and on the face of it, that appeared to be that. The end. No more babies.
It’s very final.
No more puking [...]
The first worrying thing was when some official walked out onto the pitch and welcomed everyone to Lansdown- sorry – Croke Park!
Oh noooo!!!
Then the Artane Band came out, and with my razor-sharp observational skills, I noticed that they aren’t the Artane Boys’ Band any more. Now, they have girls and other people [...]
Jesus, said Wrinkly Paddy. This place is full of Northsiders.
True, I replied, but imagine how they feel. Their streets are full of Southsiders, Culchies and filthy garlic-eating surrender-monkeys.
God, he shuddered. Give me out that hip-flask quick.
Not fifteen minutes earlier, we had abandoned the safe and familiar shabbiness of Mulligan’s in Poolbeg Street [...]
I went out this evening with a couple of my friends to a play. You might remember from previous posts that we sometimes go to the theatre, and usually it’s good enough.
Well, tonight we went to see a play in the Impact theatre called Oleanna, by David Mamet. It featured Norma and Darren, [...]
