The physical effects of the past couple of decades in Ireland are obvious. Motorways, empty estates, fake boobs, plump kids and different coloured skin. But what did the roaring noughties do to our beliefs? More to the point, what should you at least pretend to believe so as to avoid looking like a tool in public?

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It was an awkward Christmas for a lot of us. It’s hard enough meeting up with people once a year to have the same old conversation, but this time out we had to face into the annual how are things with you anyway without a clue what to say. The recession means that a simple question around a dinner table like “any holiday plans yet?” will be greeted as if you asked “has anybody here ever had the clap.” Holidays? Nobody admits to going on holiday any more! You’re after making Margaret cry now because Phil lost his job last Thursday.

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If any other provincial town was named number 3 in the Lonely Planet Top 10 Cities in the World, the locals would be astonished and surprised. But when Cork landed the accolade this week, we expected something different. After all, here is a place which simultaneously nurtures the largest superiority complex and inferiority complex in the world. (more…)

Viva Las Borris. It really doesn’t take much to cheer us up in this country so we were delighted to hear this week that the man behind Dr. Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium in Dublin is planning to launch an Irish Las Vegas. In Two-Mile Borris. In Tipperary. (more…)

Can we stop all this talk about Cork as a gourmet capital? If you really think that Corkonians are foodies, then the next time you ask for a snack box, why don’t you add “I presume it’s free range and organic” and listen to the guy behind the counter come back with “c’mere boy, we’re not even sure it’s chicken.” (more…)