The Irish

I'm re-reading The Irish by Sean O'Faolain, one of the books that my thesis supervisor, Robert van den Haute, recommended to me many many moons ago (probably 27 years, since I finished college in 86, and started working on my thesis 2 years before that). I'm not reading the 1947 edition, but the 1981 one (considering it was only revised once, in 1969, it probably doesn't make that much of a difference).

When I get frustrated by how things run in Ireland, this book is a great reminder that some of the nation's key traits are very much part of the Irish DNA.

I'll give you a telling quote "If the Celtic tradition has given us anything in this field what it has given is that old atavistic individualism which tends to make all Irishmen inclined to respect no laws at all"

See, they can't help it. No point in fighting it.

Very different from the Belgians, I think, if this Belgian girl is anything to go by.