Irish people are educated not only about artistry but local history.

A lot of Irish people perform. They perform in drawing rooms. They sing songs and they play piano.

Even when they have nothing, the Irish emit a kind of happiness, a joy.

To be honest I live among the English and have always found them to be very honest in their business dealings. They are noble, hard-working and anxious to do the right thing. But joy eludes them, they lack the joy that the Irish have.

I'm not on the run from anything and I'm not at all clear about what I'm running towards. But as some great writer put it, I want to be certain that when I arrive at death, I'm totally exhausted.

And by endlessly sanitizing our feelings, we actually feed a disgruntled nation.