Wonderful Ireland

My last few posts may have suggested that I've had enough of Ireland, with the dependence of Irish society on alcohol. Certainly my travels to South America and my quitting of my Dublin job to take one in London all indicate that. However, Ireland is a wonderful place. And to prove it, I want to recount a pretty small and insignificant story.

Earlier this evening, I ran out of petrol while cutting the lawn. I usually hate cutting the lawn, but considering I haven't done it in at least a year, I didnt mind. Having only cut half the lawn, I had to walk to the local petrol station, just 500m down the road to fill up the petrol can. On my way back after getting my €5 of petrol, I was stopped by a man in the car going my direction. He asked me if I had run out of petrol and did I want a lift back to the car. I thanked him, but just told him it was for the lawnmower and I was nearly home. While a couple of cars drove right past me, this man thought it necessary to stop the car and ask me if I was in trouble. Funninly enough, just as I left the petrol station to walk home, I thought to myself how nice it would be to get a lift home, as it was pretty cold, and I was feeling lazy.

So, even though people are saying that Irish people are passing themselves out in the rat race, trampling over each other to get ahead, I think that we still haven't lost out friendliness and goodwill towards each other.

I found it a bit funny when he stopped me and I told him it was just for the lawnmower, but it was good because it reconfirmed my belief that Ireland is a great country, in spite of all its trivial failings like a crap road network!