There is no yes or no in Irish

You think things are all legal or illegal in this country. In Ireland that’s not the way we do it. We’re got a greater appreciation of the greyness of the human condition, between the white and the black. There are three states of legality in Irish law. All this stuff here which comes under ‘That’s grand’ then it moves into ‘Ah now, don’t push it’ and finally it moves into ‘Right, you’re taking the piss’ - that’s when the police sweep in. (Dara O’Briain)

I was reading this when i recalled what Marie said the other night - that there is no yes or no in Irish. Is that true? For instance, she said, if you asked someone if they would do some like "Will you do this?" they would reply "I will", not yes. And other phrases in English have their roots in the Irish expression, like "I have the sadness upon me". So you wear your emotions. You are not sad. Which is interesting. And quite zen.

So this thing about That's grand (everything is grand here), and Ah now don't push it... this summer, true story by the way, i was travelling in Donegal with a film maker, i'm telling you this is a true story, and he was driving this massive car - can't remember the make and model, but it was like a continental top of the range thing, when we were stopped by the police. Or the Garda. He pulls us over and there's a tailback forming.

How are you, yourself? he asked Joe.

I'm fine said Joe.

You're from the Nort? (They don't do 'h', if it is after a 't'. So they say tree, not three and dere, not there.)

Yes, we're just coming from Donegal town and heading back to Derry.

What's this then? he asks, pointing to the car. How does it handle?

And then they proceed to go into this full scale conversation about the car and it's make and how much to a gallon it does, all the time while we are holding up traffic. And when he was satisfied about the car, he waved us on.

What was that about? i asked Joe.

He shrugged. The guy just wanted to know about the car.

There's this other tradition they have in Ireland. It's called Holy Hour. On Sunday, at about 4 pm, the pubs close for an hour. I think it's to remind the men that they have to go home for Sunday lunch. For those with no home to go to, they move into the secret part of the pub. The doors shut and no one is allowed in. Unless they know the secret entrance. And everyone in the pub just goes on drinking.

They're so easy going the Irish. It's hard to imagine that they were once such a powerful financial force. For about ten years.

I think they do easy going best, and i liked them when they were easy going, not all this nonsense which we kept on seeing perpetrated on the pages of Agenda, the Irish Times' pretentious Dublin 4 pages. I couldn't bear Agenda. It is still like some English newspaper rip off. Just dull and samey and not at all Irish.

I do miss that Ireland you know. The bendy rules, the devil may care, the father ted ireland where people were happy to watch spinning cats at village fairs.