Sanity is restored
Giving out — or, as it’s more commonly known on the other side of the Irish Sea, complaining — is a widely practised and hugely popular pastime in rural Ireland. This may, ironically, be one of the reasons why the people who populate it are some of the happiest whom it’s been my good fortune to rub shoulders with. Our grievances, be they about the weather, the neighbours, the internet speed or the bus service, are rarely left to simmer and are generally given a loud platform at the earliest possible opportunity.
“The hares received a cheerful salute from me as they almost disdainfully evaded the dogs and disappeared”
The recent global upheaval changed all of this. With the arrival of the coronavirus, all griping abruptly ceased. We began counting
