I was edgily nervous hosting a soirée recently in my native Dublin. My great fear was that arguments and quarrels would break out among a roomful of people who had very different opinions on all sorts of touchy subjects. There were strong republicans and covert monarchists, pro-Europeans and Eurosceptics, Catholics, Protestants and atheists, and I felt sure voices would be raised in verbal combat.
But no: all was sunny. People got along quite harmoniously, without anyone being dull or