When I was growing up in 1970’s Mayo, my late father impressed upon me that the greatest social sin you could commit in Ireland was not to stand your round when the time came to buy drinks at the bar. To be considered stingy and mean was the quickest route to social oblivion.
Update that warning to modern Ireland today and surely the biggest social faux pas that one can commit is to reveal yourself as a racist. In an era of ultra-cheap international air travel, J1-visas and Erasmus programmes, getting to know people of different races and cultures is like attending a massive, never-ending party where variety, stimulation and tolerance are the order of the day.
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