It was a long weekend over here this weekend, thus explaining the absence of any posting from me yesterday. I spent the weekend in Dublin at what was in effect a festival of Gaelic Football - the four championship quarter finals in Croke Park over Sunday and Monday. While not the most ardent GAA fan in Ireland, I had already planned to support Mayo on their road to inevitible humiliation and decided late last week to make the most of it and catch the existing champions Galway, vs. Kerry - those perennial advocates of football as an artform. (Unlike most Mayo supporters, I harbour no malice towards Galway and have always wished them well in their success). As it happens, both Galway and Mayo were defeated. But the weather was the best we've had this summer, the atmosphere in Croke park was amazing, everybody enjoyed themselves and awash in summer sunshine, the expanse of countryside on the long drive West was a magnificance of lush greens and golden fields. It felt good to be Irish.