Séamas O'Reilly: A joint Bloomsday-Italia 90 Bank Holiday is one the whole nation can get behind

"Telling my English friends about St Brigid's Day has certainly been instructive, since they’re so beaten down by the ensh*ttification of every aspect of life here, the idea of a new public holiday seems fizzily insane."

Séamas O'Reilly. Picture: Orfhlaith Whelan

I try not to compare the UK and Ireland too much because that way madness lies. Were I to compare the political upheavals in both places, I feel like the sheer naked insanity of British government malfeasance would distract me from the very real and present malfeasance in Ireland, a risk that becomes more pronounced when Irish topics trend on Twitter and I find I’ve been away too long to recognise any of the names or crimes being discussed.

But it’s true, things are tumultuous here. The UK is the only advanced economy on Earth seeing negative growth, where a cost-of-living crisis has doubled the price of many foods and tripled the price of heating, and a carousel of corruption and incompetence at the heart of government has rendered parliament about as noble and stately as one of those Hieronymus Bosch paintings where fellas are being eaten alive by demons while crows fly out of their arses. We’ve seen four chancellors in the past 12 months. One of whom, Nadhim Zahawi has just had to pay a penalty for non payment to the very same tax system he oversaw.