State of the nation ... four authors called to book for staging non-event

HAD Fintan O’Toole, Shane Ross, Pat Leahy and Matt Cooper invited me to a four-way book promotion in the National Concert Hall in Dublin last Wednesday night, I probably would have declined their kind offer.

Had they told me they were going to charge me €38 (for myself and guest) for the privilege, I definitely would have done so.

Instead I was promised they were going to “debate the state of the nation” and I looked forward to the evening’s discussions with relish.