The next few weeks will be seen as the moment Ireland got its mojo back

IT could be because the Government has done everything right from the moment they grabbed their seals of office from Mary McAleese and lashed back to Leinster House to get started.

It could be because the Chinese deputy premier looked cute in pictures with a calf. It could be because the troika are patting Paddy on the head for being a good little lad. It could be because the Italian prime minister went the full Monti with our Enda and told him Ireland is a model for Italy, so it is. It could be because the daffodils are doing their decorous thing, the sun is warm on our shoulders and the birds are letting rip, early and late.

It’s none of the above and all of the above. And, of course, as dear Bill Clinton would point out, it depends on your definition of what “it” is. “It”, I would propose, is the odd sense of half-abandoned semi-optimism pervading the nation.