As others see us - An enviable hat-trick

Amidst crisis after crisis, trauma heaped upon trauma, it is indeed cheering that three Irish cities are ranked in the top 20 of the world’s friendliest.

Kilkenny has been named Europe’s friendliest by readers of the Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Dublin was 12th and Cork 20th, where the locals were described as “consistently friendly and helpful”. Kilkenny was the only European city to make the top 10.

At a moment when we are questioning so much of what we do and how we behave, it is rewarding to see eternal, essential human values recognised.

That these characteristics are less and less obvious around the world, it is important that we make every effort to preserve and encourage them as they are the lubricants essential in establishing personal and business relationships. That three Irish cities made the top 20 should be a boon to our tourism industry too — let us hope that proves to be the case.