We Irish don't really understand the British

THEY sit there in the ‘foreign money’ jar, along with four dollars, €3.40 worth of South African rand and whatever they have in Hungary: My small collection of sterling notes.

Is it my imagination, or are they shrivelling in denomination even as I look at them? They’re Northern bank notes as well (I earned them in comedy gigs, just in case you think I’m very well connected and sound on the national question).

Northern bank notes already have their value questioned in the UK because it seems anyone up there with a bank can print their own.