David O'Mahony: Identity is a malleable thing — don’t forget to shape yours how you like

'A hundred thousand years ago, when I was a younger, unmarried man living in Abu Dhabi, my passport had been issued under my Irish-language name.' File picture 

None of us are who we were when we started out. And indeed, none of us are who we are going to end up.

This might seem self-explanatory. But, at the same time, we tend to forget that living is in many ways a constant process of invention and reinvention, of calling ourselves one thing and then another, then maybe trying something else on while living abroad or travelling through parts of the world where nobody knows you.