It is not nonsense. People fly from Ireland to Liverpool because it is cheaper than going on a bender in Dublin. Come over to Liverpool on St Patricks day and tell me I am wrong. In Liverpool and many other places it is mostly an all day bender and I am sorry if that offends your delicate sensibilities.
I'm not sure what else I can say to you. Apart from Ladies day at the Grand National meet or the last Friday before Christmas it is the most mental night in Liverpool of the entire year. I say night, it starts early.
If I had to give you a list of nights I will not go out to the pub the above three are it.
It has nothing to do with delicate sensibilities.
There are always going to some that go out and drink to excess. You can see that in any UK city on a Saturday night.
But I'm going to repeat myself - I was in Dublin City Centre for much of yesterday and I didn't see everyone out "on an all day bender". I saw families out enjoying themselves at the parade and other events.
If you are telling me that the majority of the people in Dublin and Ireland were out drinking all day then I well tell you quite simply that you're wrong. That is what I take offence to as it is simply not true.
We have the biggest St Patrick's festivities in the world here in Dublin with several million people here celebrating, and from what I can see there were virtually no arrests - that tells me that what you're claiming as a broad generalisation of Irish people is not the case.
I cannot comment on what goes on in Britain, but I can certainly tell you that the biggest St Patrick's festivities in the world here in Ireland passed off pretty much without any real problems. But don't let that reality get in the way of a good rant.
