The Second in our series: "What's happening in the Old Country?"

As I explain here, "Take That Max Weber: Learning About Ireland from a German Novelist," we are about to go off on a trip to Ireland. We have never been. Among many books, our cram course included Irish Journal by Heinrich BÖLL, a delightful and brief account of visits he made in the early '50s.

But German novelists (or sociologists) don't know everything. You all must know something too. What to make of the Irish?