When Irish eyes are smiling (and other deplorable national stereotypes)

A night in an Irish pub got me thinking about national 'brands'

Photo courtesy of Malzards, Stoneyford

I spent Saturday night at a pub in Stoneyford, a village in south-east Ireland. We started outside with a barbecue under a marquee. The rain fell softly for a spell. When it ended, I poked my head outside. There, above the hurling field, was the most vivid double rainbow I’d ever seen in my life. Light poured into t…