I am afraid that something similar is happening to my own city. In Dublin there is a great buzz and a keen sense of excitement that very much like London, is acutely captivating, but again that initial medium of contact, the eye, tends to be averted rather than engaged. I find this worrying. Ireland has always been the island of conversation but it is my belief that Dublin is in danger of becoming, just like any other large city across the world, a place where people feel safer in their own skin. We are being forced into a behavioural pattern that is capable of isolating people even in the midst of multitudes.

This is one of the essential reasons I enjoyed Cork so much. The art of casual conversation still thrives and therefore the people still remain the focal point of the county.

London and Dublin are centres that effuse quality. Parks, impressive architecture, wide streets and entertainment opportunities proliferate. One can gather amongst like minded people in so many different locations and life can be most pleasant and agreeable. But the real seed of profitability in interaction is the conversation built on eye-contact. The seemingly innocuous willingness to reach out socially to others based on who you are as opposed to who you wish to appear lies at the very heart of every good society.