So, what part of home are you from?” And so goes that lazy typical Irish introduction. I arrived into a pub in Germany last month and fell for it there and then. The barman serving me had somewhat of an Irish accent. I say somewhat, because it was broken by what turned out to be confirmation that he had been away a long time.

“Dublin,” he replied, almost before I had finished asking, as if he is posed this irritating question several times a day. “I’ve been here for 25 years. Only been back to Ireland twice and it was twice too often. €7.60 please, sir.”

Chitchat about the auld sod? No way, he wasn’t going there. I drank my drink and read my book.

Isn’t it what we do? Begin with the question: “So, what part of home are you from?” and keep going until you discover that you both know the same person. Bingo!

For some, getting as far away from Ireland and all that old malarkey about where you are from, who you know and if you ever played hurling can’t come quickly enough. However, this week I am in Dubai where connecting with the Irish and being part of the Irish gang is everything.

There are about 8,000 to 10,000 Irish expats living in the United Arab Emirates, where their influence is palpable. People like Colm McLoughlin, the founder of Dubai Duty Free; businessman Seamus Byrne; Ger Lawless, who has become director of tourism for Dubai Holdings; and Brendan Noonan, senior vice-president of Emirates airlines are captains of industry here, one step below royalty. They literally helped build this bizarre metropolis in the searing desert.

There is no Belgian village in Dubai, no French village, no Dutch village. But there is the Irish Village – a vast district with shops, bars and restaurants jammed with people. Then there are the Irish food products dotted along the aisles in Spinneys, Dubai’s premium supermarket chain.

And what about Maxine Luvara, the executive head chef in the world’s most luxurious hotel, the iconic Burj Al Arab?

“We cannot cheat our customers. This [Irish beef, oysters and yoghurt] is the kind of product which we need for this hotel.”

Mention Ireland to him and his eyes light up and this is the top chef in the best hotel in the world.

The GAA is a honey pot here also. The two main clubs in the UAE boast as many players and members as clubs back home. You’d be lost for nothing out here. Yes, the Irish are big in these parts, respected and admired. Unlike my friend in the bar in Germany, the Irish here have a proud swagger about them. CL

Sinners being treated like saints

It is not for the priest to pass judgement. That is left to the man above. Or so goes the mantra when it comes to a Catholic burial. If we are all supposed to be God’s children, then the priest has no jurisdiction to make a judgement on how one has led their life. Aren’t we all sinners? I can see the logic.

But, how galling it must be for people of strong faith to stomach the idea of gangsters and criminals getting the same sort of religious adoration, celebration and blessing as ordinary decent souls on their funeral day? The whole hypocrisy of people with scant regard for human life when they were alive being afforded a Christian farewell with bells and whistles on belittles the whole basis of church teaching.