This is a scene beloved by postcard producers and tourists - the Irish traffic jam.
Like all cliches it holds an element of truth but I think it also illustrates how
Ireland is changing. Our neighbour is the last farmer living on our road while the bus,
which belongs to another neighbour, shows how other enterprises are taking the place
of traditional rural pursuits.
If cliches are to believed the Irish are a Guinness-swilling, Aran-sweatered band of leprechaun-loving musicians.
And while it is no doubt better than the politically motivated cartoons of the 19th century which portrayed
us as apes, it is far from the truth. We may use cliches as a kind of shorthand but they can be dangerous
if not downright hurtful unless we are careful to see what lies behind them.