It transpires that 82% of Irish people don't know where Doodys Bottoms is.

So fucking what?

A fair chunk of the population never heard of Bastardstown?

What point are they they trying to make?

No, I hadn't heard of Doodys Bottoms before even though it's in my home county, but that's because it's the other side of the mountains and it's such a small townland that I doubt if its next-door neighbours have heard of it either. As it happens, I do know about Bastardstown, but only because a friend of mine used to live there and I used to slag her unmercifully about the name.

There are a lot of places in Ireland I have never heard of, simply because there are a lot of places in Ireland.  I don't consider that any sort of lacking in my education, but for some reason a "survey finds Irish people need to become familiar with their home country"  Why?  The only time I ever need to know where somewhere is is when I have to travel there.  If I don't know its location, I'm sure a map will find it.

As it happens, I am very familiar with all the locations they mention [apart from Doodys Bottoms] because I have been there and done that.  That is mainly because I have holidayed a lot in Ireland.

Those are the places where I have spent at least a week in the last forty years, and yes, 1986 is in Cavan so I know where that is.

However, why is there a need to know where everywhere is?  Why are people somehow lacking because they can't instantly find Doolin or trace the outline of Achill?  Would I think any the less of someone who doesn't know where Killahurler or Twomileborris is?

They love beating us over the head with our shortcomings, but this one baffles me.  It's castigating us for something that is so trivial as to be nonexistent.

Have to go down to the village now.

If I can find it.