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I think a serious study of the differences in national senses of humour is warranted, Charles. You, more than most, are qualified to write it. I have frequently gotten into trouble in England with my “Irish” (not “Oirish”) sense of humour, and many Irish find English humour very stilted and formulaic – although there are quite a few honourable exceptions. Most people like self-depreciating humour, and take exception to humour intended to demonstrate the superior intellect, virility, or social standing of the humourist. Using humour as a weapon in debate seldom travels well, unless it is to demonstrate a certain ironic awareness of the fallibility of aspects of one’s own case. Did I tell you the one about the French, English and Irish Scientists?

“After having dug to a depth of 1,000 meters last year, French scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1,000 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than a thousand years ago.

Not to be out done by the French, in the weeks that followed English scientists dug to a depth of 2,000 meters and shortly after headlines in the U.K. newspapers read: 'English archaeologists have found traces of 2,000 year old fibre-optic cable' and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-Tech digital communications network a thousand years earlier than the French.

One week later Irish Newspapers reported the following: After digging as deep as 5000 meters in a County Mayo bog, Irish scientists had found absolutely nothing. They therefore concluded that 5,000 years ago in Ireland its inhabitants were already using wireless technology”.