Every day in Galway is 'Bank Holiday Galway'!

The voting has been fast and furious in the last few days, and on Monday I'll be posting excerpts from the winning chapter (or 2) of my new book, 'Do I Love Ireland'. The chapter list is on the post below, so please keep on voting by comment.

In the meantime let me take you on a mental mission to a vision of Neactain's yesterday afternoon. My excellent friend and star of this colyoom, himself Yoda and myself were sitting outside in the sunshine, locked in fierce philosophical exchange about psychos and sociopaths, (like you do over a nice cup of coffee) when a man standing nearby asked us what day it was.

The woman by his side thought it was Tuesday.

Yoda suggested it was Wednesday.

I thought it might be Tuesday, but then I saw the light. It's Wednesday, definitely. Totally Wednesday, yep.

Yer man thanked us and went on his way, leaving me to wonder: in which other major world city could such a conversation take place between sober adults, without a single eyelid batted? We all kind of knew what day it was, but none of us was sure, yet nobody showed the slightest sliver of concern.

In other places they ask the time of day, nervous of late minutes and lost seconds, but in Galway, every day is Bank Holiday Galway.

3 days to go (but don't ask me which ones!) so vote with vigour, my loyal colyoomistas!

Vote now for a sneak peak at 'Do I Love Ireland?'

As regular colyoomistas will already know, I've just finished a compilation of my newspaper column 'Double Vision's best bits, as published in the Galway City Tribune and Connacht Tribune between 1992-2009.

The book is filled with bite-size funny chunks, hearty meaningful morsels and full-on philosophical feasts and now you can grab a sneak preview by voting for one of the chapters listed below.

Just add a comment on the blog, saying which chapter you want to see a clip from, and whether you're looking for a laugh or something more mentally challenging to chew on.

Once there's enough votes, I'll post a couple of excerpts from the winning chapter, so ye all can have a gander, a giggle or a groan.

Ah go on, you will you will you will...

Here are the runners and riders: 

1 Little People, Co. Mayo and other natural wonders.

2 It wasn’t me mate - I wasn’t there! My part in the Famine and other atrocities. 

3 Getting Galwayed! 

4 What exactly is an Atheist-Pantheist Jew? 

5 Balls and ‘No problem!’ - the Irish attitude to service. 

6 Pootles and holidays from heaven or hell. 

7 Life, Death and Connemara. 

8 Brown envelopes, Bertie and old beef. 

9 Neutrality and naivety: How the Irish survived Dubya.

10 My body, blue bag and black dog. 

11 Festivals and other frivolities. 

12 How do I love Ireland? Let me count the ways ...   

So there you have them, and now... the choice is yours. Hype shmipe baby, show me your clickers. Let me see inside your psyches, my colyoomistas ...