Róisín Ingle/1. Construction rage: The first in a new weekly series about things that anger us

What is it? Da-ka, da-ka, da-ka, da-ka. Ah, the sweet sound of construction.

If it isn't the industrial drill outside the bedroom window or the Port Tunnel craziness, it's the Luas works blocking the way into the office. You try, God knows you try, but it's hard to stay calm as the bus crawls around St Stephen's Green for 20 minutes. Then when it finally stops the driver says it will be worse when the Luas gets going. Reports suggests sufferers are mainly concentrated in the

Dublin and greater Dublin area but chaos and confusion also reigns in Galway where Eyre Square is getting a facelift. Work there is due to be completed by September next year. Yes, and JCBs fly.

The symptoms: Construction rage assaults all the senses. Victims report constant headaches due to noise pollution and an inability to arrive anywhere without giving a detailed description of their construction-filled journey. In extreme cases,

sufferers develop an irrational hatred of anyone wearing a hard hat -

especially if they are all buying their sandwiches in the delicatessen at the same time.

The cure: Government health officials say a cure is still being worked on but should be completed by January 2006.

The only solution is to leave Dublin and come back when the work is finished.

Sufferers are advised to take solace in the fact that their children - OK, their grandchildren - will have a wonderful city to live in.

What annoys you most? Share it with us on e-mail: rage@irish-times.ie