Sir, – BC (Before Covid), I was often greeted at the counter with, “Are you all right?” My reply: “Yes, the tablets are still working for me.” In these pandemic times, online shopping avoids all that nonsense. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL BOYLE,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – When greeted “How are you?”, the late, great Seán Mac Réamoinn used to reply, “Like the Irish census. Broken down by age, sex and religion.”
Meeting an old acquaintance after many years, during which whiskey had taken a visible toll, I asked him how he was, and he replied, “Clingin’ to the wreckage”. – Yours, etc,
LOUIS MARCUS,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – When I’m asked “How are you?”, I like to reply, “Still clinging to the wreckage.”
This frequently invites the response, “That’s an awful way to talk about your husband!” – Yours, etc,
VAL FITZPATRICK,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Our local publican, who died recently, used to greet you with “How’s she cutting?”, and when I would ask him how he was, he would reply, “Over ground and overdrawn.”
RIP Michael O’Neill. He was a character, and we all miss him.– Yours, etc,
MICHAEL WILLIAMS,
Tralee,
Co Kerry .