Pete McCarthy quotes:

But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different rules of time apply, and most people still understand the crucial secret of human happiness: that it's better to do a few things slowly, than a lot of things fast.

We had found nothing, and had been lost several times already in one morning, so this was shaping up into a top travel experience.

There are huge creative advantages in having huge chunks of time when no one can find you. Emails and phones have diluted the experience of travel.

If you've had the right kind of education, it's amazing how many things you can find to feel guilty about.

That guy in the corner. Never tells the truth, as a matter of principle. Why answer a question, he says, if you can tell a good story instead?

I like reading in a pub rather than a library or study, as it's generally much easier to get a drink.

I reckon if I can't spend the day sleeping, the next best thing is to spend it reading and drinking.