This is an interesting series of essays looking at Ireland between 2003 and 2004 and seeing the sociological changes that have happened and asking some questions about them and whether these need changing

After the introduction by Mary P Corcoran, the book is divided into four sections, starting with No Hard Rules: Tom Inglis looks at the Club Anabel tragedy where one youth was killed by some others, apparently over a mobile phone, it asks if someof these boys really have a solid connection with reality.

The next is The Happiest Country in the World? Where Kieran Keohane and Carmen Kuhling, one of the questions is whether or not this is a comparative happiness, if we had a deep pit to climb out of.

Why Prison Fails by Karen Sugrue visits some well trodden paths about why the prison and justice system fails a lot of the people involved

Michael Breen, Amanda Haynes and Eoin Devereux look at the citizenship referendum and ask how much media hysteria contributed to the result.

The second Section is A Moral Economy, starting with Seeing a Real Argument by Mark Garavan looks at the entire mess in Mayo about the Shell project.

Germs, Globalisation and Gender: The Making of a Food Scare by Grainne Collins looks at advertising about food poisoning and how stress was put on domestic cooking, while that's rare!

The Polluter Pays? Individualising Ireland's Waste Problem, oh yeah, the argument is that yes they SAY polluters pay but the bigger polluters are paying less comparatively. High Blood pressure inducing.

Fields of Knowledge by Annette Jorgensen talks about experts taking away from people with actual knowledge about land, where instead of the farmer conducting people around their own farm and talking about experiences rather than theory.

Farmers' Markets by Oliver Moore looks at various models for Farmers Markets and see how they win or fail.

The next section is Interchanges:
The M50: A Lugly Construct by Eamonn Slater looks at the toll-boothed M50 (no longer thankfully), it also looks at the effect it has on some places around it.

Coffee Aromas by Michel Peillon looks at the demise of the original Bewelys and how it failed to really move with the time, neglecting the fact that actually the Coffee was terrible and they really didn't try, so when some other places served better coffee people migrated!

A stranger abroad in Leitrim by Chris Sparks looks at his own experience as a Londoner in Leitrim and what he liked about it.

Ethno-City by Mary P Corcoran looks at how while the Chinese New Year tried to be inclusive it really was more a sanitised and unreal than actually an inclusive event.

Parity of Esteem is the final part; first about Sectarian Childhoods in North Belfast by Madeleine Leonard that documents some of the difficulties in getting two communities that are completely alien to work together.

They Don't understand our country": Carole Coleman interviews President George W Bush by John Cullen looks at how Carole Coleman interviewed George W Bush and both of them failed to understand the other, both coming from a different culture. Interesting stuff.

The 'Acceptable' Victims of Homicide by Ciaran McCullagh looks at the difference in treatment of the victim of the Annabell case, where it was treated as somehow strange that this middle-class victim was killed while similar victims from poorer classes aren't treated to as much front page headlines.

Eoin Devereux looks at Morrissey and sees how different people have viewed him through their own lenses and how it allowed some people to expore their own self.

It's an interesting collection of essays, looking at different facets of Irish and Irishness in a critical manner. It's thought-provoking. ( )