Larry kept his mouth shut 
Terry Eagleton
- Gallows Speeches from 18th-Century Ireland by James Kelly
The story is told of an Irishman who appeared on Mastermind and took as his special subject modern Irish history. Who was the first female President of Ireland? he is asked. ‘Pass,’ he replies instantly. Which neighbouring island once had sovereignty over the whole country? ‘Pass,’ he responds unhesitatingly. Which crop failed in the Great Famine? ‘Pass,’ flashes back the contestant. The embarrassment in the studio is growing palpable when an Irish voice shouts out from the audience: ‘That’s right, Mick – tell the bastards nothing!’
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Terry Eagleton is John Edward Taylor Professor of English Literature at Manchester. His books include Literary Theory, After Theory and, most recently, The Meaning of Life.
Other articles by this contributor:
Pork Chops and Pineapples · The Realism of Erich Auerbach
Coruscating on Thin Ice · The Divine Spark
Reach-Me-Down Romantic · For and Against Orwell
Newsreel History · Modern Times, Modern Places by Peter Conrad
The Estate Agent · Terry Eagleton spears Stanley Fish
Unhoused · anonymity
Lunging, Flailing, Mispunching · Terry Eagleton lambasts Richard Dawkins
Mothering · The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín
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