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"I love Ireland,but will not go again because of the smoking ban."

I'm not trying to insult you when I say you are doing us a favour, rather I believe the only way the Irish government will U-turn on this is when our tourist numbers drop.

So Yanks please, I know it's tempting to visit long lost relatives, to kiss the Blarney Stone (us natives don't get that one), chasing Leprechaun's crocks of gold at the end of rainbows, looking for four leaf shamrocks (there's actually no such thing as a shamrock, they are different varieties of clover), and stuff like that, but go somewhere else for a couple of years in order to force Bertie's hand on the matter.

And then we can all meet up in a West-of-Ireland pub, with Croagh Patrick and Clare Island in the backround, with big King Edward cigars, and discuss how FR helped to bring down Ireland's smoking ban- so spread the word- 'Scotland is just as green as Ireland, but they didn't ban smoking.'

I'm not trying to insult you when I say you are doing us a favour, rather I believe the only way the Irish government will U-turn on this is when our tourist numbers drop.

You're 100% correct.

I'm taking the same approach here in Maine, discouraging tourists from visiting for the same reason. When the marketplace's voice is heard, there may an outside chance that there are one or two not-totally-brain-dead liberal lawmakers who will hear.

It's a longshot, but it's been my experience that in spite of their lofty declarations of caring deeply, so deeply, about their constituents' "health and safety," the real siren call that they answer to is that of the almighty dollar.

Even they know that they can't buy votes without the geeters.

Loved your post. Whenever I travel I always pity the folks that live in the towns that we tourists visit.

Tourists are hated on Cape Cod,here in Massachusetts,but their economy depends on them. Ireland would do fine without us.

I love Scotland too,and London is my favorite place in the world so I guess I,and my butts,should be okay.