Irish music is like an oddly benevolent social disease for which there is no known cure. It causes a fascination with the subtle details of rhythm, ornamentation, and intonation and leads to an obsession which slowly drives one to an enjoyable and most worthwhile form of insanity.

I was infected in 2003 and have entered a phase in which some of my associates now politely tolerate my rambling about adventures and misadventures in pubs, houses, and dance halls; seeking enlightenment and finding only diddly.