Budget-Day (or B-Day) is upon us and pessimism is in the air. Everyone is saying that nothing is safe and nobody is immune (last year they increased the price of wine for chrissakes, what will be next?) but truth be told it's not all doom and gloom in Eireann. Just because our economy is all but down the crapper doesn't mean that living in Ireland right now is totally and completely shit. Take these ten reasons why living in Ireland right now is not so bad and have yourself a grand oul day.

1. The Weather. It's actually not that bad.

We know it's easy to say when it's dry and slightly above sub zero temperatures outside, and the memory of the surprisingly awesome summer we've just experienced fresh in our minds but really, our weather is so not as terrible as we like to tell potential tourists. Sure, it rains, but that's how we keep our grass nice and green, not to mention our rep as The Emerald Isle (with which we'll draw in said tourists). So, it's windy, but all the better to not waste money on umbrellas that last for all of three minutes before they turn inside out and poke you right in the cornea. And what with our relatively moderate weather conditions, we're also probably the only nation of people that get excited about an impending tornado or possible sea-tunnel.

2. Ah sure jaysus, the oul Irish accent.

How lucky are we to be able to not only hear the sexiest accent in the world every day in real life, but also know that it is who possess said accent, meaning that no matter what shtate we're in, we're always shexy? The Irish accent has come out on top in many's the poll and it's the likely reason why half the world claims some tenuous form of Irish identity. What we would like to know, though, is exactly which Irish accent they are actually talking about - we're guessing Julia Roberts in Michael Collins or Tom Cruise in Far and Away, and don't forget Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Okay so we might be adored more so for that made-up Hollywood-Oirish accent that seems to blend a bit of the Wesht with a bit of Cork (and maybe some Carlow) than our genuinely disctinctive and varying lilts but who cares, we're sexy. Almost collectively as sexy as Colin Farrell.

3. The Irish sense of humour: self depracating, sarcastic and generally sound (we're modest too, can't you tell?)

The one thing all returning/visiting immigrants say about living in foreign lands is the lack of friendly banter. American guys 'shoot the breeze' or whatever they like to call it, but it always ends with hugs and exclamations of how much they love each other. In Ireland you can take the piss out of your fat, single, balding friend but he/she automatically knows that you love them really. And while other nationalities might use terms of endearment like 'Hi there, honey' etc, we're a little more abrasive: 'howaya bollix' or 'howaya horse'. Also, don't you just love how we're the only group of people who apologise when asking for help? 'Sorry, can you show me the way to the nearest Guinness-selling establishment?'.

4. Lack of Wild Beasts.

When St. Patrick drove the shnakes out of Ireland the wolves and bears and dragons must have followed suit because on this fair isle we need not fear any dangerous animals. Of course we know that badgers can break your legs in an instant and we would do well to stay clear of a pack of staggeringly aggressive swans, but the scariest animals we have to deal with here are humans. Just ask the Love/Hate cat. No sharks, just Fungi, who's sound. And nobody will give you any shit for owning a pet brick, a la Jack in Father Ted at the top.

5. Old Things.

When you live in Ireland for all or most of your life it usually takes a visitor to remind you that we have cool old stuff here and usually those old things are just, well, there. That old ruin on the side of the road - that was a castle! A battle happened there, isn't that cool? The hill behind your cousin's house - it's a goddamned fairy fort! Newgrange is older than the pyramids and just as impressive in its own special way and Dun Aengus is a friggin' ancient monument built on the side of a cliff. This here writer once saw a dead lizard on the road up to Dun Aengus and it was HUGE so we guess St. Patrick didn't drive all of the creepy creatures out. But sure what harm can a lizard do? Give you a wet willy in the ear? Unless they are all hiding on the Aran Islands just waiting for their chance to rise up and make us their slaves. But sure we won't worry about that just yet.

6. Sporting Prowess.

We're not going to ponder for too long about how long it took for our neighbours across the pond - the small pond - to acknowledge hurling* (but seriously, they lived with us for hundreds of years) we're just going to say that it's about bloody time. Hurling and GAA are probably the best sports in the world and we play them here for love and glory, not to be paid a million euro per kick. Those county jerseys are worn with pride and are a great way to spot enemies or kindred spirits (or, y'know, get the shift in the local pub). What's more, giving someone a good kick up the hole is also considered a sport, right?

7. The Pub.

The traditional role of the public house is to provide patrons with alcoholic beverages but we all know it's much more than just that. Your local is where you can meet old friends, watch the match, listen to music ('shhhh, Bernard's singing a ballad, would you ever shut up!), find someone to score as the night turns to morning, do karaoke, play cards, listen to other people's more interesting conversations (I once heard a fascinating conversation between two men about washing machines and even learned a thing or two about eco washes) and be sure that if you make a fool of yourself you'll still be welcomed back next week with a wink and a smile.

8. Christmas

No-one does Christmas like the Irish do. It's worth staying here just for the prospect of Christmas alone. Returning to our respective homes and bickering with our siblings and getting in a mood because there are only the horrible orange and pink syrupy sweets left in the Roses tin is all part of the annual living nostalgia. Don't forget the best night of the year, St. Stephen's Night, where everyone has their own traditions and no one can quite remember it the next morning. You're even luckier if you have The Wren and remember that time we had the white Christmas? We're also a nation who prays incessantly for that elusive White Christmas only for it to then come and be moaned about until every last droplet is cleared. Another thing worth being Irish for at this time of year is the annual 12 Pubs of Christmas crawl. We might actually prefer this day to Christmas day itself, and that doesn't say anything about our penchant for a drink, righ?!

9.Talent

What a frickin' talented group the Irish are and we're not bad looking either - wayhay (and if we do happen to look like we've been hit by every branch of the ugly tree, we still have that poll-topping accent to help us). We have the poets, writers, singers, actors and everyone loves them, not just us. Beckett, Joyce, Domhnall Gleeson, Liam Neeson, U2, the list of fine Irish exports is endless. We also have world-class museums and galleries and most of them are free! You can listen to a host of talented musicians for free too, just head down to the pub for the weekly session. Or for a dry alternative, there is always the choir at Mass. You can't beat a bit of Mass. The Irish also possess the rare ability to transform in to a high callibre Irish dancer at any Irish wedding.

10. Food and Drink

Yes, Guinness is a meal in a pint (or half a meal in a half pint for slimmers) but we can't forget the other culinary treats available in Ireland. There's your Mammy's home cooked meals, of course, and Supermacs, but we can't ignore the number of lovely restaurants offering all kinds of interesting nice stuff. Go for the early bird and BYOB and you are paying practically what you would to make your own dinner. I haven't had to do the washing-up in weeks. Also, we have the best milk and butter. And crisps. And tea. And who else eats coddle? Pasty white sausages that look more like willies floating in soup, mmm.

And lastly, another honourable mention for good measure...

Penneys

Where would we be without dear old Penneys? Wearing plastic sacks, no doubt, and not being complimented on our absolute bargain that doesn't actually look that cheap. I got a pair of shoes for €12 reduced from €35 that I wear all the time and that go perfectly with all of my clothes, going out and casu...oh wait, they were from Dunnes.

So there you have it, today's impending budget can shove its cuts up its hairy hole, because with all of the aforementioned positivity, there's little that can get us down. Oh wait, they're doing WHAT to the price of wine?