IF IRELAND has an efficient—and hopefully— expanding modern railway system, it equally benefits from being home to a surprising number of high quality heritage railways and museums. Irish heritage railways are popular tourist attractions, with an impressive 93,000 passengers taking trips on them annually, getting in touch with the trains of yesteryear, which enthusiasts have lovingly kept alive for posterity.

Twenty years ago, I was with colleagues in Dublin for a once -per-term meet-up of participants in a postgraduate psychotherapy course. It was organised across Northern Europe with students from Britain, Denmark, Iceland and Ireland.