I went to a very militantly Republican grammar school and, under its influence, began to revolt against the Establishment, on thesimple rule of thumb, highly satisfying to a ten-year-old, that Irish equals good, English equals bad.

... in Northern Ireland, if you don't have basic Christianity, rather than merely religion, all you get out of the experience of living is bitterness.

The Irish aren't great singers, but they have great songs.

I'm not good enough to be a saint and not bad enough to be interesting.

I went to a very militantly Republican grammar school and, under its influence, began to revolt against the Establishment, on thesimple rule of thumb, highly satisfying to a ten-year-old, that Irish equals good, English equals bad.

I think my life will always be worth living, though I don't imagine it being very easy.

It wasn't long before people discovered the final horrors of letting an urchin into Parliament.