Three weeks into my partially-new life in Ireland and I've come to a shocking, unbiased and true realisation: Dublin is more like America than Europe. Maybe it's because there are (allegedly) more Irish in the US than the motherland. Whatever the reason, here's a list of observations that completely validate my theory:

1. Pedestrian crossings make the same sound as American crossings (i.e. they go 'ticka ticka ticka' rather than 'beep beep beep'.

2. Lots of people seem to go jogging.

3. Lawns are constituted of the same type of artificial-looking deep green grass usually found outside HQs of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.

4. People smoke outside.

5. There are lots of sports bars.

6. Everyone drives an SUV.

7. Streets around the Docklands area of Dublin look like streets around the Meat Packing district in New York.

8. You can get a cab whenever you need one.

9. The streets are riddled with potholes (just like Boston.)

10. St Patrick's day is celebrated with marching bands and green accessories.

11. AOL, Yahoo, Vivendi, Oracle and blah are based in the same business 'campus'.

Er... that's it. Proof, if proof be need be, that Ireland and America are *literally* identical in every way.