I am still in Dublin, recovering from a very enjoyable dinner with friends and colleagues last night.
Unfortunately I began the evening with a major faux pas when I referred to Britain as "the mainland". The words were barely out of my mouth when they were seized upon by another guest.
"What did you say?"
"Er, nothing."
"You said 'mainland', didn't you?"
I did. There were witnesses. I couldn't deny it. I don't know why I said it, it just slipped out. Unlike John Terry, however, I have an excuse. It happened because I was struggling to remember what you can call Britain in Ireland.
Forest Eireann's John Mallon told me once. It's either Britain or the United Kingdom but last night I couldn't remember which and in my confusion I blurted out the worst possible option, "the mainland".
Confusingly, the word 'England' may be even worse. According to a book I am reading (Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend), it is England not Britain that is associated with "800 years of oppression".
(John, if you read this please correct me before I put my foot in it again!)
Talking of John Mallon, hats off to the Forest Eireann spokesman for a highly productive couple of weeks during which he has appeared on many radio talk shows, including all the major stations - RTE Radio 1, Newstalk and Today FM - and TV3.
The stories that prompted John's appearance in the media spotlight were a call by Senator John Crown to ban smoking in cars with children and an out-of-the-blue exhortation by health minister James Reilly to ban smoking in open air parks and beaches.
Thankfully the latter in particular hasn't gone down well with listeners to Ireland's radio stations. John reports that callers have been overwhelmingly opposed to such measures. Let's hope that politicians have been listening.
John's interview on RTE's Morning Ireland this week was picked up by the BBC (Irish parks and beaches smoking ban plan condemned) and he has been quoted by several national newspapers.
Meanwhile the Examiner, our former bête noir, actually commissioned John to write an article (This creeping puritanism can be applied to anything) in a head-to-head style debate with John Crown who wrote 'We need to take a legislative stand on behalf of the voiceless'.