The Green Isle

The Economist looked at 111 countries to decide which was the best in the world to live in. The result? Ireland.

BBC: The Economist said: "Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new, such as low unemployment and political liberties, with the preservation of certain cosy elements of the old, such as stable family and community life." The magazine admits that measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings will have their critics - "except, of course, in Ireland".

So here's a toast to the nation that gave us Guinness, the word "donnybrook", and half the population of Massachusetts!