Irish women, during the time that I lived there,* tended to wear shoes that made a lot of noise walking, tall wooden heels clacking.

One morning shortly before I left the country, I finally had to say something to one of these mad cows.

"Your shoes are very loud," I said, to a woman walking beside me. She didn't respond.

"Did you hear me?"

"Wha'?"

"I said 'your shoes are very loud." She looked at me disdainfully.

"And yet you act like you don't want attention. Your shoes are incredibly loud, but you act like you don't want attention. That's very strange to me."

She marched away, loud and proud, without speaking.