Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract

There is an old joke that tells the story of a stranger asking for directions. I have heard it several times set in different contexts that correspond to the nations and regions of the UK. One version of it is this:

An English tourist is driving in the Irish countryside, lost and looking for the route to Galway. He stops in the middle of a small village as he sees a local at the side of the road and asks him for directions, ‘excuse me, could you tell me the best way to get to Galway please?’ The villager pauses, and replies, ‘ah, well, you don’t really want to be starting from here’.