When I was a little child it seemed to me that some Irish place names were a little peculiar. Then I discovered England and found a wealth of weirdness and prodigious quaintness. A gazetteer of English place names will provide entertainment. As I grew older I realized many of the other sterling qualities of the English people, especially in the north. A great sense of humour, generosity of spirit, a tendency towards common decency. And yet their willful and incorrigible eccentricity made me wonder. Are these people really ready for Home Rule?