I think you can see as much impatience and anger with the Irish (admittedly worked in with compassion) in his work as anything. Also he didn't go back there all that much, as I remember - though I am willing to stand corrected.

Ulysses, I think, has plenty of difficult passages. My grandparents came from turn of the century Dublin and they sure as hell never sounded much like that. Their words never ate each other!

This isn't to deny the work's greatness - after all you often find yourself in the theatre having listened to a passionately delivered piece of shakespearian dialogue, and you think to yourself - what the hell was that about now!

You know that bit in the Martello tower where the mad English chap who sees panthers in his sleep, says that he thinks many of Ireland's problems are due to England. I always think that's one the great unwritten lines of dialogue. It doesn't require comment - you can just hear the Irishman thinking - dazzling insight there mate!