A turf war breaks out between Kerry, Galway and Mayo when the origin of that aphorism comes up. When the late Kerry South TD was first elected to the Dáil, he was being interviewed on RTÉ by the august Brian Farrell, who asked him who he represented. “The plain people of Ireland,” Healy-Rae responded. “And who are these people?” the late broadcaster probed. “The people who eat their dinner in the middle of the day,” the Independent TD replied.

Source: Irish Independent March 23, 2026 10:12 UTC