My sister’s friend who married the Swede was back in Cork for Christmas.
She decided to take her husband’s name. She is wrestling with Swedish bureaucracy and they have referred her request to head office.
While she was in Cork, she decided to check with at the local Garda station to see what the procedure was in Ireland. Dialogue as follows:
Her: So I want to make my name double-barrelled and add my husband’s name.
Guard (puzzled): OK.
Her: So what do I need to do?
Guard (long pause): Start using it, like.
This reminds me of when I left Belgium and went to hand my id card back to the commune.
Man in commune: Where are you moving to? I will post your documents.
Me: There’s no need, I’m moving to Ireland.
Him: But tell me your commune and I will post it for you.
Me: We don’t have communes.
Him: But where do you get your id card?
Me: We don’t have id cards.
Him: But how do the authorities know where you live?
Me: They don’t.
Collapse of stout party etc.