It was a weekend like any other in the United States, the UK and elsewhere, but in Ireland it was St Patrick's weekend, a time for national celebration, sometimes raucous, always uplifting. That evening the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, came on national television to address the nation on the fight against Covid-19. He was watched and listened to widely. In homes around the country that night, and the following morning and into the week, the mood was noticeably different, almost like a changing of the light. The opinion poll published in this newspaper today was taken in 20 countries worldwide, including Ireland, in the hours and days that followed Mr Varadkar's address.

Source: Irish Independent March 29, 2020 01:30 UTC