Such are the numbers of foreign nationals living in west Cork that visitors could be forgiven for confusing it with parts of England or the European mainland: especially if their chosen means of communication is the Esat Digifone network.

The Margin's own fieldwork on the outskirts of Kinsale in recent weeks confirmed that Digifone's roaming service is aptly named - with a standard mobile handset bypassing the company's own network and opting instead to link up at various stages to the services of UK Vodafone or France's Itineris.

All very well for sending greetings to London or Paris. But a good deal more expensive than a post card.