As well as making speeches, the Tβnaiste Mary Harney tells jokes. Her latest goes as follows. Three men are on a fishing trip. One of them catches a mermaid. The mermaid begs to be set free. She will grant each of them a wish in return. The men are sceptical but the first one says he would like his IQ doubled. He immediately recites flawless Shakespeare. The second fisherman asks for his IQ to be trebled. Right, says the mermaid and he starts solving maths and physics problems that have puzzled the experts for centuries.
The third man asks that his IQ be increased five fold. No, says the mermaid, it would be a very bad idea. "I have to caution you that it would change you completely. You would have a different personality and a different perspective entirely." He insists that his wish be met. "Okay" says the mermaid "but I did warn you." The third fisherman then turns into a woman.