The Irish are often nervous about having the appropriate face for the occasion. They have to be happy at weddings, which is a strain, so they get depressed; they have to be sad at funerals, which is easy, so they get happy.
Source: What I Saw at the Revolution, ch. 13, 1990.
-- Peggy Noonan, (Sep 7 1950-____), US writer; She is best known for What I Saw at the Revolution, 1990.