Then, when the program’s third host, Becky Quick, asked if the weaker euro had helped Ireland’s tourist economy, Mr. Kernen revealed that he was confused about Ireland’s currency, and how its relationship to Britain was different from Scotland’s, in an exchange that seemed to owe something to the Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello.

Quick: What has the weaker euro meant, in terms of tourism?

Shanahan: So, I think Ireland’s a very globalized economy, so we look to what is happening here as much as we do to what is happening in Europe and we look to what is happening in …

Kernen: You have pounds anyway, don’t you still?

Shanahan: We have euros.

Kernen: You have euros in Ireland?

Shanahan: We have euros, yes, which has aided …

Kernen: Why do you have euros in Ireland?

Shanahan: strong recovery …

Kernen: Why do use euros in Ireland?

Shanahan: Why wouldn’t we have euros in Ireland?

Quick: It is part of the E.U.

Kernen: Huh?

Quick: Part of the E.U.

Kernen: I’d use the pound.

Shanahan: No, we’ve had the euro for some time and we’re very happy with it.

Kernen: What about Scotland? I was using Scottish, uh. …

Shanahan: Scottish pounds, yeah.

Kernen: Scottish pounds.

Shanahan: They use sterling.

Kernen: They use sterling?

Shanahan: They use sterling. But we use euro.

Kernen: What? Why would you do that?

Shanahan: Why wouldn’t we do that?

Kernen: Why didn’t Scotland? No wonder they want to break away.

Shanahan: They’re part of the U.K., we’re not.

Kernen: Aren’t you right next to, uh. …

Shanahan: We’re very close but entirely separate, as you know well.

Kernen: It is sort of the same — the same island, isn’t it?

Shanahan: And in the North of Ireland they have sterling, but ——

Kernen: They do?

Shanahan: We use euro, yes.

Kernen: It’s just too confusing. … Northern Ireland’s the pound?

Shanahan: Northern Ireland’s the pound, yes.

Kernen: Oh my God, you guys got to get it together over there.