Hospitals across Ireland are stretched to the limit coping with the influx of broken bones caused by slips and falls on icy roads and footpaths.

The casualties include my brother (arm) and my sister's neighbor (hip) both of whom fell victim to the recent icy snap which has seen roads and paths turn into glassy death traps.

My sister's neighbor lay on the ground for half an hour as the emergency services had to send to a neighboring county (Meath) for an ambulance. The local ambulance service was already backed up trying to pick people up the people in Louth and ferry them, slowly, to the ER.

My brother rang a cab. He's lucky he got into the Lourdes Hospital at all. Half the cab drivers are refusing to drive outside Drogheda because the roads aren't being treated.

And now, to add insult to injury, it turns out that enterprising thieves up in Dundalk are making off with cars left running by their owners.

The owners of course are trying to defrost the car before driving. Could you imagine that happening in New York?

I'd say people will be glad to see the grand soft days returning.