BELFAST

IT TOOK CIVIL servants in Northern Ireland by surprise when their websites were crashed by a sudden rush to volunteer for jury duty by people they would never have suspected had such dedication.

“We were overwhelmed by a tide of Catholics – you know from the addresses – suddenly desperate to do jury service,” said a court service official who wished to remain anonymous, “and we just cannot explain it. Stampede, it was. That community usually has a reluctant interest in anything to to do with the state’s apparatus. You know, United Ireland and all that. Anyway, our computers went down soon enough, you know, but we hope to have them up and running by next week. Mad, it was. Just can’t figure it out.”