Not sure of your age or nationality, but I'm guessing you didn't live through it. (I didn't either, for the record, but my parents did). Ireland in the 70s was

Not sure of your age or nationality, but I'm guessing you didn't live through it. (I didn't either, for the record, but my parents did). Ireland in the 70s was not a prosperous place, and trying to pay for things with second and third and fourth-hand uncashed cheques was a massive headache for everyone.