Removal of the slow set one of the greatest crimes perpetrated against the bachelors of rural Ireland

It was a crime against all single men, but particularly against the tongue-tied and the humble in our herd

No one has ever explained to us farmers why the slow set was given the cold shoulder in the first place. Picture: H Armstrong/Getty

There would have been no need for RTÉ to make Love in the Country if the slow set was still around.

The national broadcaster could have saved itself a fortune in money, and indeed effort, if only the slow set had remained.