Greg Barrett was a central figure along with his midfield partner Seamus Dennison on the Munster team that stunned the All Blacks. Forty years have elapsed since they ran up a 12-0 victory, forged by Chris Cantillon’s try, and two cheeky drop goals and a conversion by Tony Ward.

It is rare indeed when cold, hard numbers offer the warmest antidote to a tragedy.

‘The Cork Examiner’ report as it appeared in the sports pages, October, 1978, on that fateful day.

Watching those re-runs on RTÉ of Reeling in the Years serves as a graphic reminder of just how much things have changed in modern Ireland — in the majority of cases — for the better.

The most obvious starting point when exploring the myths surrounding Munster’s historic win over New Zealand is the attendance. At least I can honestly declare that “yes, I was there”, a claim that many in the years that followed that famous encounter deemed to imagine.