Van Morisson’s incantations and repetitions, admonitions, yearnings and folk-music prove that people walked this earth yearning for a heaven elsewhere. Thomas McCarthy on a selection of Morisson’s lyrics.

Wearing the famous striped shirt of West Bromwich Albion, Shane Long last night made his first appearance back at Turner’s Cross since leaving for England in 2005, and the one-time Cork City rookie marked the occasion by also registering his first goal at the venue, as the Premier League side eventually ran out easy winners against a mix ‘n’ match home side in front of a crowd of 2,371.