STEPHEN JAY GOULD remarked that “the Irish elk was neither Irish nor an elk”. Although found throughout much of northern Europe, the giant deer was once the iconic Irish mammal.

GEORGE BEST’S death yesterday will kick start a certain type of eulogy. There’ll be plenty of obituaries to read for the next few days, with the usual interchangeable ingredients: Belfast, El Beatle, Matt Busby, Miss World, Fulham, America.