Irish people living in Britain tend to view the country as a mature democracy; yesterday they woke up wondering if that maturity had become senility.

A pub found guilty of allowing drink be supplied to a child has lost a Supreme Court appeal which centred on its claim that the charge should have been dismissed because it exercised “due diligence” in assessing whether the girl was old enough to be served alcohol.

Phew… that was the general consensus at the end of a too-close for comfort match which put Ireland in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup once more.