As part of his preparation for religious life, Fr Pat Barry had to serve as a deacon in a parish: six months’ worth of pastoral experience ahead of his ordination, back in 1976. He was assigned to a parish on Canvey Island in Essex.

There’s a standing joke here on the sportsdesk when it comes to the Fitzgibbon Cup weekend: tell the photographers to turn their backs on the action out on the field and focus on the personalities in the crowd.