Champion beard owner takes remarks on the chin but says interest is growing

“Walking down the street, I’ve been called Jesus, Rasputin, Fagan, ZZ Tops, even Forty Coats, it depends on the generation,” says John McNally, the face of beards in Ireland.

Don’t expect the current national champion to bristle at this, though. He’s well used to taking such comments on the chin.

McNally, from Bray, Co Wicklow, is finishing a PhD in law at University College Cork, meaning he did not have to travel far for the first official meeting of the Irish Beard and Moustache Association, held in the Rebel city at the weekend.