Meet the philosophical Alex Ferguson

HERE’S one for your next pub quiz: what do Archbishop Tutu, The Edge, Salman Rushdie, Al Pacino, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Alex Ferguson have in common?

As of last Wednesday, when the Manchester United boss was awarded his medal, they are all Honorary Patrons of the Philosophical Society in Trinity College.

For such a high-falutin’ title, the mood was very informal at the ceremony in the College’s Graduates Memorial Building where Ferguson cut a relaxed and engaging figure as, in the company of his good horse-racing friend and MC for the night Des Scahill, he spoke about his life and times and offered answers to a series of pre-submitted questions.