Reeled in by sporting TV gold

Anticipating the great wave of ennui that would sweep the land following another Kilkenny All-Ireland win, telly chiefs were good enough to distract us with a welter of sporting fare this week, largely uncontaminated by on-field action.

A 2008 poll crowned Reeling in the Years the most popular home-produced programme ever made, confirming a fierce national relish for living in the past.

If there is any flaw in a fine production, it might be that RITY didn’t have the time and space to rigorously explore our sporting past, bogged down as it sometimes got in political manoeuvres, most of which are best forgotten.