‘We love it, all of us — it’s in the heart, in the blood’

WHO would be a nominator in the Irish Cup? You pay €1,000 for the privilege, then — unless you’re an owner/nominator — you take pot luck on which dog you’re actually nominating, you’re one of 64 dogs in the running, and if you win, well, you get eight grand.

As a gamble, doesn’t make much sense, does it? Last year, in the way that the gods organise these things, all those planets aligned for Christy Murphy, a Patrickswell publican, owner of the popular Cuchulainn bar in the village, hit the jackpot.

As this son of a bookmaker explains, however, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with calculating the odds.