“Well, lad.”

Irish governmental officials and Gardaí are expected to arrive in Tyrone tomorrow to question a number of Tyrone players from 2005 after it was revealed they may have indulged in some sledging directed at the gods of gaelic football, Kerry, and left some of their players in tears during the half-time break and after the final whistle. 

Colm Cooper, the ex-Kerry great who is regarded as some modern form of a messiah amongst his people, revealed in his forthcoming autobiography that in games against Tyrone they were subjected to serious verbals from the Ulster team’s defenders during their crucial Croke Park clashes.

A source who has read the book revealed the extent of the ‘sledging’, formally known as ‘slagging’:

“These Tyrone boys had serious mouths on them. They were saying things like ‘I’m going to win the next ball’ and ‘did you see the Eurovision last night?’ into the ears of Kerry Gods. INTO THEIR EARS! You just don’t do that to the Kindgom. Cooper couldn’t help but cry during the 2005 final after being called ‘carrot-head’ by a Dromore defender and blamed it on someone poking his eye. There’s an emotional breaking point you know.”

If convicted, a batch of Tyrone defenders may fall foul of the existing Irish Blasphemy Law, the first people to do so since 1855 when an Armagh man told a visiting Kerry referee that he was ‘blind or something‘ during a friendly in Crossmaglen.

With Joe Brolly ironically representing the Kerry case and Fergal Logan defending the Tyrone sledgers, Sky Sports have signed up to show the trial live and exclusive for £49.99 a session.