The Vatican has ordered a church in East Tyrone to change the name of their rooster appreciation weekend from ‘Blessing Of The Cocks’ to something more palatable.

St John’s RC Church on the outskirts of Aughamullan, which has a history of unique Sunday blessings, has decided to honour the rooster this year. The rooster acts as a natural alarm clock for locals in the area, as many of them are suspicious of electronics.

Parish priest Fr Jimmy admitted he might change the name to suit his Roman overlords, but was adamant that the blessing of roosters would still go ahead on the date planned:

“Aye it’s a bit of a pity as I’d loads of Blessing of the Cocks banners done out but it’s easily changed. And I suppose there are loads of other cocks out there, like pheasants and stuff. No harm done.”

Next month, the parish has announced the Blessing of the Dungarees.