A 78-year-old farmer from Clare was the recipient of a framed pair of O'Neill's shorts signed by Paul Mescal, AKA Connell from hit TV series Normal People.
However, Noel Ryan admitted that he hasn't seen any of the drama starring Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones, that sent hearts racing during Lockdown.
The adaptation of Sally Rooney's book has picked up several awards and made global stars out of its lead characters. Some unlikely "celebrities" to come out of the show were Connell's GAA shorts and his gold chain.
The signed pair of O'Neill's shorts, which were raffled off at Cooraclare GAA club, raised €10,000 for facilities and Mr Ryan was the lucky winner of the item, having purchased one of thousands of tickets sold. However when asked what he thought of the show he said "I didn't even look at it."
Mr Ryan went on to say that he is “delighted” to have won the shorts, and they have now pride of place at his Cooraclare home.
Kildare's Paul Mescal has strong links to the West Clare village and he visited recently to meet up with his Godson Darragh Mescal and his club mates.
The O’Neills shorts contain the dedication penned by Mescal ‘to the Normal People of Cooraclare’.
