For most of Irish history, Lent was observed with a seriousness that is difficult to fully grasp now in our modern Ireland of abundance. Meat was avoided. Dairy was restricted. Eggs were limited. Pleasure, in all its forms, was subdued, especailly in terms of food. And then, on the 17th of March, there was a small loosening. Not a collapse of Catholic discipline, but a smal hinge in it to allow a little madness to unfold.