More than 1,000kg of solid muscle strained, sweated and sometimes even swore for two days in a struggle to be Ireland's strongest man.
Eight burly fitness fanatics - average weight 140kg (22 stone)each - contested the final of the Ireland's Strongest Man competition over two days at the Finn Valley Athletic Club, Stranorlar, Co Donegal.
The winner, who triumphed late yesterday, was "Big Dave" Warner, from Coleraine, Co Derry.
The contenders had pulled a truck, lifted a 900kg car, hoisted massive concrete globes known as McGlashon stones, pushed a great long pole against each other and lifted giant weights several times in succession to prove who was strongest.
When all that was done they still had to perform what they called the ultimate strength challenge, the scary-sounding Voodoo Medley of Death.
They had to haul 400kg (900lbs) on their backs over 15 metres, load a 100kg Voodoo skull (actually a large stone) on to a 1.8 metre high platform, and then carry the 400kg back to the starting point - all within 90 seconds.
It was a torturous test of strength - but not nearly as frightening as it sounded. The medley was named after main sponsor of the event, a lounge bar in Letterkenny.
The competitors ranged in age from 50-year-old grandfather Pa McNamara to 22-year-old Nigel Troy, both from Thurles, Co Tipperary.
They and Nigel's 33-year-old brother Daniel, a father of five, were the only competitors from the Republic still in the final on the second day yesterday.
Jason Reilly from Co Meath was forced to pull out with an injury half way through the opening events on Saturday.
Pa and the Troy brothers - inevitably nicknamed the Trojan Warriors - competed for the top prize of €1,000 and a bronze sculpture of Ireland's original strongest warrior, Finn McCool.
The other finalists, all from the North, were Limavady baker Leslie "Bootleg" Steele, Andy "Atom Bomb" Lamour from Bangor, Co Down, Gary McKelvey from Ballymoney, Co Antrim, and "Big" Dave Warner.
They flexed their pecs, psyched themselves up with banshee-like screams that competed with constant loud rock music on the PA system, and grunted and groaned for an appreciative audience of about 500 each day.
They earned their place in the finals ahead of 40 other hopefuls in a series of heats earlier in the year.
A "sword of strength" was beaten against a shield and ceremoniously pointed towards the four points of the compass as the prayers of long-dead Celtic warriors were invoked for the success of the contest.
Master of ceremonies Glenn Ross from Bangor, five times UK strongest man and former champion of Europe, kept the contestants on their toes - when they weren't squatting beneath enormous weights - and kept the crowd entertained with such gems as the silver dollar lift would be "a piece of cake" for baker Leslie Steele.
Ross, who returns to competition in the UK finals in October after a year out with injury, gave an indication of what it takes to be the strongest - in addition to weight-lifting and other arduous gym exercises six days a week.
"How many fridges do you have?" he asked.
"Two? Not enough to feed me for a day."
He reckoned an average day's food for most strong men would consist of lots of porridge, eggs, pasta, potatoes, at least 1kg of meat "and anything else edible that you can get your hands on", eaten over five meals.
Ireland's strongest man goes forward to the UK finals in October.
Three others who qualified from Stranorlar for the UK event are Gary McKelvey, Pa McNamara and Nigel Troy.