Nobody could have predicted that the Police Service of Northern Ireland would get their hands on a major Gaelic football trophy so soon after the lifting of the GAA's ban preventing members of the security forces in the North from playing Gaelic games.
But in Enniskillen yesterday afternoon the PSNI were the toast of St Michael's College after a police dog team recovered the prestigious Ulster colleges MacRory Cup which had been stolen from the school office that morning.
Two men wearing dust masks were caught on camera leaving the school building with the cup, which was reportedly stolen in brazen fashion with a forged note purporting to be from the college president, requesting that the cup be taken away for cleaning.
Having been defeated in their first All Ireland Colleges Hogan Cup final just a fortnight before, the solid silver MacRory Cup had acquired even greater status in the school, and its theft was a source of great concern among staff and students alike during the anxious few hours of its disappearance.
Ironically, the victorious St Michael's team had enjoyed a celebratory dinner, with the cup as the centre of attention, on Sunday last, and had moved it from its former place in the school foyer into the school office just a few days ago.
Coming less than a year after another Ulster Gaelic football team, University of Ulster, Jordanstown, were left red-faced over the disappearance of the Sigerson Cup, St Michael's will be relieved to have their coveted MacRory returned safely -- thanks to a group of individuals who up until recently were not even allowed to play the sport.