A predictable narrative stole the excitement from the latest chapter in this most alluring of western rivalries but there was quality enough to suggest that Connacht is not going to re-adopt the sick-man cameo which dogged it earlier in the decade, not with talent like this coming through.
In what was a relentless hour of breathless attacking football, St Patrick's, the "day school" in the locality, fell asunder amid a preponderance of ill-advised short passes and a basic reluctance to have a pop. The St Jarlath's lads, in contrast, seem to have whiled away those endless dormitory evenings by discussing the finer points of John O'Mahoney's direct attacking game.
Steam-rolling under the guidance of a central spine of Barry Burke, Ronan Loftus and Declan Newell, they had flashed 1-4 past their neighbours by the 14th minute and although the Patrick's boys had the stomach, they never had anything like the required consistency.
That said, St Patrick's sizeable and vociferous supporters continued to hammer drums and "oggieoggie oih" with a zeal which was Evanderesque in its faith, and their dauntless cheer alone made the likelihood of a comeback seem possible.
It threatened to materialise after 20 minutes when St Patrick's Kieran Comer lobbed a ball which Seamus Treacy broke for Kevin Brady to hammer past St Jarlath's captain John O'Hara. That left matters at 1-5 to 1-0 and it was possible to envisage St Patrick's forcing a game out of it; they had football enough in their bones, with midfielder Comer and the lightning Brady brave throughout.
Shame was that they never utilised their potential. Too often St Patrick's embarked on ill-fated kamikaze solos against the solid St Jarlath's back six who hoofed clear into space and then the glitzy stuff began.
Repeatedly, St Jarlath's Derry O'Brien and Declan Newell - prospects both - came deep to collect ball and splayed passes around with wonderful economy and inventiveness, constantly leaving the St Patrick's defenders back pedalling.
Up 1-7 to 1-1 at the break, they really turned the screw over the concluding half hour, Alan O'Donovan burying all pretensions of a contest after 43 minutes when he ran onto a long ball from Enda Trench and deftly finished.
After that it was shooting practice, with O'Donovan and Cian O'Brien showing hot touches from the corners. Too late, we saw glimpses of their opponents' worth, Comer and Kieran Payne both nailing points from way down town. There was little they could do about the chasm on the scoreboard though.
So St Jarlath's rule OK in Connacht. Afterwards, John O'Hara lifted the Aonghus O'Murchu Cup and declared that "all the slogging's been worth it." As his class-mates let rip, the Leaving Cert seemed a long way off.
ST JARLATH'S: J O'Hara; P Clarke, B Burke, L Brady; D Blake, D Burke, M Webb; R Loftus (0-3), E Trench; J P Steed (0-1, free), T Griffin, D O'Brien (0-3); C O'Brien (0-4), D Newell (1- 1), A O'Donovan (1-3, 2 frees).
ST PATRICKS: G Hynes; J Freerick, D Keane, G Gilmore; R Kavanagh, M Comer, R Higgins; K Comer (0-4, three frees), B Newell; K Payne (0-1), S Treacy, M Lally; J Trayers, K Brady (1-1), K Higgins. Subs: B Tiereny for B Newell (43 mins).
Referee: Martin Murphy (Galway).
