This really is something else…
We say Christmas card, but it is less a card and more of an essay dedicated to both the collective achievements of Mayo boxing in 2013 and the personal achievements of the President of the Mayo Boxing Board, the one and only Joe Hennigan.
The contents of the card were tweeted out by Mayo News journalist Edwin McGreal yesterday and when we say that Edwin was one of the lucky ones to receive the card, we really mean it, as you will soon find out for yourself.
The card starts out very promisingly, with a large picture of Joe himself on the front cover along with the greeting ‘Merry Christmas 2013 From the Boss’…
Got my first Christmas card from indefatigable President of Mayo Boxing Board, Joe Hennigan. It’ll take beating 1/3: pic.twitter.com/2xUi4aRsjV
— Edwin McGreal (@edmcgreal) December 5, 2013
…and then opens up into a two-page spread of the achievements of Mayo and Connacht boxing in the last 12 months.
2/3 included in centre is a list of Mayo and Connacht boxing achievements in 2013: pic.twitter.com/NE4xyZKx4O
— Edwin McGreal (@edmcgreal) December 5, 2013
It is on the back page where the card comes into its own, however, as Joe writes at length about his achievements in his 40 years involved in amateur boxing and takes a cut at a few anonymous people along the way.
3/3 And on back Joe has a cut off his opponents. Note bit in bold: pic.twitter.com/eyPhO58cVS
— Edwin McGreal (@edmcgreal) December 5, 2013
“There are a lot of people not on my Christmas Card list this year,” Joe writes.
“There are a lot of people who would have been on my list but it didn’t happen for them and you know why!”
And then, the coup de grace, the closing line, which reads: “Some people can only dream of the achievements that I have received, so dream on lads because I’m not going anywhere yet!!!
“That is why they call me *The Boss*.”
If you were feeling a sense of déjà vu when reading through Joe’s card then you weren’t the only one, as Today FM’s Nathan Murphy hit the nail on the head in response to Edwin when referencing a well-known speech in Father Ted.
So the President of Mayo Boxing, Joe Hennigan, sent out a Christmas card…..and now to the liars! (via @edmcgreal) pic.twitter.com/YUxi4yftuP
— Nathan Murphy (@nathanmurf) December 5, 2013
After reading this we sincerely hope that ‘The Boss’ himself has a very merry Christmas, but he’s certainly already made it better for those lucky enough to receive what must go down as one of the best Christmas cards of all time.
You loved it so much, we’re bringing it back! The JOE Pub Quiz is LIVE again.
We’re hitting up The Academy, Dublin on Friday, 14th of February.
Tickets are on sale from Friday 31st Jan at €29.90 each and available on Ticketmaster.