Few of us ever heard of an infectious disease specialist until COVID-19 hit.

Now, we can scarcely turn on our radios and TVs without hearing the authoritative voices of Monaghan native, Dr Sam McConkey and the chief medical officer Tony Holohan.

McConkey tells us we’re going to be ravaged by the virus, but in a very reassuring manner.

Well, I’ve been told that Dr Sam has an even more famous brother – Lakeland board member Andrew McConkey, who previously kept LacPatrick alive as chair of the former Monaghan co-op. One’s a doctor, the other is a merger-dealing dairy farmer. Clearly, talent runs deep in the family.

Meanwhile, I’m told the much admired chief medical officer Tony Holohan, has strong Limerick connections.

His mother comes from Cappamore and is one of the Ryan ‘Luke’ family and his uncle Paddy Ryan ‘Luke’ would be well known in farming circles as secretary of Cappamore Show for the guts of 50 years.

Now we have him.