Bearded Irish Dominican priest and diocesan bishop

Garda whistleblower John Wilson on the Marian Finucane Show this morning before getting down to serious business spoke about how he was forbidden to grow a beard in his early career as a garda.

In the late 1970s a young Irish Dominican priest went to live in Argentina. He was clever, articulate and funny.

Before leaving Ireland he grew a beard, which he retained when in South America.

His prior did not approve of the facial hair but did not have the courage or the decency to tell him so.

The prior, instead in conversation with the local bishop, expressed his disapproval of the young man's beard. Some weeks later when the bishop was visiting the priory he suggested to the young man he should shave off his beard and explained to him that priests in his diocese were not permitted to grow beards.

The young man, who was taller and bigger than the bishop, turned to him and in perfect Spanish with a Cork accent, said: "You might be my bishop but you are not my barber."

Game, set and match and of course he kept his beard.