WAS that a faint smell of incense in the air at The Faith of Our Fathers Show at the Point Theatre in Dublin last night?
Perhaps it was filtered through the air-conditioning to put the crowd of 4,000 in the right mood for the concert of nostalgic hymns.
There we're reports that Father Ted was going to show up, but that turned out to be just a mischievous rumour put about by a security guard.
There were plenty of real life religious there though. The majority of the fans, who came from all over the country, appeared to be aged over 50.
There was a handful of younger people there who probably did not recall the hey-day of the hymns being rendered. Bertie Ahern was there too, declaring that he loved the music on the Faith of Our Fathers record, which has sold 120,000 copies.
"I was in the choir in primary school, but after my voice broke I couldn't sing," he said.
Instead of the usual touts selling bootleg tapes and T-shirts outside the Point, there were hopefuls handing out leaflets promoting video recordings of the Latin Mass and application forms for membership of Ecclesia Dei Ireland.
In the foyer before the concert, Breda (29), and Gerard (34), were sipping coffee and trying not to look self-conscious about their ages.
Gerry said he bought the tickets to the concert as a surprise. "If I thought he was buying them I'd have said `get me a cardigan instead'," said Breda. "We're not overly religious or anything, we re not charismatic and we don't do all that hand-waving thing. It's just lovely music," said Gerry.
Over at the sweet stand the attendant said the most popular request was for mints; but they didn't have any. Opal Fruits were the next best thing.
The stage design was muted and vaguely churchlike, with a stone pattern painted on the walls and the light changing from hues of pink to lavender.
Soprano Regina Nathan and tenor Frank Patterson sang from the front of the stage, standing in a shaft of dusty light, like visions, she in her cerise pink dress which she later changed to white, and he in his black tuxedo.
Iarla O Lionaird broke the Sunday Mass spell when he took to the stage to sing Ag Criost an Siol in leather trousers and hobnailed boots.
The words of the hymns were reproduced in the programme, but few sang along. Perhaps they had been warned against it as the concert was being recorded for Faith of Our Fathers, the video.