There had been Gewürztraminer with the soup and the fish, and an excellent Burgundy with the beef. Then, when the last of the ‘diplomat pudding’ was done, the head waiter rolled out a three-tiered wedding cake on a trolley. Meanwhile, his acolytes were serving champagne around the room.

John Mallon stepped forward and wielded, as if from nowhere, a magnificent silver sabre. He called for silence, and then repeated the call. It took perhaps a minute for the conversations and laughter to be fully hushed.

‘Now, dear friends,’ he told the guests. ‘The new Mr and Mrs Swallow will cut their wedding cake with the silver sword, presented to the first chief commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police on the date of its inception fifty years ago. Commissioner Harrel insisted that it should be used on this occasion, and he sends his personal congratulations and warm best wishes for the occasion.’

There was cheering and clapping around the room. Swallow and Maria stepped forwards, and with hands joined across the hilt of the sword began to carve through the white icing into the rich, dark cake below.

When every guest was supplied with wedding cake, Harry Lafeyre rose to his feet and tapped his glass with a fork for silence.

‘Dear friends, it is my pleasant duty as best man here to propose the toast of the bride and groom. There are no words that I can use to express my happiness and the happiness of my own future wife, Lily, Maria’s sister, at being witnesses to this wonderful event.’

He raised his glass.

‘Joe and Maria are to be together as one. It is their happy destiny. And everyone here wishes them long and happy lives together. I give you the toast of the bride and groom.’

The room rose as one and clinked glasses in a chorus.

‘To the bride and groom. To Maria and Joe.’

Maria’s Uncle Paddy, already struggling to maintain equilibrium after imbibing the wines, managed a few stammering sentences, proposing the toast of the guests. Then Swallow stood.

‘I have a few things to say, as you might expect.’

There was clapping and cheering from around the room.

‘First, I would like to thank you all for being here with Maria and myself on this very special day. I would like to thank Father Lawrence and the Franciscan community for doing the ceremony so wonderfully earlier today. I would like to thank Harry and Lily for being our witnesses. And I would like to thank the staff of this very fine hotel for putting on such a great banquet here for us.’

There was more clapping and calls of ‘hear, hear.’

‘And it is my pleasurable duty, of course, to propose the toast of the bridesmaids. To Maria’s lovely sister, Lily, and to my own beautiful sister, Harriet, who have so assiduously attended my bride here today. They have added grace and beauty to the occasion.’