The Waterboys’ biggest hit boomed around the Aviva Stadium, taunting a near-rudderless England for their 29-10 defeat by the world’s top-ranked Test team.
Ireland are truly seeing The Whole of the Moon, to name-check that 1985 synth pop classic so beloved in Dublin and beyond.
England, by comparison, are lucky to catch a glimpse of the crescent.
Andy Farrell’s dominant Ireland coasted past a wretched England, running in five tries without requiring even fourth gear.
Writer Mike Scott said he penned The Waterboys’ best-seller in praise of visionaries like The Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis.
Each of the seven Narnia books is linked to a planet in our solar system, via an ingenious cipher unearthed in 2008.
England have yet to concoct any tangible code under head coach Steve Borthwick, while Ireland’s cryptograph is out of this world.
Borthwick’s England have now laboured some five hours and 53 minutes without a player from their back division scoring a try.
Here lies the staggering bluntness of England’s current attack. The juxtaposition of Ireland’s sumptuous, free-form offensive game will jar for some time to come.
Bundee Aki powered in from just two passes that bisected England’s bamboozled defence to start the rout.
Mack Hansen stepped off his wing to deliver a pinpoint crossfield kick for Garry Ringrose to collect, step inside and leave Freddie Steward stranded for try number two.
James Lowe positively walked his try into the corner, before Hansen himself capped another fluent attack on the other flank.
And then Keith Earls stepped off the bench and gambolled home for a square-inch finish, toasting his 100th cap in the finest, sharpest of styles.
For England, Kyle Sinckler picked and shunted one yard for the visitors’ sole score.
Where Ireland are all rhythm and metre, England are bullet points and prose.
The Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday, September 9 looms ever larger.
Firebrand Pumas forwards like Pablo Matera and Tomas Lavanini will be licking their lips at lining up England’s ponderous breakdown.
Free-stepping Argentina backs like Mateo Carreras and Lucio Cinti will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of shredding England’s doglegged defensive line.
The protagonist of The Waterboys’ smash hit was also hailed for spying Brigadoon, the legendary hamlet that rises from the Scottish Highlands mist for just one day in every 100 years.
England could have punched away at Ireland’s gain line for a century and hardly come close to spotting the mythic village of attacking fluency.
