Come to think of it, theres not a lot of credit given to the Deaths Head Flower Arranging Squadron of the SS. the floral arrangements at the Nuremberg Rally were something else.

I had a weird experience at the weekend. I was doing this gig at Belvoir Castle Folk Weekend in Rutland, and I found myself in a room I hadn't been in for nearly 50 years. I used to be taken there as a day out with my cousin Bernard as a day out. And we loved this room - all one side of it beautifully maintained rows of muskets. The other wall had swords of all kinds - arranged in circles - sabres, claymoors, daggers.

I think me and Bernard hoped one day the Duke of Rutland would pass by and fix us up with a spare couple of flintlock pistols and a dagger each.

Anyway, usual sort of festival scene - a gang of morris dancers waiting to go on, some bloke at the other end hoping to move us to tears with the Fields of Athenry.

Out of interest, I asked the curator lady, what is the provenance of all these arms - what are they doing in an 19th century ornamental castle in the middle of the quitest shire in England - surely never a shot has been fired round here except at the grouse.

Oh the Duke of Rutland, she told me, he raised a regiment in Napoleonic times to fight in Ireland........these are the guns they used.

Suddenly it occurred to me, my family and Bernards would have been the sharp of those bayonets and cutlasses - that we so lusted after as little boys.

low lie the Fields of athenry....right mate!