There was a time, during the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s,when the Catholic right was as convinced that the godless liberals from Dublin 4 were secretly taking over the country as the liberal left was convinced that Opus Dei was taking over the country.

In the event, it turned out that nobody was that bothered about taking over the country at all, and it ended up being run by a traditional Catholic separated man with a live-and-let-live philosophy (which he wishes was shared by certain tribunals of inquiry).

Anyway, it now turns out that Opus Dei was not concentrating on the media, the medical profession or the judiciary at all - its secret target was, in fact, the Irish soccer team.

In the last week, the brothers and sisters of the Work (as we insiders call it) achieved their ambition: improbably, the new Irish manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, is reportedly an admirer of St Josemaria Escriva, the organisation’s founder. (‘‘Reportedly’’ is what we say when we don’t know if it’s true or not, but either lots of other people believe it, or it sounds about right.)

This promises much for the country’s soccer fortunes. At the very least, the overpaid poseurs of the Premier League would benefit from Opus Dei’s rigorous approach to getting up early in the morning, saying your prayers and using your elbows when necessary. If nothing else, it might inject a bit of backbone into the midfield.

Unfortunately, long-cherished liberal left myths about the Opus Dei lads wearing barbed wire underpants are, generally speaking, untrue. Pity - might do Robbie Keane and a few others a world of good.

* Last week, AOB threw its not inconsiderable weight behind the presidential campaign of Fianna Fail senator Mary White, in the hope - and we quote ourselves here, though with modesty - of much ‘‘astounding idiocy’’ in the future.

Well, we didn’t have to wait long. A few hours after the newspaper was snapped up by eager citizens on Sunday morning, the Right Honourable Mary appeared on Ursula Halligan’s Political Party on TV3, and proceeded to endear herself to viewers, as only she can.

As Ursula played clip after clip of Mary screaming like a dervish at her fellow senators, the aspiring candidate appeared to think this was brilliant publicity altogether. Look at me! I’m the deranged candidate! It’s all apparently available on YouTube, which is something got to do with the internet.

There is more chance of Paddy the Plasterer being elected president than there is of White getting the gig, though every encouragement should be offered to her, in the hope of a lengthy campaign and more outings such as last Sunday’s.

In fact, AOB will accept donations to her campaign, and pass most of them on. Make cheques payable to the Committee to Re-Elect Another Mary for President, though, as always, cash is preferred.

* Tomorrow week (Monday, 25) sees the return of the Cleraun Monthly Media Forum, an informal series of discussions on various topics of interest to journalists, or anyone with an interest in media.

Though half the country gives out (with varying degrees of justification) about the ‘meeja’, there is little enough constructive, rigorous discussion, and much of that takes place at Cleraun, either at the monthly fora or the biannual conferences.

Anyway, next Monday, Damien Kiberd of Newstalk and late of this parish, presents a paper asking: ‘‘Are financial journalists too close to business?” Needless to say, AOB would like to attend but, unfortunately, will be attending a seminar on Denis O’Brien’s yacht that week.

The Cleraun Centre is at the top of Foster Avenue in Mount Merrion, Dublin. Eight o’clock until half nine, tay and biscuits.

* There was a lively exchange on the subject of lap-dancing clubs on RTE’s Questions & Answers last week, when former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and Eamon Delaney of Magill got stuck into one another.

In the middle sat the altar boy figure of Micheal Martin, who looked bemused that anyone would be interested in going to an expensive pub where the girls took their jumpers off.

In the course of the Q&A debate, Delaney opined that an account of a recent Labour Party conference - in which discussion occurred on lap-dancing clubs in Kilkenny – contains material that is highly libellous of the owners of any lap-dancing clubs. With customary diligence, AOB put its legal hat on and, having inspected the material, reluctantly finds itself agreeing with Mr Delaney.

Though it would no doubt be an entertaining libel case, one feels that there might be no shortage of learned friends in the Law Library who would be willing to bring their own special knowledge to such a case.

There is certainly vocal opposition to the activity in Kilkenny. ‘‘What can we do to object to something like the lap dancing - or let’s call it a sex club - opening in Kilkenny?” asked one speaker at the Labour conference.

Mmm, the owners must really hate this type of publicity. You won’t be able get in the door for the crowds if they keep up this type ofopposition.

Best of all, this controversy gives us a (yet another) chance to commend the gardai for their diligence in policing the sector. In a case which came to court a few years ago, the judge heard that gardai had inspected one club no fewer than 15 times, such was their dedication to ensuring that the activities of lap-dancing clubs were properly supervised.