When Michael Fassbender stopped by The Tonight Show recently to promote “Steve Jobs,” he and Jimmy Fallon discovered something they have in common: They were both altar boys when they were younger.
Fallon, who has Irish roots, was an altar boy in Saugteries, New York, while Fassbender, whose father is German and whose mother hails from Co. Armagh, was an altar boy in Killarney, Co. Kerry.
Both loved ringing the bells and the performative aspects of the job, but they did hit upon one notable difference.
Fassbender managed to rake in a tidy sum of cash from the gig.
Enough to splurge on a dual cassette tape player, even.
In an “only in Ireland” moment, Fassbender reveals that, as head altar boy, he was entrusted with the keys to the church during the summer months, and it was his responsibility to open the church for weddings and then lock the doors once the last guests had left. The best man of the wedding would always give him a few pounds in thanks.
It all went smoothly, except for one morning when Fassbender overslept, leaving the entire congregation – including two priests visiting from America – standing outside the church, waiting to be let in.
It’s best to hear the story from the man himself:
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