Update: Gordon D'Arcy announced his retirement today and we thought it was a good time to remember the last time we had to say goodbye to something that we didn't want to.

Gordon D'Arcy's beard met a sad and untimely end last night. I woke up at 3am to news that it had been shaven off and couldn't get back to sleep.

However now I have reached the acceptance stage of the grieving process, and while some might say that a gallery of his beard is completely unnecessary, I would argue the exact opposite...

THE EARLY DAYS

Little did we know...


NO DOUBT DISCUSSING BEARDS HERE...

THE BEARD'S FIRST OUTING IN AN IRELAND SHIRT


THE HAPPY BEARD

THE LONELY BEARD


THE ANGRY BEARD

THAT TIME THE BEARD ACCIDENTALLY ENDED UP ON HIS HEAD


AND THE TIME IT ENDED UP ON SHANE BYRNE

THE BEARD SHOUTING


THE BEARD MEETS THE MEDIA

THE BEARD WAITS...


THE BEARD AT WAR


THE BEARD LISTENS TO MUSIC

THE BEARD BEGINS TO LOOK LIKE JESUS


THE BEARD CELEBRATES

THE BEARD IS MURDERED

THE POST-BEARD ERA