Chris Primo reflects on becoming a father at 50

But while Central Statistics Office figures show the vast majority of new fathers in Ireland are in their 30s with almost 17pc in their 40s, the number of men welcoming their first child over the age of 50 doesn’t even reach three figures each year.

However, while younger fathers may have more energy than their older counterparts, the role is just as enjoyable — and indeed challenging — as Chris Primo attests.

Having spent a decade trying unsuccessfully to conceive, seven years ago, he and his wife Anne Marie welcomed twins, Cara and Mark, and life has never been the same since.

“I remember Anne Marie coming home from work looking pensive and hesitant — her demeanour akin to what I bore when I had to tell her that I had invested a significant portion of our savings on cryptocurrency mining equipment,” he laughs.