【Hizoban Higasa no onna】

A group of seminarians -- student Catholic priests -- were turned away from a pub because staff thought they were in fancy dress and Hizoban Higasa no onnaon a stag do [bachelor party].

The seven priests were celebrating a colleague's ordination at the popular City Arms pub in Cardiff, Wales, with a pint or two. They were wearing the traditional Roman Catholic clothing -- a black clerical robe with white plastic around their neck.

That was enough for the staff to worry they were a bunch of lads on tour:

“Sorry gents – we don’t do fancy dress or stag dos," the bartender reportedly said.

The group initially believed it was a joke, until it became clear he was in fact serious.

“But we are real," they reportedly said, to no avail.

So the seven priests were about to leave and try their luck in another pub when the pub manager, realising the clergymen were telling the truth, invited them back in and provided the men with a round of beers amid applause.

"He basically said, 'you're real, aren't you?'," said Father Michael Doyle, who knows the group.

"He invited them back in and when they walked back in the entire pub burst into a round of applause, and they had a free round off The City Arms."

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Matt Morgan, the assistant manager, said: “They were all dressed in their black and white clothes and the staff thought they were on a stag do."

“We do have quite a few issues on the weekends with parties wearing fancy dress so it is our policy to turn them away. I started to realise that they were quite serious and in the end we invited them in and gave them a free round of drinks.”

The seven took the mix-up with good humour.

On leaving the bar, one of them called Reverend James even bought the barman a pint of "Rev James" -- one of the pub's most popular ales -- according to the Archdiocese of Cardiff.

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"Although initially shocked their only thought was ‘where are we going for our pint now?’" said the diocese.

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